The first time María González applied for unemployment, she was denied because she was not a regular employee. The second time, this time under the system established for those who were self-employed, they told him that there was a controversial point because he did not present a document that he was never asked for. When he finally delivered the document there was then a problem with his address.
“I come to see if I can solve now,” said Maria, after singing with luck because at least she has received communications from the agency that has not been able to supply the over 200,000 unemployment claims that have been registered as a consequence of the economic disaster caused by the pandemic of the COVID-19 and contingencies to stop its spread.
The problem with directions seems widespread, he said. He said that in the condominium where he lives they have had to return dozens of letters with unemployment checks inside because the addresses are misspelled or incomplete.
In fact, On social media, a person claiming to be an employee of the postal service publicly denounced that many checks were not arriving because the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH) did not correctly place postal addresses when they were the same as the residential address. The government has not reacted to these complaints.
You already know why unemployment checks do not arrive in Puerto Rico ?????? #The same pic.twitter.com/74qhvQdEYN
– Juan Carlos Pedreira (@juancpedreira) June 10, 2020
Sitting very close to Maria were Priscila Benítez, 39, Yanicsa de la Rosa, 33, and Viviana Benítez, 37, three contract workers at the Department of Education. They are all from Carolina and had been there since midnight to get a good shift and resolve the so-called “controversial points” that stopped their checks.
In the case of Benítez, it was the third time that he went to solve a problem in his claim, and the second time that he provided the document that certified the cessation of his job duties. “Now they said I was going to receive a letter and the money soon … let’s see,” he said.
“The problem I had now in my case was because of the management. They now asked for evidence of residence … I came earlier for the servicarro, but it did not work. The time I came they just asked for my social security number and my phone number. They said they called me, but they never did, ”said de la Rosa.
These situations were repeated over and over on the outskirts of the Miramar Convention Center where the Department of Labor established temporary offices to deal with the onslaught of unemployment insurance claims.
The designated Secretary of Labor, Carlos Rivera Santiago, assured today that the agency is working to reopen several of the regional facilities next Monday. where they process unemployment insurance in an attempt to streamline processes.
The specific determinations of which offices will be opened and which will remain closed will depend on some inspections that will take place this week and on the final decision made by the interim secretary Mabel Santiago Ramírez, since the nominee, having been appointed during a legislative session still it cannot enter functions.
“Monday is to reopen some of the already established regions. We have to see the fittest. You have to do some inspections to see which ones can be opened, ”said the designated secretary during a press conference outside the Miramar Convention Center.
Treasury shakes hands
Shortly before, the official, who was working as an adviser on labor issues in La Fortaleza, held a meeting with staff from the Department of the Treasury, an agency that is helping with the analysis of the unemployment claims system to suggest changes that facilitate and expedite disbursements. .
The Secretary of the Treasury, Francisco Parés Alicea, indicated that, for example, the Department of Labor has to move more aggressively to electronic funds transfers to avoid the “margin of error” that occurs when sending checks by mail. He indicated that, at the moment, the Department of Labor sends just 25% of the benefits with electronic transfers, contrary to the Treasury that operates in this way in over 90% of cases.
Similarly, there are many manual processes that have to be digitized, he said. He noted that in their analysis they are looking to see if the demands of the unemployment process stem from laws or regulations that can be altered to speed up the delivery of benefits.
“You have to see where they come from, a law, a regulation … Some of these things raise controversial issues,” said Parés Alicea.
He added that there must also be a change in the philosophy with which the system is administered and “to rest a bit in the representations that the participants make … There are times that you have to take calculated risks.”
He stated that the problems in the Department of Labor are less complicated than he anticipated and stated that much of it can be solved with digital automation.
Rivera Santiago, for his part, affirmed that contrary to other days, today matters have passed with relative normality, at least in the Convention Center, because the staff of the outstanding agency has been learning on the fly to handle the avalanche of cases.
“We are going to look for all the available alternatives and all those who can shake hands with us are going to give it … Right now the shift system is beginning. It is a good tool, but it should not be the only one, ”said the designated secretary.
As in previous days, the Labor Department did not report how many unemployment claims are pending to finish processing.
In reference to a video that has been published on social networks, this situation represents a problem in the validation process that undoubtedly has to be carried out in a strictly accurate way, to ensure that communications or checks reach the recipient .
We will certainly be taking action on this matter immediately. It should be noted that as we have mentioned, it is in our interest to be able to establish direct deposit, as it is the fastest and safest mechanism for the benefit of claimants.
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