LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The state of Kentucky has received more than 520,000 unemployment claims in the last month and has paid 450,000 jobless Kentuckians a total of more than $150 million.
The state is still fielding about 15,000 unemployment claims per day, said Josh Benton, deputy secretary in the Kentucky Education & Workforce Development Cabinet.
The majority of those who have not yet received their initial payment are still within a roughly two-week waiting period, he said Tuesday in Gov. Andy Beshear’s daily COVID-19 news conference.
Once someone claims unemployment, it typically takes 13 to 15 days before the initial payment arrives, Benton said.
For many of those who have not received any payment, that “window, since filing, hasn’t closed yet,” he said.
Josh Benton, deputy secretary in the Kentucky Education & Workforce Development Cabinet.
Other reasons why people may not have received their payment yet, he said, include:
- They have refiled a new claim. If that happens, the state has to reconcile the two claims before it issues payment.
- Identity verification. To prevent fraud and identity theft, the state, in some cases, has to request additional information.
- The claim may be under additional review. That could mean that the employer protested, or some information is missing.
Benton said the state is still adding people to phone lines and was scheduled to answer more calls on Tuesday than any previous day.
“We’re working through (claims) as quickly as we can,” he said.
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