Maryland Department Of Labor Says It Has Paid 327,649 Unemployment Insurance Claims During Coronavirus Pandemic
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Maryland Department of Labor said it has paid 327,649 Marylanders unemployment insurance claims during the coronavirus pandemic.
They added that 90 percent of the claims have received payments within 21 days, and since Saturday, Maryland has paid 56,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims, more than $165 million in relief.
"The unprecedented volume of new claims, and constantly changing guidelines from the federal government, have presented a series of challenges not only for our department, but for unemployment programs across the nation," said Labor Secretary Robinson. "While we are making progress, there are still many frustrated Marylanders waiting to receive benefits. Please know that we are listening, we know what needs to be improved, and we are focused on getting the job done. We will not be satisfied until every Marylander gets the relief they need and deserve."
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The department received double the total amount of claims filed in 2019 in March alone, it said Tuesday.
As the number of unemployment claims surged due to the pandemic, some people filing for benefits reported making hundreds of phone calls and waiting on hold for hours to get help. For the week ending May 2, the state's labor department reported receiving more than 109,000 claims.
To alleviate the issues, the state launched a new one-stop application for benefits, but within hours of its launch, it crashed due to high demand. Officials have since said the site is fully operational but some lawmakers have expressed doubts.
More than 1,100 Marylanders have signed up to testify on unemployment insurance issues at a virtual Senate committee hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing began to live-stream at 1 p.m. Tuesday on the General Assembly's YouTube page here.
