The Inland Echo

By State of Washington

The Employment Security Department’s two call centers that take unemployment-insurance claims are understaffed due to adverse weather conditions.

For those who were asked to call the TeleCenter when a weekly claim was filed and have not been able to get them on the phone, they say not to worry. According to the department, payments will be issued on Friday and claimants will be sent a questionnaire to provide required information.

For those who are trying to return a call to an adjudicator, they are asking callers to continue to attempt to return the call even if a deadline is missed. They said they will consider information provided for calls delayed due to high call volumes.

The department also requests claimants to continue mailing back any questionnaires sent out. “If you are unable to get through when filing your weekly claim, please continue to try,” the department said.

Snow and ice in Spokane and Seattle, where the call centers are located, are making it hazardous for many employees to travel. Officials do not expect full staffing until weather conditions improve and employees are able to safely travel to and from work. Patience is appreciated.

Calls normally are accepted at the telecenters from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Most unemployed workers also have the option of filing their claims online.

Call volume is up as a result of the continued increase in unemployment across the state. The official rate increased to 6.4 percent in November, up from October’s rate of 6.3 percent, according to the state Employment Security Department.   

Washington lost an estimated 11,700 non-agricultural jobs in November, seasonally adjusted.  The employment number also has been adjusted to remove the effect of the Boeing worker strike that ended Nov. 1. 

“Just as we saw with the 2002 recession, Washington’s economy held up longer than most of the nation, but we’re quickly catching up now,” said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee.   

In a related story, unemployment scams are back. Websites with domain names substantially similar to official state sites are preying on unemployed workers by offering to help file their claim – for a fee.

That’s what happened to Josielu Tolentino of Pasco.

“I thought it was the state website, but was surprised that it cost me money to file for unemployment,” Tolentino said. “One victim is enough.”

The scam works like this: unemployed workers must search for job openings as a requirement for receiving unemployment benefits. One of the places they search for openings is through a state Web site, go2worksource.com.

If they mistype it, they can land on a website that charges them $9.95 to file their unemployment claims, the department said. The claimants then receive an e-mail from “Unemployment Advisors” confirming that the fee has been charged to their credit cards.

The state Employment Security Department is unable to determine if unemployment claims from such places have, in fact, been filed unless the claimant calls the department to check.

Officials note that several websites crop up each year offering to help unemployed workers obtain unemployment benefits, often for a fee. These sites may not be illegal, but they can be confusing, inaccurate and unnecessary.

“People who have been laid off can’t afford to be spending money on services they can get from us for free,” Lee said.

To ensure that claims are filed appropriately and to avoid delays, Employment Security officials advise unemployed workers to always use the official esd.wa.gov website to file their claims. The site also contains extensive information about how to qualify and apply for benefits. Best of all, it’s fast, secure and free.

Anyone who has paid a third party to file an unemployment claim may contact the state Attorney General’s Consumer Resource Center at 800-551-4636 between 10am and 3pm weekdays, or file a complaint online at www.atg.wa.gov. 

Michael Breckenridge contributed to this article.

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