Coronavirus Latest: New One-Stop Maryland Unemployment Site Launches; Issues Mostly Fixed, Hogan Says
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The new one-stop Maryland unemployment that launched Friday has been fixed after reporting multiple issues earlier in the day, Gov. Larry Hogan said.
At a news conference Friday afternoon, Hogan said the site was down for around an hour Friday morning after launching at 7 a.m.
The governor added around 35,000 Marylanders have logged on to the site since it launched and 15,000 new claims were filed. Later Friday evening, officials updated those numbers to more than 44,000 active accounts and 19,000 new claims as of 5:15 p.m.
Despite that, Hogan said he was "very frustrated" the vendor that the state worked with to create the site wasn't prepared for the volume of users who tried to log on.
"We've expressed that frustration to this outside vendor that developed the website," Hogan said. "They put -- I think -- 100 people on it this morning to try to get it fixed. They did get it back up online; I think there are a couple of glitches still throughout the day, but it's performing much better, and we're going to hold their feet to the fire to make sure they get all the glitches worked out."
The new website is designed to make it easier for people to apply for unemployment insurance in the state. For weeks, newly jobless Marylanders have reported issues with filing for unemployment insurance as the state said it was overwhelmed by the number of applicants.
The site now allows anyone who's eligible for benefits, including CARES Act benefits and those previously required to file by phone, to file online. It also allows the self-employed to file for unemployment.
Hogan said before the site launched, they had 40,000 calls backing up into their call center.
Earlier in the day, Marylanders trying to access the Division of Unemployment Insurance's were greeted with the following message:
"Despite rigorous testing of our new BEACON One-Stop application, the vendor we partnered with is experiencing temporary issues with the system due to the volume of claimants accessing the site simultaneously. The outside vendor is working hard to resolve the issues. Please check our website later this morning for updates."
In a statement Friday night, the labor department said it will continue to watch for potential glitches over the weekend.
More Than 45K Unemployment Claims Filed In Maryland Last Week; New Filing System Launches Friday
More than 45,000 Marylanders applied for unemployment last week, according to statistics reported Thursday.
To directly access the new BEACON One-Stop, visit https://beacon.labor.maryland.gov/claimant/
UNEMPLOYMENT RESOURCES:
- Coronavirus Resources: Maryland To Launch New 'One-Stop' Unemployment Benefits Website On April 24
- How To File For Unemployment In Maryland
- Here's A New Email To Get Your Unemployment Questions Answered In Maryland
- Coronavirus Pandemic Leave You Unemployed? Here's How Marylanders Can Get Help
- Pratt Library Offering Online Job Search Help, Tutoring While Buildings Remain Closed
- While Some Businesses Are Closing, Others Need More Workers
- Amazon, Walmart Among Companies Hiring Temporary Workers Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- Looking For A Job? Here Are Some Baltimore Businesses Hiring Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
The state released a step-by-step guide on how to file for unemployment. Click here to read that.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.