Governor Wants to Speed Up Unemployment Claims

A Kanawha County lawmaker has sent Gov. Jim Justice a letter, making suggestions on how to speed up the processing for more than 90,000 unemployment claims that have been filed during the coronavirus crisis. Del. Andrew Robinson is suggesting that weekly benefit calculations be deferred and all applicants be permitted to receive an immediate benefit of $1,000. Robinson also recommends that determining “charge-ability back to specific employers” be deferred until after the surge of claims has subsided or claims are able to be processed in less than five business days. The governor said he is taking steps to speed up the unemployment claims and says WorkForce WV call lines will be operating 24/7.