WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — The Department of Labor released the most recent number of unemployment claims it has received since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut. The DOL said on Friday it has received more than 635,000 claims during this time period.
Out of those claims, the DOL says it has processed 617,296 of them while explaining the time to process a claim now is down to one to two weeks. At the height of the pandemic, it was about six weeks.
In an effort to cut down this processing time more, the DOL is creating a consumer contact center. It will be supported by $4 million in federal funding. Currently, the DOL has about 100 employees that shift between state and federal level programs. There are about 40 employees answering phone calls.
“We are still seeing an unprecedented number of claims applications," Commissioner Westby said. "The consumer contact center will help us more quickly get benefits out to people while still protecting the system from fraud and criminal activity. Of the applications that we hold, more than 50% contain claimant errors. Starting mid-July, we will have more customer service representatives available to help people make corrections and handle the applications that are in verification for other reasons.”
The new center will add 60 employees to answer phones and emails. It will also add text, chat, call back, and virtual assistant options.
Since March 13, 2020, CTDOL has disbursed:
- $900M in state unemployment benefits (UI);
- $75M in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA);
- $38M Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) for individuals who have exhausted regular UI benefits; and
- $1.76B in Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), the $600 additional weekly benefit that expires July 25, 2020.
For more information and tips on how to file an unemployment claim, click here.