MD's New Unemployment Claims Surpass 387K Amid Coronavirus Crisis
MARYLAND — Another 37,225 Marylanders applied for jobless benefits last week, the Maryland Department of Labor reported Thursday, bringing the six-week total to more than 387,500.
The number of new unemployment insurance claims in the state has declined the last three weeks, but still remains well above the 2,090 that was reported the first week of March before business shutdowns happened, as Gov. Larry Hogan ordered residents to stay at home to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
On Friday, the state launched its BEACON One-Stop application system as a way to streamline unemployment claims for thousands of struggling Marylanders. The site, however, crashed due to high demand and was taken offline for technical repairs. People trying to access the online portal expressed their frustrations and worries on social media, some even tagging state leaders and pleading with them to fix it.
@MD_Labor & @GovLarryHogan GET UNEMPLOYMENT FILING FIXED. I've been trying for three weeks to get ahold of someone and BEACON One-Stop gives me a 404 Error. Marylanders are hurting and can't wait another day.
— Shannon (@tkowoman) April 26, 2020
During a press conference on Wednesday, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) addressed the frequent technical issues.
"The IT contractor who developed this site and the Department of Labor have fallen short of the high standards that we have set. And the people of Maryland deserve better. The buck stops with me," he said, adding that he will do whatever it takes to fix any site issues "so that every single Marylander gets every single penny of financial assistance that they deserve."
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Even with these technical issues, Hogan explained, the state is "now successfully handling an average of 33 new accounts every single minute" and is seeing an average of 780 claims being filed every hour.
Since the application system launched on April 24, more than 245,000 accounts have been activated, and more than 100,000 new claims have been filed, according to Hogan.
For the week ending April 25, officials said 37,225 Marylanders filed new unemployment claims. That's down from the 47,545 who applied the week before and the 61,770 who first filed two weeks ago.
Here's how each jurisdiction fared (for the week ending April 25):
From the Maryland Department of Labor:
On Sundays and Mondays, ONLY our customers who are filing weekly claim certifications will be able to file, in order to ensure that Marylanders can receive their payments timely and when needed. Please know that if you are unable to file your weekly claim certification on Sunday or Monday, you are not restricted from filing it on any other day.
On Tuesdays through Saturdays, our customers can file new claims as well as complete all activities. This gating system will increase the number of customers who are able to complete their filings with minimal hassle and frustration through the BEACON One-Stop.
In order to prevent the overload of the system that users have experienced, we have introduced a virtual waiting line. We anticipate that, despite the waiting time, the process of filing your claim and certifications will proceed more smoothly because of the limitation on the number of people able to file at a given time. We sincerely apologize for the delays and inconvenience.
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This article originally appeared on the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch
