TULSA, Okla. — More than 200,000 Oklahomans have filed for unemployment during the pandemic. Many are having problems doing so. The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission held a statewide town hall Friday to answer some of their questions.
More than 2,000 Oklahomans called into the town hall with a variety of questions ranging from issues with their unemployment debit cards to just not being able to get a hold of anyone.
The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission said a lot of the issues were happening due to a lack of staff. Three weeks ago, they had 11 people working in their call center. Now they have more than 200 and are hiring. They said many issues could be due to information getting put in wrong.
And the gave a ray of hope. For some people struggling to be eligible for unemployment, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program should be rolled out soon to help.
"It does cover those that are typically not eligible for the unemployment insurance type benefits," said Robin Roberson, executive director of OESC. "So, this would be the independent contractors and others who may have exhausted their benefits.”
Several callers also had issues with their unemployment debit cards. The commission said to call the number or website listed on the card. If you have an unemployment debit card from the past three years, it is still good.
They also have a lot of information on their website.
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