Hawaii's Unemployed Must Clear Up Earlier Benefit Snafus Before Getting Federal Dollars - Honolulu Civil Beat Hawaii’s Unemployed Must Clear Up Earlier Benefit Snafus Before Getting Federal Dollars Minor mistakes that led to overpayments of a few hundred dollars can hold up much more substantial relief for struggling families. Reading time: 5 minutes. Jiyeon Seuchting lost her job as a restaurant server shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Like thousands of other Hawaii residents, she’s had to navigate the state’s unemployment insurance system ever since. However, Seuchting said she hasn’t received a UI payment since October, when the jobless claim she had filed abruptly stalled. As far as she can tell — from one of the few times she’s been able to get through on the state’s overwhelmed customer service line — her claim was flagged when she mistakenly failed to declare $300 in emergency pay from her former employer.