TOPEKA, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Labor has struggled to handle an explosion of unemployment filings.
That’s left 25,000 claims waiting for approval — and thousands of Kansans standing by for the checks that could help them stay afloat through a jobless stretch in an economy battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It’s the latest challenge for a department that has attempted to respond to emails and phone calls from thousands of Kansans as the coronavirus caused unemployment in the state to jump from around 3% to almost 12% earlier this year. It’s since settled to 7.5%.
The huge backlog is in a holding pattern. The cases are waiting on adjudication and appeals that require more information, like why someone lost a job.
Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly appointed Ryan Wright acting labor secretary after the former secretary left amid criticism over the slow response to unemployment claims.
“I know it’s been extremely frustrating,” Wright told lawmakers this week. “All I can do is take responsibility for what’s happened and be as honest and transparent as possible moving forward.”
Lawmakers told state Labor Department staff about constituents waiting for months and failing to get answers on the delay in their unemployment payments.
“Hearing some of the stories of people losing their homes and their cars is heartbreaking,” Republican Sen. Richard Hilderbrand said.
Wright wouldn’t commit to a timeline for clearing people hung up in the backlog.
“What they don’t want to hear is us giving a timeframe that we’re not able to meet,” Wright said in an interview.
The backlog for regular unemployment applications is much smaller right now, about 2,300, which is caused by the normal time it takes to process the requests. Unemployed Kansans must file weekly claims and they’re often paid just a few days after claims are accepted.
