INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT MARK ALBERT.
JENNIFER: ONE OF THE BIGGEST STORIES TO COME OUT OF THE PANDEMIC IS THE IMPACT ON WORKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND HERE IN MARYLAND.
LAST WEEK, WE SAW AN ADDITIONAL 47,000 MARYLANDERS FILE NEW CLAIMS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS.
JOINING US THIS MORNING WITH AN UPDATE ON HOW THINGS ARE GOING IS MARYLAND LABOR SECRETARY TIFFANY ROBINSON.
THANKS FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
GOOD MORNING.
JENNIFER: GOOD MORNING.
LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY.
THE BIG ROLLOUT OF THE NEW ONE STOP SHOP WEBSITE AND SOMETHING WENT WRONG.
>> IT WAS A BIT OF A ROUGH START, TO SAY THE LEAST.
SO I JUST WANT TO THANK MARYLANDERS FOR HANGING IN THERE WITH US.
WHEN YOU'RE DEALING WITH TECHNOLOGY, I TRIED TO MAKE SURE WE HAD ALL THE ASSURANCES AND DESPITE RIGOROUS TESTING OF THE SYSTEM, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT APPARENTLY CANNOT BE TESTED
UNTIL LIVE PRODUCTION.
LIKE I SAID, OUR VENDOR WORKED THROUGHOUT THE DAY.
WE WERE HAPPY THAT AS OF LATE AFTERNOON, 4:30, FROM THEN ON THINGS WERE RUNNING SMOOTHLY.
NO ERROR MESSAGE AND MINOR TWEAKS AND GLITCHES ARE CONTINUING TO BE REPAIRED AS TIME GOES THROUGH.
THEY'LL BE ON TOP OF IT ALL WEEKEND AND NEXT WEEK.
THE NUMBERS FOR LAST WEEK, THE 47,000 NEW CLAIMS ARE DOWN FROM WEEKS BEFORE.
WE KNEW WE WOULD SEE A NEW SURGE.
DESPITE SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT FACED WITH TECHNOLOGY YESTERDAY, IN THE LAST 24 HOURS, WE HAVE PROCESSED 38,000 NEW CLAIMS ON THE SITE.
THAT'S IN ONE DAY ON OUR NEW APPLICATION, OVER 67 NEW ACCOUNT HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED.
WE'VE HAD ALMOST 220,000 INDIVIDUAL USERS IN THE SYSTEM INCLUDING ABOUT 60,000 FILING CLAIMS AT ABOUT MIDNIGHT LAST NIGHT.
IF YOU CAN'T TELL, WE'RE NOT GETTING MUCH SLEEP AND ARE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER BECAUSE WE KNOW MARYLANDERS HAVE BEEN PATIENT AND WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE AND THE DELAYS.
BUT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.
JENNIFER: WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE 38,000, IS THAT A NUMBER THAT'S GOING TO BE ADDED TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS WHEN THEY COME OUT AGAIN THIS THURSDAY?
>> THAT'S CORRECT.
THEY WILL INCLUDED IN THE NUMBERS FOR THE PRIOR WEEK.
NOT SURE IF THAT'S THIS THURSDAY, THEY'LL BE IN THE NEXT NUMBERS.
CONSIDERING THERE WERE SOME PROBLEMS, DURING THE DIFFICULTIES YESTERDAY, I KNOW SOME PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT THE SITE COMPLETELY CRASHED.
IT NEVER DID THAT WE ALWAYS HAD PEOPLE WORKING THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
WE HAD A LOT OF ERROR MESSAGES.
ONE SMALL ERROR CAN BOUNCE AROUND AND LEAD TO A MAJOR SYSTEM PROBLEM WHEN WE HAVE SO MUCH VOLUME.
WE WORKED THROUGH THOSE, AND RIGHT NOW PEOPLE ARE FILING CLAIMS, FILING WEEKLY CERTIFICATIONS SMOOTHLY AND WE STILL HAVE THOSE DEDICATED EMAIL ADDRESSES SO WE HOPE PEOPLE WILL
REACH OUT TO US IF THEY ARE HAVING ANY ISSUES BECAUSE WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ON THE LINE READY TO TAKE THOSE ISSUES AND HANDLE THEM FOR US REALTIME.
JENNIFER: HOW ARE PHONE CALLS GOING.
PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO GET A REAL LIVE PERSON AND CAN'T AND ARE FRUSTRATED.
I KNOW YOU'VE HIRED ADDITIONAL PEOPLE.
HOW HAS THE SYSTEM BEEN WORKING?
>> SO EVERY DAY, IT'S GETTING A LITTLE BETTER AND WE EXPECT THAT TO CONTINUE, ESPECIALLY WITH THE SUCCESS OF THIS NEW, COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM, WHICH IS A DEPARTMENT OF LABOR LAUNCHED
UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SYSTEM THAT IS COMPREHENSIVE TO TAKE EVERY TYPE OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CLAIM.
IT'S NOTHING LIKE ANY OTHER STATE HAS.
OTHER STATES HAVE SET UP INDIVIDUAL SYSTEMS FOR THE NEW CARES ACT PROGRAMS.
WE HAVE INCLUDED EVERYTHING INTO ONE SYSTEM TO TRY TO MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.
ONCE WE GET THROUGH THE GLITCHES, I BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO BE A MODEL FOR THE NATION.
IN TERMS OF THE PHONE LINES, WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING 100 ADDITIONAL EMPLOYEES TO TAKE THOSE CALLS AND CLAIMS.
