File Photo: The Virginia Employment Commission office in downtown Richmond in 2019. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
Last month, legal aid groups sued Virginia’s Employment Commissioner on behalf of residents who either hadn’t received their unemployment benefits or whose payments were cut off unexpectedly.
Following court-ordered mediation, the agreement was filed Tuesday committing the VEC to ramp up its capacity to resolve claims and clear the backlog for those people who have been waiting more than 21 days for their benefits - by Labor Day.
The commission will inspect records to identify people whose benefits have been cut off and work to resume their payments. It will also provide weekly data on the number of claims filed and adjudicated and report progress on resolving the backlog.
With pressure mounting on the Virginia Employment Commission to clear a backlog of 70,000 disputed claims for unemployment benefits, Gov. Ralph Northam ordered a series of steps on Tuesday to
Northam order aims to speed up complex unemployment cases
SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Following months of complaints from laid-off workers, Gov. Ralph Northam said Tuesday he was taking steps to expand the Virginia Employment Commission s ability to process complex unemployment claims.
While data show Virginia has done quite well in quickly processing simple unemployment benefits for eligible individuals as applications surged amid the pandemic, the state has recently been dead last for timely processing of certain claims that require additional adjudication.
In a directive signed Tuesday, Northam wrote that “we must do more to ensure that Virginians’ unemployment benefit claims are resolved in a timely manner and that those who are eligible for benefits receive them quickly. VEC must have access to and mobilize additional staff and funding to carry out this critical role.”
Northam directs VEC to speed up processing unemployment claims
Northam puts pressure on VEC By NBC12 Newsroom | May 18, 2021 at 4:31 PM EDT - Updated May 18 at 11:24 PM
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Governor Ralph Northam has directed the Virginia Employment Commission to invest $20 million to expand its ability to process unemployment claims.
An executive directive orders the agency to “add 300 new adjudication staffers, make immediate technology upgrades, and complete a full modernization of the Commonwealth’s unemployment insurance system by October 1, 2021.”
Currently, the Virginia Employment Commission is in the middle of court-ordered mediation with the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC) to fix problems that have plagued during the pandemic, leaving many Virginians with no safety net. The LAJC said that mediation concluded on Tuesday afternoon.
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