First-Time Unemployment Claims Top 971K In Maryland
SILVER SPRING, MD — The number of first-time unemployment claims in Maryland rose again last week, a sign that workers are still getting laid off even as more businesses reopen.
Data released Thursday by the Maryland Department of Labor show 66,559 workers applied for jobless relief in the week ending July 4. That represents an 18.5 percent increase from the 56,126 jobless claims that were filed the prior week. It also pushes the total number of claims to more than 971,000 since coronavirus shutdowns began.
Prior to the pandemic, first-time unemployment filings in Maryland hovered between 2,000 and 6,500 per week. During the public health crisis, however, these numbers have fluctuated between 2,090 and 109,263.
As a way to streamline unemployment claims for Marylanders, the state launched an online portal called the BEACON One-Stop application system. Since going live in April, the site has crashed due to high demand, been taken offline for technical repairs, and has amassed a backlog for unemployment benefits.
On July 2, the Maryland Department of Labor said it had shelled out more than $3.6 billion in benefits and processed 96.2 percent of unemployment insurance claims. The state's adjudication backlog, officials added, shrunk to 23,770.
Even with a smaller backlog, thousands of residents haven't received their unemployment benefits, according to State Del. Julie Palakovich Carr.
The Democrat, who represents Rockville and Gaithersburg, tweeted:
It's getting closer to July 25th, the date when evictions can resume in Maryland and yet thousands of Marylanders still haven't received their unemployment. I know of dozens of residents who still haven't gotten paid or are missing part of their payment. #fixunemploymentnow
— Delegate Julie Palakovich Carr (@palakovichcarr) July 8, 2020
This article originally appeared on the Silver Spring Patch
