What a rotten thing to do to save a few bucks. Outrageous.
Some Calls to Jobless Hot Line Were BlockedTALLAHASSEE | At least one cell phone company blocked some calls to Florida's toll-free unemployment compensation hot line because the line is frequently busy, but the problem has been corrected, state officials said Monday.
Officials now are trying to find out whether other cellular companies have been doing the same thing. They urged jobless workers to use land lines if possible to call the Agency for Workforce Innovation's toll-free number - 1-800-204-2418.
Officials last week discovered Alltel, recently acquired by Verizon, had been blocking cell phone calls to often-busy hot lines apparently as a cost-cutting measure but the number was unblocked Friday, said agency spokesman Robby Cunningham.....State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, said some constituents have complained about getting a busy signal or being disconnected when they call the hot line.
"The biggest concern that I have is that people ... who are legitimately due unemployment compensation have not even been able to apply for it or at least contact a person who can assist them in applying for it and they're not getting any income," Fasano said.
A Verizon spokesman said he was looking into the situation and did not have an immediate comment.
The Agency for Workforce Innovation said no rules had been broken. I have trouble believing that.
For a while there have been serious problems for Floridians in reaching unemployment agencies.
Florida drowning in jobless claims.Floridians who want state unemployment benefits may need to brush up on their computer skills. That’s because there’s no way to sign up in person, and those who apply by phone can expect either busy signals or waits of up to 90 minutes to speak with someone.
“I’ve called them on that line, and it’s been busy for hours on end,” said Marta Gonzalez, a Miami resident who wants to know why she hasn’t received any payments yet. As the ranks of Florida’s unemployed grow, the state labor department is finding itself deluged with applications for compensation, which maxes out at $275 per week.
..."Many frustrated applicants visit local unemployment offices only to find that claims are no longer taken in person. In general, workers at the local offices don’t even have access to the state computer system that carries the unemployment claims.
For example, Broward’s unemployment agency, Workforce One, has one person in its Hollywood office who can look up the status of benefit applications. He can’t change the applications, but the line to see him has snaked around the office anyway.
Claims no longer taken in person. What a sign of the times.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
