Unemployment

been inundated with calls, making it extremely difficult for people to reach anyone at the agency for help.

Jeff Dines, 61, of Glendale, was working as a ride share driver when the pandemic hit in March. He applied for unemployment, but had to wait about two months until May 12 before the state set up the pandemic program approved by Congress for people not covered by traditional unemployment insurance.

Then, unexpectedly, he got a check in the mail around the same time the applications opened last month.

DES sent checks for three weeks of benefits to about 165,000 people it had determined were qualified for pandemic assistance.

Dines said the money helped, but like many other people getting benefits, he reports that he has not gotten any funds since then.

He’s still missed out on about weeks of work and benefits.

The PUA system continues to see new applications and many of the people already in the system say they haven’t gotten money since the initial checks were mailed.

“If I’m one of thousands that hasn’t been paid for weeks, that’s just a gargantuan bill,” he said.

Dines said he could get by for the time being, but that eventually he will need that money.

“If they come back and say no, then I will be in bad trouble,” he said.

He’s tried calling and emailing, but can’t get through to anyone at DES. He

“It is utter silence on their end. They won’t tell me anything. Yes, no, maybe. The claim is just hanging.”

six suspects that he answered one of the questions wrong on the weekly claim that people must file to get benefits.

“It is utter silence on their end,” he said. “They won’t tell me anything. Yes, no, maybe. The claim is just hanging.”

DES reported last week that it had a backlog of at least 45,000 applications that had not been reviewed, and that doesn’t include people already receiving benefits who have problems with their claims that need personal attention from a DES representative.

“If your PUA application shows that you have ‘unresolved issues,’ it means that our team needs to review your application to finalize your eligibility for benefits,” DES tweeted over the weekend. “In the meantime, please continue to file weekly certifications.”

Several people responded to that message saying they were waiting for DES to resolve their issues.

Multiple people report that the pandemic application system incorrectly interpreted their first week of missed work and caused a problem with their application.