Why Isn't Illinois Accepting Help From Federal Government To Process Unemployment Claims?
CHICAGO (CBS) -- With unemployment numbers at an all-time high, the federal government is helping some states process claims faster.
But Illinois isn't getting that help, despite weeks and weeks of issues with the state's overwhelmed and aging system.
We wanted to know why. CBS 2's Tara Molina found out it's not because that help wasn't offered to us. It turns out Illinois didn't ask for it, and the reason provided by the state is not simple.
We've been on reporting on the problems with the Illinois Department of Employment Security system for weeks. The website crashes, glitches or won't load when people go to file for unemployment.
The reason, according to Gov. JB Pritzker and other state officials, is that the system old and it can't handle the unprecedented number of requests.
The request, of course, are for help that people need right now.
We heard about work with the Department of Innovation and Technology - server upgrades and a monitoring tool to quickly identify issues. But people continue to reach out to us about problems, and we've continued to bring those problems to the state.
So, when we learned about federal help for states hindered by aging equipment, and 11 states taking the U.S. Department of Labor up on that help, we asked if Illinois is one of them.
"Here in Illinois, I'm pleased to say that we are at least attempting heartily to address the challenge people are having getting through," Pritzker said. "We have some of the biggest consulting firms in the world really who are helping us expand our ability to be responsive."
But as to the question about whether Illinois is accepting federal help, Pritzker was not clear.
So Molina followed up with Illinois' Department of Employment Security.
Several times. The answers still weren't clear.
IDES spokeswoman Rebecca Cisco said they've been able to build up their capacity, to meet demand, through private partnerships.
But that still didn't address why we aren't accepting the help from the feds.
Cisco called to say the help offered is the third-party help Illinois has already contracted - we don't know if that help is free.
"As a result of private partnerships, we've been able to build our capacity up to meet demand. We will continue to monitor the situation and consider all options to ensure we can serve Illinoisans who require our services during this crisis.
"IDES has partnered with DoIT, IBM, Accenture, and others and have made tremendous strides in upgrading the website in the past few weeks so we are able to handle the influx in volume of claims."
Cisco sent a document that elaborates on the public-private partnerships and further details on Gov. Pritzker's efforts to expand unemployment benefit eligibility.
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Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor said it has offered technical and computer assistance to all states to help with unemployment filing. So far, 11 states have accepted the help. The department said states that are not yet paying out the benefit are hindered by computer equipment which may be as old as 40 years old and is taking time to upgrade.
But the Department of Labor has not offered further specifics, such as whether the federal government is totally covering the costs or subsidizing them.
CBS 2 is committing to Working For Chicago, connecting you every day with the information you or a loved one might need about the jobs market, and helping you remove roadblocks to getting back to work.
We'll keep uncovering information every day to help this community get back to work, until the job crisis passes. CBS 2 has several helpful items right here on our website, including a look at specific companies that are hiring, and information from the state about the best way to get through to file for unemployment benefits in the meantime.
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