LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Terri Tolbert-Thomas is nearly nine months pregnant but, sitting in her Okolona home earlier this month, said she has mixed emotions.
She lost her job in November, and, despite near-constant attempts to collect unemployment, has only a free car seat from her insurance company to show for it.
"I'm so excited, but I get a little ... depressed," Tolbert-Thomas said. "I told my husband the other day I think we might need to give him up for adoption, because how are we going to afford him?"
She knows they'll do everything they can to make ends meet for the baby, but now eight months without a job, things are tight.
"When I lost my job, I was donating plasma, but I had to give that up because of my pregnancy," Tolbert-Thomas said. "I've filled out over 100 applications. I've only had six interviews."
There are about 7,900 active unemployment claims in Kentucky, and it can take eight to 12 weeks just to get an unemployment claim approved and even longer to get a check in the mail. The Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet said there have been more than 62,000 claims filed so far in 2024.
Of the 185 employees who work at the Division of Unemployment Insurance office in Frankfort, only 22 work in the call center handling about 400 calls per day. Earlier this year, the Kentucky General Assembly didn't fund a request to hire more workers.
"I was beginning to think do they only have two or three people answering the phone," Tolbert-Thomas said. "I'm thinking nobody is there. For real."
Kentucky was overwhelmed by record waves of unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic as businesses were locked down to contain the virus's spread. Tens of thousands of Kentuckians found themselves in limbo for months as they waited for their jobless claims to be processed, delays that became a nagging political problem for Gov. Andy Beshear.
Kentucky still uses the same decades-old system in 2024, but the state agreed in May to a six-year, $55.5 million contract with Deloitte Consulting to replace the antiquated technology.
"This new system will help us better meet the needs of Kentuckians by improving accessibility and claims processing times, as well as safeguarding against potential unemployment insurance fraud," Beshear said in a news release earlier this year.
All those numbers don't tell the full story, though. Behind them are people like Tolbert-Thomas, many who have gone months without a check.
"On April 30th, 2024, I applied for unemployment and received an approval letter about 5 days later," a woman named Lisa wrote to WDRB this month. "I have filed my claims since and have yet to receive a check. I've had to borrow money and maxed out my credit cards. I've been searching for employment with no luck. What employer is going to hire a 63-year-old? Because of no employment and no unemployment insurance, I had to file for social security which is not enough to live on. I also will have to file bankruptcy because of zero income. It's very cruel and not fair how the state of Kentucky treats the people who qualify for unemployment insurance and not receive."
The state said the new platform under Deloitte Consulting will actually be a mix of three systems that support employer contributions, benefits and appeals, each with its own customer-facing and internal staff component and thousands of specific system requirements based on federal and state laws. The state's contract with Deloitte includes incremental system deliverables, training, organizational change management and data migration to allow for the final sunsetting of the old legacy system.
The cost of the new system, including ongoing operations and maintenance expenses, will be supported by $85 million in funding approved by lawmakers, cabinet spokeswoman Jill Midkiff said.
Another woman named Tisha who emailed WDRB about her experience earlier this month said she's been trying to receive unemployment for more than three months.
"It continues to say "Fact Finding" under my claims info but I haven't received any letter or communication from the unemployment office," she said. "I've tried calling the unemployment office more than 20 times at this point but can never get through to anyone, it just says they are experiencing high call volume please hang up and try my call later. I don't have money, I live pay check to pay check and my bills need to be paid. I am really hoping that you are someone from your team and can help me out before I am out in the street with no place to live."
Many people who've reached out to WDRB recently said they also remain in the "Fact Finding" process.
Tolbert-Thomas said she's getting mixed messages from the state, some saying she's getting the money before she's later told she'll need to file another appeal.
"The letter they sent me out — that was back in November — was saying $7,888," she said, adding that it should be even more now.
At first, she was also worried she'd lose her house.
"We have been getting assistance from a couple programs," Tolbert-Thomas said. "We got in with a place for our mortgage, because they're going to help us for the rest of the year. Thank God for that. ... (Without that), we'd really be on the streets right now."
Kentucky still uses the same decades-old system in 2024, but the state agreed in May to a six-year, $55.5 million contract with Deloitte Consulting to replace the antiquated technology.
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- Kentucky starting over to upgrade unemployment computer system
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