Issues with unemployment compensation have been thrown into stark relief by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many residents reporting confusion and even difficult gaps between the expiration of one set of benefits and the commencement of the next.
Karen Fisk Camp, one of the residents affected by the situation, told KITV that she is frustrated by the added difficulty of having to navigate the labyrinth of unemployment programs without even being able to go into a physical office to get help.
"I would rather stand in line for a week straight and know that I'm going to get to see somebody as most people in that group, than to know that I've spent the last four months calling every single day and not getting anybody on the phone,” Camp said, according to KITV.
Peter Yee, an unemployment claimant and administrator for a Facebook group seeking to pool information and resources called Hawaii Unemployment Updates and Support Group, said some are still waiting on benefits under the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC13) program due to delays related to overpayment audits, according to KITV.
And while those who have exhausted their PEUC13 benefits may choose whether to transition to the federal PEUC11 program or the state’s Extended Benefits (EB20) program, those who opted for the federal program are now waiting for it to actually be set up, and it may be weeks without any benefits, according to KITV.
Yee said that there is also significance in which program applicants choose to transition to, according to KITV. If they use their extended federal benefits before their state extended benefits, they may actually be able to get benefits for longer than if they do it the other way around.
Anne Perreira-Eustaquio, with the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industry, sent KITV a statement acknowledging the complexity of the situation created by all the new programs, as well as pointing out that the department is reliant on an “antiquated mainframe.”
But that may be little consolation to those trying to navigate the benefits programs.
"I'm honestly tired of being patient. And as far as the governor saying hope, he doesn't even care, in our opinions," Camp said.