LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The Kentucky Labor Cabinet said Wednesday nearly 7% of the approximately 1,180,300 filed unemployment insurance claims since March are still outstanding.
Countless frustrated and desperate Kentuckians have reached out to LEX 18 throughout the coronavirus pandemic explaining their struggle to obtain unemployment benefits from the state.
The Cabinet explained Kentucky is in the multi-month process of making "feasible targeted modernizations" for the unemployment insurance (UI) systems which they said should "result in a better customer experience for UI claimants."
Kentucky Labor Cabinet Executive Advisor in the Office of the Secretary Cali Mills further explained, they are waiting on a request for proposal (RFP) to be approved, "for a complete modernization of the UI mainframe and web interface contingent upon available funding."
"In the event full funding is not available, the goal is to move forward with some parts of the RFP with the funding available," Mills said.
The following are the initial unemployment insurance claims still unresolved in Kentucky month-by-month:
- March: 1,686 (3,365 when including 1,679 March claims filed after March)
- April: 12,978 (14,090 when including 1,112 April claims filed after April)
- May: 17,941 (18,235 when including 294 May claims filed after May)
- June: 16,275 (16,448 when including 173 June claims filed after June)
- July: 15,577 (15,669 when including 92 July claims filed after June)
- August: 14,080 (14,196 when including 116 August claims filed after August)
The Kentucky Labor Cabinet also reported Kentuckians have received more than $3.81 billion in insurance claims since March.
"No one in state government will be satisfied until all Kentuckians have received the unemployment benefits for which they qualify," Mills said. "The Kentucky Labor Cabinet and OUI continue to devote all available resources toward resolving all outstanding UI claims."
