The Louisiana Workforce Commission executive director Ava Dejoie says the department has been inundated with unemployment assistance claims as many people have lost work due to COVID-19. Dejoie says as of noon on Thursday, the department had received 30,000 new claims this week.
“I’ll give you a comparison. Last week we had 1,700 new claims for the entire week, so we are experiencing a high call claim volume,” said Dejoie.
The first checks are anticipated to be sent out next week. Dejoie says staffing of the department has been shifted from other divisions to help process the claims.
“We have a total of 500 staff working and processing these claims. We are returning calls and responding to each and every email, so we appreciate your patience,” said Dejoie.
The maximum unemployment benefit is $247 per week.
Some are experiencing issues in trying to file claims and Dejoie recommends trying to do so in off-peak hours.
“During the middle of the night or early in the morning. Just because of the sheer volume, it is slowing the system down,” said Dejoie.
Claims can be filed over the phone by calling 1-866-783-5567, but Dejoie says the best way to file a claim is online at LAworks.net.
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