In the Press...
Asbury Park Press page 1 story on Smith efforts to push for State unemployment cases'NJ Labor Department promises new help for jobless claimants, following Smith complaint'A state policy that had limited how many unemployment claims could be filed by elected officials and other third parties on behalf of residents in need has been changed after complaints from U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J.
The Department of Labor and Workforce Development said it was dropping a cap on the number of unemployment claims troubleshooters could file on behalf of constituents, following a Press article about the limit, to which Smith objected. Smith, whose 4th Congressional District spans parts of Monmouth, Ocean and Mercer counties, had slammed the state policy on unemployment claims that had allowed his office and others to submit only 25 requests every two weeks. These were made on behalf of residents who were facing months-long delays getting jobless benefits in some cases. On March 19, however, Smith’s office said they were told in a conference call with Labor Department officials that the limit had been removed. The state had also instituted a policy allowing just one staff person in each office or agency to be responsible for filing the requests. That was expanded to three staff members on Sunday. “As a result of my letter to the Governor last week protesting a new policy to ration the number of cases to twelve per week that any congressional office can submit for resolution — and the Asbury Park Press page one story exposing the problem — we’ve now been assured that the New Jersey Department of Labor will accept all of our cases and attempt to do a better job," Smith said in a statement Monday. "However, the Murphy Administration’s goal of providing me just 50 responses every other week is simply not enough — at that rate, it will still take over 6 months to get benefits to these current open cases … to say nothing of the new cases that pour into my office every single day." Background: Rep. Chris Smith says Murphy restricts how many people he can help As of last week, his office had submitted more than 900 claims that were settled, with another 700 still pending. “The new policy to restrict me and other legislators to raising timely questions on only 13 critical cases per week is unprecedented, unfair, and counterproductive — especially in this time of great need,” Smith said in a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy objecting to the cap. “For the past 12 months, my staff and I have advocated and worked tirelessly to help people who have been adversely affected by the pandemic, including and especially those who have lost their jobs due to no fault of their own," Smith wrote. "To date, I have helped close to 900 people get positive results and the unemployment benefits they deserve.” Smith's letter added that it would take more than a year to submit the hundreds of claims still pending, with more being requested each day, if the new policy remains. “People are hurting financially. They are concerned — even frightened — and reach out in emotional despair trying to find any guidance, any help as they seek to put food on their tables and meet several other obligations — with no benefits coming from the state for weeks on end,” the letter said. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development issued a statement Monday confirming that it had "recently introduced a new, updated case management system to better and more efficiently serve all claimants, including those who seek unemployment assistance from our partners in the Legislature and in Congress. The new system is designed to reduce redundancy and duplication, allowing us to serve more claimants in less time, thus improving efficiency." The policy comes at a time when President Joe Biden’s recent $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan included a federal boost to jobless benefits expiring for millions of Americans. Under the plan, millions of Americans will receive $1,400 stimulus checks, as well as an extension of jobless aid to Sept. 6 and continuation of an extra $300 in weekly unemployment each. But the extended benefit does not mean anything if residents cannot file claims in a timely manner, critics said. Prior to the policy change, Murphy's office had referred Smith’s original letter to state Labor Department Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo, who responded on March 13 with a letter that praised Smith's helpful efforts, but also claimed federal unemployment policies were part of the problem. "As you may recall I wrote to you last September with suggested improvements to the federal unemployment system which the states administer," the March 13 letter said, in part. "Unfortunately, I did not hear back from your office on our suggestions which would greatly improve the experience for your constituents. I do hope that you and the rest of the New Jersey delegation sign onto HR1458, the Unemployment Insurance Technology Modernization Act. I will be sending a formal request under separate cover." Joe Strupp, an award-winning journalist with 30 years’ experience, covers education and Monmouth County for APP.com and the Asbury Park Press. He is also the author of two books, including Killing Journalism on the state of the news media, and an adjunct media professor at Rutgers University and Fairleigh Dickinson University. This article ran on page one of the March 23, 2021 print edition of Asbury Park Press, and can be found online at:https://www.app.com/story/news/2021/03/23/nj-unemployment-claims-limit-help-changed-after-rep-smith-complaint/4800437001/ |