BUT WE HAVE IMMEDIATELY STOOD UP AN ADDITIONAL VENDOR WITH UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS, 100 OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE TAKING CALLS NOW.
AS OF NEXT WEEK, WE'LL BE UP TO 200.
THAT'S GOING VERY SUCCESSFULLY BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEM AND THEY'RE HELPING RELIEVE THOSE PHONE LINES WITH THE NEW ONLINE SYSTEM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE SEEN ADDITIONAL
CALLS WITH PEOPLE TRYING TO GET HELP WORKING THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
AS WE WORK THROUGH THE GLITCHES AND MORE PEOPLE FILE THEIR CLAIMS AND BECOME FAMILIAR WITH THE NEW ONLI SYSTEM, WE BELIEVE THE CALL VOLUME WILL GO DOWN AND IT WILL BE EASIER FOR
THE MARYLANDERS TO GET THROUGH TO US.
JENNIFER: THE BIG QUESTION IS WHEN WILL THEY SEE THEIR BENEFITS, ESPECIALLY FOLKS WHO FILED WHEN IT INITIALLY HAPPENED.
>> MANY WHO FILED WHEN IT INITIALLY HAPPENED HAVE ALREADY SEEN BENEFITS.
SOME PEOPLE, IF THEY HAVE A STREAM LINED AND SIMPLE CLAIM AND THERE'S NO CONFLICTING INFORMATION FROM THE EMPLOYER, THEY'RE BEING PAID IN EIGHT TO TEN DAYS.
ON AVERAGE, IT'S TAKING ABOUT 21 DAYS TO GET PAYMENTS OU THAT'S THE AVERAGE ACROSS THE NATION.
THAT'S TO BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
WITH THE PANDEMIC UNEMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, THAT JUST LAUNCHED UNDER THE CARES ACT FOR THE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS, THAT'S A STREAM LINED PROCESS BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE VERIFY
WITH A SEPARATE EMPLOYER.
WE SIMPLY HAVE TO VERIFY THAT THEIR EMPLOYMENT IS LICENSED AND TRUE AND THAT THE WAGES THEY REPORT ARE ACTUAL SO WE CAN CALCULATE THEIR BENEFITS.
SO WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS.
IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, BORROWING PEOPLE FROM OTHER 0 PARTS OF OUR DIVISION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PAYING BENEFITS INTO THE POCKETS OF MARYLANDERS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
>> YOU HAVE NEW THINGS ON THE HORIZON.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT A VIRTUAL ASSISTANT NAMED DANA AND A MOBILE APP.
>> I HOPE DANA, MY ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR THE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DIVISION IS TUNED IN, BECAUSE HER TEAM REQUESTED THAT THAT VIRTUAL AGENT BE NAMED AFTER HER.
SHE IS OUR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE GURU.
WE WERE PROUD TO DO THAT.
LAUNCHING IN THE COMING HOURS AND DAYS, WE WILL BE LAUNCHING THAT VIRTUAL AGENT.
AS PEOPLE ARE ON OUR SYSTEM, ON THE WEBSITE, A CHAT BOX WILL POP UP AND ASK IF IT CAN HELP THEM.
THE WAY WITH TECHNOLOGY WORKS, IT CAN SEARCH THROUGH THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AND OUR WEBSITE AND WILL BE LOADED WITH SO MUCH INFORMATION.
WE HOPE IT WILL BE ABLE TO STW A LOT OF MARYLANDERS' QUESTIONS WITHOUT HAVING TO WAIT ON PHONE LINES.
AS YOU ALSO MENTIONED, YET, ON THE HEELS OF THIS APPLICATION LAUNCH, WE WILL BE LAUNCHING A MOBILE APP.
IT IS ALSO COMING.
WE'RE ACTUALLY ONLY WAITING FOR AAPPROVALS FROM GOOGLE AND APPLE AND ANDROID TO LAUNCH THAT.
BUT THAT WILL ALLOW MARYLANDERS ALSO TO ALLEVIATE HAVING TO CALL BECAUSE THEY WILL BE ABLE TO GO ON TO THE MOBILE APP, CHECK THE STATUS OF THEIR CLAIM ANDER THAT PAYMENTS AND SEE WHAT'S
HAPPENING IN REALTIME ON THEIR PHONES.
>> THAT'S GOING TO BE A HUGE GAME CHANGER FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.
LAT WEEK, I FIRED OFF A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND PEOPLE WERE FRUSTRATED.
I GOT A MESSAGE FROM A WOMAN ON FACEBOOK THIS MORNING.
SHE SAID SHE WAS ON TEARS.
SOMEONE ON THE PHONE, NAMED JOSEPH, WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND CALMED HER DOWN AND WALKED HER THROUGH THE PROCESS.
I WANTED TO PASS ALONG THE GOOD WITH SOME OF THE FRUSTRATION.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH.
WE ALSO ARE RECEIVING MANY OF THOSE MESSAGES.
SOMETIMES IT'S NICE TO HEAR THE GOOD FEEDBACK.
THANK YOU FOR THAT.
JENNIFER: THANK YOU FOR JOINING US THIS MORNING.
A LOT OF FOLKS TUNING IN HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.
APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US YOUR TIME TODAY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
HAVE A WONDERFUL SATURDAY.
>> THANK YOU, SECRETARY ROBINSON, FOR JOINING US.
THE LABOR DEPARTMENT HAS EXPANDED THE CALL CENTER HOURS FOR UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS TO INCLUDE SATURDAY.
IT WILL BE OPEN FROM 8:00 U