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High Call Volume Ties Up State's Unemployment Line

LANSING (WWJ) - State officials say they've been dealing with an excessively high call volume recently leading to problems getting through on the state's unemployment line.

WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeil spoke with Steve Hargis, an unemployed electrician from Milford, who's been trying to get through for a while. You may ask: How many times has he called "MARVIN" (Michigan's Automated Response Voice Interactive Network) ?

"How many times? How much blood pressure medicine can I take at one time, you know? It's an oxymoron," said Hargis. "You can call 500 times a day and this is what I'm gonna get."

Hargis said he hasn't received his check in about six weeks.

State officials tell WWJ they've had an "extraordinarily high" number of inquiries recently and are asking for patience.  They say you will probably getting a more speedy response by submitting your question online at michigan.gov/UIA.

- Learn more about MARVIN -

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