Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has responded to pressure from the state鈥檚 Congressional delegation to end what鈥檚 known as 鈥渨aiting week鈥� for unemployed Oregonians - the customary lag time between when jobless workers file for unemployment benefits and when they start to receive checks.
Brown that she is 鈥渨orking with the [employment] department on waiving the 鈥榳aiting week.鈥欌�� But Brown cautioned that it鈥檚 not a simple or quick change and will require 鈥渢housands of hours of programming to make this change.鈥�
That鈥檚 similar to what the state Employment Department has been saying since suddenly out-of-work Oregonians started noticing the delay. Many of the thousands of jobless Oregonians worry that the delays will cost them in state and federal assistance money - a concern recently .
The effort to get rid of the delay comes at the same time the Employment Department is experiencing a record number of applications and the challenge of disbursing new emergency aid from the federal government. The newly unemployed have experienced a - from having applications denied to being unable to get a claim submitted to the department鈥檚 overloaded computer system.
Brown told Congress members in her letter that the department is rapidly staffing up to deal with the unprecedented volume of claims. She said the Employment Department quadrupled its claims section staff from 鈥�100 employees to 400鈥� with plans to double it again to 800.
In her letter, Brown said that the state has been pursuing priorities other than 鈥渨aiting week鈥� in the last few weeks. She said the 鈥渇irst priority鈥� has been to distribute $600 federal payments for people who鈥檝e lost their jobs, as authorized by the recently-passed CARES Act. Second, Brown said the department has been focused on implementing a policy change in that three-week-old federal legislation: providing 鈥渂enefits to self-employed Oregonians and 鈥榞ig economy鈥� workers.鈥�
Brown said she is 鈥渃ommitted to ensuring that all eligible Oregonians receive the maximum benefits available to them.鈥�
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