(WIVB)–Today the New York State Department of Labor announced initial unemployment insurance claims numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Officials with the DOL say unemployment insurance claims last week increased over the past year by 520% in the state with more than 80,500 claims filed.
From Monday, March 16 to Saturday, March 21, the State Department of Labor received over 1,734,100 total calls and over 2,270,300 web hits.
To address the increase in call volume and web traffic, the DOL is implementing a new system based on the first letter of the applicant’s last name:
- A – F : Monday
- G – N : Tuesday
- O – Z : Wednesday
- Missed your day: Thursday through Saturday
Those looking to file claims can visit labor.ny.gov or call the Telephone Claim Center at 888-783-1370.
