To get an unemployment check, you first have to apply. And that's a problem for many people right now.
Across the country, Americans are struggling just to start the process as overwhelmed state computer and phone systems have been under siege by an unprecedented 10 million Americans – and counting – seeking assistance all at once after losing their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kathy Mooradian, 65, of Livonia, Michigan, logged on to her state's website to apply for unemployment benefits just fine. But she ran into an error in the automated system, prompting her to call in her claim. That's when things went wrong.
Sometimes she gets a busy signal. Sometimes she's told the call can't be completed. When an automated voice has her "press 1," the call abruptly hangs up.
"This has happened over 100 times," Mooradian said this week, pinning blame on Michigan Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. "Our governor doesn't give a hoot about any of us."
More: Michiganders to Gov. Whitmer: Fix the damn unemployment website
The uphill battle to get approved for benefits is the result of a record 6.65 million Americans who filed first-time jobless claims last week, according to the U.S. Labor Department. It's yet another bleak sign of the severe economic ramifications of social distancing requirements that have shuttered businesses and forced people home.
The latest round of unemployment filings is on top of the previous week's claims tally of 3.3 million, exceeding in just two weeks the nearly 9 million who lost jobs from 2008 to 2010 amid the Great Recession.
The $2 trillion stimulus package, approved last week by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump, offers a boost of $600 per week to recipients of unemployment benefits for four months. It's in addition to up to $1,200 in one-time stimulus checks. But the $600 is dependent on filing for unemployment in the state of residence of the recipients.
More: Kentucky scrambles to keep up with unemployment claims after loosening rules
Charles Warner, 37, lost his factory job at the auto-parts maker Mubea in Kentucky last Friday.
He spent all day trying to sign up for unemployment benefits by phone. By the afternoon, he was still unable to get anything more than a pre-recorded message saying he should try again later.
“I’m going to have to keep trying,” said Warner, who lives paycheck to paycheck and supports his wife and 9-year-old son. “There’s nothing I can do. I can’t go three or four weeks without a check.”
The U.S. Department of Labor did not immediately respond to questions USA TODAY posed on the struggles to file unemployment.
During a Thursday news conference, Whitmer – who has gained a national spotlight during the coronavirus crisis – said her stay-at-home order for Michigan has "weighed heavily" on her and acknowledged the system is overwhelmed.
Michigan's unemployment claims ending March 28 topped 311,000, more than doubling from 128,000 the week before.
"My encouragement for folks is, keep attempting to get that application in," Whitmer said. "But, know that we understand the incredible strain on the system, the incredible number of people that have been impacted and we are going to work to make sure people get the unemployment that they need to get through this crisis."
More: Kentucky scrambles to keep up with unemployment claims after loosening rules
In Kentucky, officials of the state's Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, which processes unemployment insurance applications, said it’s racing to keep up with demand.
“We know that phones are backed up,” Josh Benton, the cabinet’s deputy secretary told attendees of a teleconference hosted by business group Greater Louisville Inc. last week. “We are adding capacity.”
Benton said the cabinet added 50 people last Friday to answer calls and was expected to add more earlier this week. He also urged callers to try the cabinet’s new online chat function.
“We’re trying to give as many avenues as possible for folks,” Benton said.
More: As unemployment claims surge, how Indiana's benefits compare to neighboring states
In Florida, Ken Lawson, the director of the state's Department of Economic Opportunity, which manages its unemployment website, apologized Thursday for the system's failures and the anguish it's caused by preventing thousands of Floridians to get unemployment benefits.
Florida is now reverting to applications through the mail, The Tampa Bay Times reported, because of the repeated glitches with the only system.
“From my heart, I apologize for what you’re going through,” Lawson said during a video teleconference hosted by two Democratic state lawmakers. He said his office received 1.5 million calls in just the last week as 227,000 Floridians initiated unemployment claims, up from 74,313 the previous week.
Americans have relayed their concerns to members of Congress during a series of virtual town halls in recent days where they've sounded off about delayed unemployment checks and rent deadlines they can't meet.
"You are not in a fundamentally different position than thousands of other people in Connecticut," U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told a single mother who said she’s been out of work for a week and has applied for unemployment insurance but has no savings and is getting worried. He told her his office would walk her through what assistance is available and give a “best guess” on when she would get help.
But for many families, the need is now.
When Jose Diaz, 27, of Indianapolis, lost his job as a line service specialist in the aviation industry because of the COVID-19 outbreak, his employer handed him a paper that explained how to file for unemployment insurance.
Diaz had been on the job for three months and he's the sole provider of a family that includes his wife, a 6-year-old and a 6-month-old had been on the job for three months.
But he's felt defeated by Indiana's unemployment system.
"When I call their landline, it's constantly busy, and when I do get through, it just leaves me on hold and forgets about me almost as if it's an answering machine," Diaz said, adding that he has sent emails to the agency and tried to reach the agency online. Diaz said he has about $13 now and will receive one more check from his former job.
He said the family needs food.
"I'm living day-to-day right now," he said. "I need to figure out how to feed my family."
When he finally got a reply Tuesday, it wasn't the news he was looking for.
"I just received a reply back from them saying I don't qualify for insurance, which doesn't make sense to me," Diaz said. He is convinced a mistake was made, though his short term of employment may have played a role.
Indiana Department of Workforce Development officials said its online system is able to handle the influx applications last week better than other states, but they admit the agency's call center is overwhelmed by the influx of calls. More than 61,000 Hoosiers filed for unemployment two weeks ago and an additional 146,243 last week.
"We’ve seen the claims go up dramatically, and it’s going to stress us a little bit," Josh Richardson, the department's chief of staff, said. "Our call center is really overwhelmed."
More: The coronavirus pandemic is hitting landlords and small-business owners. Now rent is due.
Chasity Waters, of Otisco, Indiana, is among those who was able to apply but is out of luck.
The state's recent stay-at-home order put an abrupt halt to the hair salon she opened just weeks ago on March 2 because it's considered a "nonessential business."
Waters closed her business and filed a claim for unemployment insurance in hopes of making up some of her lost income. But she was told she didn't pay enough into the system – a reason she finds hard to believe as a taxpayer. She's appealing.
"I did what I was supposed to do. I got my denial," Waters said. "We have bills. There's some bills we're just naturally behind on, and we can't fall too far behind. We can't."
Waters is married with five children. Most are young adults in their teens or early 20s. One is 9 years old. She said her husband's income can cover the household basics, but it's not enough, and the family will have no new income for at least two weeks.
"To be just quite honest with you," Waters said, "As soon as our mortgage goes through, we're going to decide whose checking account is going to bounce so we can go buy groceries."
USA TODAY staff writer Maureen Groppe contributed to this report, as well as the Associated Press
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
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