PORTLAND, Oregon — Weeks after the state rolled out a new online filing system for unemployment benefits, many Oregonians have yet to receive a dollar from their recently filed claims.
“It's just a debacle,” said Gustave Wirth, who was laid off in late February.
When KGW met with Wirth at his Southeast Portland home on Wednesday, he had been waiting on hold with the state’s employment office for four hours and 23 minutes.
“But we've been at this all day,” Wirth said. “When we got through earlier, we were on hold for another three-and-a-half hours and then the call just failed on us and we had to start again.”
Wirth was trying to reach someone to discuss issues surrounding the state's new online filing system, Frances Online, which launched March 4. Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said it would "modernize customer service for Oregonians filing for unemployment insurance benefits.”
Wirth said to open an account, the system required him to enter a one-time verification code. The state was supposed to send the code to him in the mail, but it never arrived at his house. Since then, Wirth said he's been jumping through hoops and waiting hours on hold, hoping someone will help him access the now four weeks of unemployment he's filed for.
“I’m basically burning through my savings,” Wirth said. “Now, I'm about to ask my friend who currently lives with us if he can help out, and that's just not what we signed up to do here.”
Daniel Wallace feels his pain. The Canby man filed for unemployment Feb. 11 and is waiting for benefits from six weeks' worth of claims he's filed.
“I've been trying to get any response from [the state] and I just haven't been able to get many answers,” said Wallace.
Wallace said he met with WorkSorce Oregon officials in person and provided proof of identification. He said they told him everything looked good, but because they were transitioning to Frances Online, he too would need that one-time verification code. Unlike Wirth, Wallace said he did get his code in the mail on March 13, but needed it by March 11.
“So the PIN was already expired,” said Wallace. “And then two days later, I ended up getting a notice saying I'd been denied benefits, so I've been trying to appeal that, but I'd done everything correctly.”
Both Wallace and Wirth said they’ve had to call the employment office hundreds of times because the system often hangs up on them within a few seconds.
“I've called them about 1,200 times,” said Wallace, noting he wasn’t exaggerating. “I've been able to get through about four times, and each time I've been able to get through, it's been a wait time of about 4 hours.”
KGW reached out to Oregon's employment department. A spokesperson said they're updating their letter-sending process to make sure customers have enough time to respond with their verification codes. He noted call-wait times were high even before the new system was in place, and the department understands the situation is upsetting for customers.
“One of the advantages of Frances Online is that we are able to quickly adjust when problems arise,” said Seth Gordon, communications officer with the Oregon Employment Department. “We are working to address them as quickly as we can when they arise and make improvements to our system moving forward. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding.”
Gordon suggested customers trying to reach a representative try a couple of other options. Those who’ve already set up their Frances Online account were encouraged to log in and send a message from their account. For those without an account, Gordon suggested they visit www.frances.oregon.gov and use the Contact Us form.
“We will work with these customers to resolve the issue,” said Gordon.