MISSION, Kan. (AP) — After weeks of delays, the Kansas Department of Labor has started to process claims for an extra $600 in weekly unemployment benefits generated from federal coronavirus stimulus packages.
Gov. Laura Kelly said Thursday that the delay in fulfilling claims was due to an error in the department’s processing system, the Lawrence Journal-World reports. The system has been beset with problems keeping up with the demand.
“This is welcome news for unemployed Kansans who need assistance immediately,” Kelly said.
The number of confirmed cases rose Thursday by 271 to 2,482. Two more died to bring the COVID-19 fatality total to 112. Infections are likely more numerous, in part because of the state’s low testing rate.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and death.
Long-term care homes have been particularly hard hit. Twenty-seven of the deaths were among residents of the Riverbend Post Acute Rehabilitation home in Kansas City, Kansas. Another cluster at the Clearwater Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center near Wichita has led to 52 people being infected and three deaths.
