More Call Takers, Extended Hours: Are Texas Workforce Commission's Efforts Working?
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - The Texas Workforce Commission has added more phone lines, more people and extended call center hours to try and keep up with the massive volume of Texans trying to file for unemployment.
But are these efforts actually working?
While many are still unable to get through to the state's unemployment office, in the past month more than a million Texans have made it through and filed unemployment claims.
This week the TWC also began calling people to resolve password and PIN issues.
This has been one of the major roadblocks preventing people from applying for benefits online.
Krystal Erekson lost her job as a dental assistant in Keller more than a month ago.
After four weeks of calling the TWC hotline and getting a busy signal, on Tuesday Erekson received a call from the state agency.
Her password issue that has prevented her from applying online was quickly resolved. Within minutes, she completed her online unemployment application.
"It feels like a weight has been lifted off of me," Erekson said. "It feels like everything is going to be okay now."
The TWC said thousands of Texans will be receiving calls in the coming days to resolve password and PIN issues.
If you do get a call from someone claiming to be from TWC, make sure it's not a scammer by asking the caller a few questions such as when you applied for benefits or who did you work for.
The TWC will ask for Social Security numbers and date of births but will never ask for a credit card number or state that there is a fee associated with filing a claim.