You ask. We Answer. | FOX61's Jenn Bernstein on the communication issues with the Department of Labor

Many of you continue to write in about the problems communicating with the Department of Labor. People who have not gotten their claims processed for weeks are also not able to get through by phone or by e-mail to check their status.  Tuesday Fox 61’s Jenn Bernstein once again asked for an update during the Governor's daily briefing: 

Jenn:  "I just wanted to follow up on an unemployment issue we discussed last week, people are still not getting through to the Department of Labor, and not getting money.  Many say they can respect the fact that DOL is swamped but they can't understand why a human can't get on the phone or answer an email. Is there an update from the Department of Labor on this communication issue?"

Josh Geballe, Governor Lamont’s Chief Operating Officer:  "We definitely acknowledge it's been hard to get through on the phone at times. The team has been rapidly increasing the size of the call center staff there. I think it's quadrupled from where it was when this crisis began. They are working around the clock trying to get back to people.  I will also point out that the team, through their hard work, has now processed 400,000 unemployment claims and we're now just an inch short of a billion dollars of unemployment compensation that's been paid out to the people of Connecticut, so the money is moving but we do understand that some people have not been able to get through and how frustrating that is for folks and we are working around the clock to try and fix that."

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We did want to follow up on this group of emails following Jenn Bernstein’s one-on-one interview with Lamont last week. 

FOX61 has been inundated with responses from many of you, who are having the shared, unfortunate experience of not getting through to the Department of Labor.  During last week’s interview, the Governor specifically asked Jenn to forward him some of the emails we’d received, so we followed up with Lamont’s Communications Director Max Reiss.

Watch the interview with Reiss below: 

If you have questions you would like to be answered, email Share61@fox61.com.