Unemployment Payments Weeks Late in Nearly Every State

Like millions of Americans, Kathleen Kroeger lost her job in the pandemic and needed help. Five months later, alongside scores of other Americans, she’s still looking for it.

States are swamped with unemployment claims, delaying the resolution of even minor paperwork issues. In some cases, it has taken legal action to break the logjam. It’s a problem states are wrestling with in different ways, ranging from adding phone staff to hiring contractors, and a challenge President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team has made a priority.

“Just the basic unemployment, $345 a week, would have made a big difference,” said Kroeger, 40, who managed a restaurant near her home in Piedmont, South Dakota, until it closed its doors in March because of the pandemic. She left soon afterwards to battle her own COVID-19 case and other health problems.

She also missed out on the $600 weekly enhanced benefits—offered by the CARES Act until July—because the state never approved her for benefits.

Kroeger has checked daily and made dozens of fruitless calls to South Dakota’s Department of Labor & Regulation.

“I must have talked to 35 people. It’s always the same story—‘It’s on somebody’s desk, they’re going through them all, they’ll let you know,’” said Kroeger, who depleted her savings and borrowed money from her family before finding another job in August. She applied for benefits in early May.

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