135,000 Marylanders Still Awaiting For Their Unemployment Claims To Be Processed
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- About 135,000 Marylanders are still awaiting for the unemployment claims to be processed, according to Labor Secretary Tiffany Robinson.
During a virtual hearing with the state house Wednesday, Robinson said those claims have still not been paid out because they are under reviewed for a number of reasons.
"It would not be fair to say that 200 call lines with 250 claims agents is adequate for the hundreds of thousands of calls that come in daily," Robinson said.
Although she said the department was happy its paid more then 327,000 unemployment claims, she said they were disappointed with the launch of the Beacon One-Stop system.
On Tuesday, state senate hearing lasted nine hours. Lawmakers heard from 270 Marylanders about their frustrations and experiences filing for unemployment.
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The hearing allowed the public, for the first time, to share their experiences applying for unemployment insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over 1,100 Marylanders signed up -- but only the first 270 were invited to testify. The remainder could submit video testimonies.
"If she was doing her job, I wouldn't be here two months later without unemployment," Vanessa Pena, an unemployed Maryland resident, said.
The House of Delegates is now asking similar questions, and allowing Robinson to respond.
"We still have issues we're trying to resolve," Robinson said.
"We in no way are trying to pat ourselves on the back," Robinson added.
But many are calling for Robinson's resignation.
"Maybe if Tiffany Robinson didn't get a paycheck for a couple weeks, she would fix the problems that are going on," Pena said.
With 135,000 people's claims still pending, there are 100,000 people still in limbo. But Secretary Robinson said she and her team won't stop until they've solved everyone's issue.
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