We hope your week is going well and that you are adjusting to the "Stay at Home" order that went into effect for North Carolina yesterday.
The Human Resources team is working hard to respond to many calls and emails from employees regarding unemployment benefits.
In the email you received last week, our plan was to submit your unemployment claim for you - in batch file. Sadly, we have not been able to successfully upload that batch file. As you've likely seen in the news, the NC Unemployment System is having unprecedented call and claim volumes. In short, their system is being overwhelmed. We are making progress, but it is slow and requires claims to be managed one at a time.
We need your help.
We have decided that since we haven't been able to get the batch file loaded, we have to make progress and handle claims one at a time. Many of you have already taken the step of completing and submitting your claim yourself. We are in the process of approving those - one by one.
If you have not already submitted your claim, please start that as soon as you can (see below for instructions).
You should expect their web system to be busiest during the daytime hours and we are told Mondays and Tuesdays are the busiest days each week. We have found that the website responds faster and more reliably late at night and early in the morning, but with patience we are also getting things to go through during the middle of the day.
If you try to log in and the system gets stuck, use your browser's "back" button to reload/refresh the page. You may have to do this multiple times.
Be patient - really patient.
We know it is frustrating, but we will do the best we can to get through this so that everyone gets their claims processed as soon as possible.
We have heard from some associates that they have been able to reach DES Customer Call Center (1-888-737-0259), but they've waited on hold for 3+ hours. So if you choose to call, be prepared for a long wait time.
DES Customer Call Center: 1-888-737-0259
Thank you so much for your patience as we navigate uncharted waters and try to deliver the best possible service to our employee associates.
Be safe, be well, be at home!
