In hard-hit Florida, jobless workers struggle to get state aid

[RandySF]

(Reuters) - With cruise ships idled and airplanes almost empty, Florida travel adviser Nick Pena has been out of work for nearly a month, spending his days trying to secure jobless benefits from a state seemingly unable to provide them.

“I can’t tell you the emotional toll, the anxiety of not being able to log in,” said Pena, 44. “The only comfort is seeing that I’m not alone.”

Thrown out of work by a coronavirus pandemic that has killed at least 25,000 Americans, workers across the country have encountered downed websites and busy phone lines as they try to secure benefits that will help them pay for groceries and other essentials.

The problem has been especially acute in tourism-dependent Florida, where hundreds of thousands of idled workers have run up against a glitch-ridden system that provides some of the lowest payments in the United States — when it functions properly.

Pena was able to file a claim more than three weeks ago, but has not been able to get into the system since. Others have been unable to file a claim at all.



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-jobs/in-hard-hit-florida-jobless-workers-struggle-to-get-state-aid-idUSKCN21W2WE

[uponit7771]

1. Yep, that system was designed to slow down UE process

[iemitsu]

2. What happens when republicans are in charge.

[GulfCoast66]

3. You missed the biggest problem. Until the state approves you the federal $600 a week can't be had

This state is going to explode in 3-5 weeks. People are pissed.

The tourist companies are pissed. Disney is paying their furloughed cast full medical benefits for up to a year with the assumption that the combined state Federal and State benefits of $875 a week will get their employees thru. When 4 weeks from now their cast members still don’t have any income they will not be happy with our leaders.

We Democrats have a once in a lifetime opportunity to turn Florida Blue. If someone starts running ads explaining that 20 years of republican rule have brought us to this place we will dominate in November. Biden should get on this fast.

The wife and I both get furloughed this Saturday. But are using benefit time for 6 weeks because we know we can’t get the benefits we are due. We will be fine. We are upper middle class. So we can’t retire early? Shit happens. But we are having a hard time sleeping worrying about the folks who work for us.

[William769]

4. Ah Florida, Got to love it!

[beachbumbob]

5. the Florida unemployment process was purposely rigged to be difficult to apply

now the price is being paid and now we need all these people to remember and VOTE all the GOP out of office in Florida this November