John Locher / AP
People wait in line for help with unemployment benefits at the One-Stop Career Center, Tuesday, March 17, 2020, in Las Vegas.
Thursday, April 9, 2020 | 6:35 p.m.
Nevada will gain at least 100 full-time operators to boost the capacity of the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation call center, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced.
An unnamed vendor, which already operates two call centers in the state, will be “up and running by next week" to help jobless Nevadans submit claims for assistance, officials said.
Officials have acknowledged the unemployment office was overwhelmed by the record 93,000 applications filed the week after the governor ordered businesses closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Another 71,400 Nevadans sought unemployment benefits the following week.
The number of claims is expected to increase to 300,000 by the end of the week, officials said. The shutdown will last until at least the end of April.
“While 96% of initial claims have been successfully filed online, our state is working overtime and leveraging every resource possible to help those filers who must utilize a phone to file or resolve an issue with their claim,” Sisolak said in a statement. “I am optimistic that this new call center will further expedite much-needed relief to Nevadans who have struggled to connect via phone.”
The vendor will utilize staff working at home and in the call center, and there will be an option to increase staffing in the future, state officials said. Previously, the staff went from 75 to 200 employees, and yet many Nevadans say they have unsuccessfully tried to receive assistance.
“Although (the office) has recently tripled staff in support of the unemployment insurance program, we acknowledge that some filers continue to face challenges with the unemployment insurance phone system,” Department Director Tiffany Tyler-Garner said in a statement. “We are very pleased to partner with the governor’s office in finding a resolution to the challenges proposed by the record number of calls received at our centers.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
