ATLANTA — Some Georgians who have lost their jobs because of the coronavirus are still struggling to get their unemployment benefits.
Channel 2′s Tom Jones was in Cobb County, where the labor commissioner said his team has fixed one glitch in the system.
Mark Butler said his team worked overtime to repair the problem with pin numbers.
But Jones talked to people Tuesday who said that's not the only problem and that they are on the phone for hours without getting help.
Denise Alexander said she's desperate for her benefits.
"I need my benefits as soon as possible," Alexander said. "I have a mortgage to pay. We have to pay bills and that's the reason we are on the phone with you. This is the last straw."
Alexander said calling is a waste of time.
"You can actually hear someone pick the phone up and hang it up," Alexander said.
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Others said they are notified their claims are processing and they receive a pin number, but the pin number disappears and they have to start all over again.
Jones talked to Butler about the problems people are experiencing.
"You can't imagine the workload that we're seeing," Butler said. "There is nothing historically to compare this to."
Butler said his workers have gone from processing 5,000 claims a week to 100,000. He said his team has worked day and night to fix the pin issue.
"You can go in and reset your pin yourself," Butler said. "You will not have to contact us on the phone."
The commissioner said people will get their money. But Alexander said she needs it sooner rather than later.
"And I need this money, I need this money," Alexander said. "I need some sort of income."
The commissioner is urging people not to call. He said go to the website, but don’t go to the website if your claim is processing, because your benefits are already on the way.
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