Unemployment insurance is supposed to be emergency aid. If there’s an issue with someone’s claim, it’s supposed to get figured out quickly.
Some Virginians are still waiting for answers. They applied and now they’re waiting. Often for months. If they can get info, they are told their cases will be decided later. Some folks have been getting benefits in the meantime, but not all.
For most of the pandemic, Virginia has been slower than every other state in the U.S., and slower than D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, in resolving issues on unemployment claims. In the last three months of 2020, less than 5% of “nonmonetary” issues (like how someone’s job ended) were resolved by Virginia within 21 days. In early 2021, it was less than 3%. Some Virginia workers who lost their jobs in March, April, or May 2020 are still waiting, even now, for issues to be decided on their cases.