Oregon Employment Department struggles in 2024 after making post-pandemic improvements in customer service.
After attempts earlier this year to address growing phone backlogs and process times, the Oregon Employment Department continues to frustrate scores of unemployed Oregonians.
That’s according to reporting by The Oregonian’s Mike Rogoway, who spoke with one senior citizen who, as of Friday, had waited 11 weeks to receive unemployment assistance after losing his job.
For months this year, OED has contended with a growing backlog of unpaid jobless benefits and a deluge of calls from people checking the status of their claims. In May, officials made the counterintuitive decision to direct fewer resources to answering calls and more time to processing claims, a switch the agency now claims has paid off. A department spokesperson explained that claims processors are often unable to address the concerns of random callers. Calling claimants on the agency’s schedule can be more efficient, even if the result does anger some callers who feel alienated and locked out, according to The Oregonian.
The department reports that in June, the number of claimants on hold fell as the number of claims promptly processed increased. But it’s not all good news. According to the agency, one-third of callers wait on hold for at least an hour while others wait several hours or can’t get through at all.
Still, many continue to be frustrated with the lack of employees who can answer questions and hear concerns. The Oregonian placed 101 calls to the department’s customer service line and received a busy signal each time.
During the pandemic, the employment department was one of the slowest in the nation at paying benefit claims. Thousands of unemployed Oregonians waited weeks and, in some cases, months for assistance. The agency’s poor performance was attributed to inflexible leadership, obsolete computers and a decline in federal funding, which caused the agency to cut the number of staff members who process claims.
The state’s unemployment rate has improved since 2020 and today is at a historic low of 4.1%. But improvements to customer service have been erased in recent months as the department struggles to pay claims and unclog jammed phone lines. To address the backlogs, the employment department stopped taking calls on Mondays.
During the last Legislative session, lawmakers approved $45 million for the agency to hire an additional 70 employees. The new employees should start making an impact on the backlogs of calls and benefits claims.
The agency claims a 9% decrease in “unaddressed” issues since June. Since April, claims paid within three weeks have increased from 50% to 75%.
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