Unemployment waiting week in jeopardy
6:59 p.m. Friday, March 9, 2007
Kansas law says if a worker is laid off, they have to wait a week before they can start receiving unemployment benefits.
Some lawmakers are challenging that law. They say a week is just too long to wait for a check, especially when the unemployed worker has a family to support and bills to pay.
“I just want to find a job in the human services field. I like to work with people and I like to help people,” Dorothy Williams told us as she filled out papers at a local employment agency.
Williams hopes the staff at Key Staffing can help place her in the position she wants.
Company President Patti Bossert says they’ve placed more than 1,500 different workers in the past year, but when one of those employees loses their job, the company has to verify the unemployment claims.
Sometimes workers will claim to have been laid off when they were actually fired for a legitimate reason, or even quit. That makes them ineligible for unemployment benefits, but bringing this information to light can take weeks.
“By the time we complete that form and return it by mail to the office again, saying they were actually not terminated but that they voluntarily quit their job, the unemployment office has already paid claims on that,” Bossert explained.
That's why she says the week long waiting period is so important. Without it, she believes even more illegitimate claims will be filed, and paid. That will cost the state big bucks, and it will hurt Bossert’s business because she'll have to hire more staff to keep up with the increase in claims. And she says that’s unfair, because all her business is trying to do is help people get back on their feet.
“To the people who are laid off from another job or who are just having a hard time finding work, we're the people who give them a chance to get their foot in the door,” Bossert added.
People like Dorothy Williams, whose goal is to find a permanent position.
“I'd rather work than draw unemployment. I don't want to wait and just sit around drawing unemployment,” Williams said.
Comments
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Mar. 10, 2007 at 7:36 p.m. (Suggest removal)Linda (anonymous)
Kind of hypocritical isn't it? Years ago they said the one-week waiting period was used (more or less) BC (Before Computers). It actually took a week to process applications, etc. etc.
Since they can't use that excuse anymore, now it's because of termination reasons. In other words, legitimate laid off persons are being penalized for illegitimate benefits.
Patti Bosser ALSO said "bringing this information into light can take weeks".
So, if it takes weeks to find out the info they need, ESPECIALLY IN A COMPUTER INFORMATION WORLD, what difference would it make in amending the one-week waiting period to none?
Everything should be more or less instantaneous as far as getting info from a business.
Rather than hiring new unemployment workers who know nothing about computers, why don't they hire a few smart people who can turn one on.
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