Kansas and other states have been seeing a large spike in unemployment benefit claims as businesses close because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Kansas Labor Secretary Delia Garcia said the department received 1,296 jobless claims during the week of March 9th, but the next week there were 11,355 claims. She said “We are in uncharted waters right now, which underscores the importance of us working together.” She is encouraging workers and employers to use the labor department’s web site to apply for benefits and find answers to questions about the coronavirus impact.
The web site is www.dol.ks.gov
Garcia says wait times on the phone are long, and using information online will help speed up the process. She said her staff is doing everything they can to process the claims in a timely manner.
