Coronavirus News: New York jobless claims skyrocket to over 800,000
NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's been almost a month since stores around the state have been shut, its employees home and out of work, and trying to apply for unemployment benefits.
This week 347,000 New Yorkers filed for unemployment, bringing the number of jobless claims since March 14 to over 800,000.
Some 600,000 claims have been partially processed. That process begins online, but must be completed with a phone call to prevent fraud. But good luck trying to get through.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledges the system has been overwhelmed by the demand.
The Department of Labor is now working with Google to speed the process and Cuomo stresses benefits will be retroactive to when a claim was filed.
The state says its website will be back online at 7:30 a.m. Friday with a more streamlined process. And instead of you having to call to fill in any missing information, someone will call you within 72 hours.
No doubt New Yorkers will put that to the test.
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