Where are their unemployment checks?

For 15 years, seasonal worker Robert (not his real name) received a Delaware unemployment check of around $150 a week. Then on Jan. 24, the checks stopped coming.

He soon realized he was not alone, as the same thing had happened to all of his seasonal co-workers, and may be impacting many thousands of people. He said his unemployment check typically covers the time he is off from his seasonal job, which starts in May.

After two months of phone calls and emails to state officials, he says he and others are no closer to getting their benefits. “It's a real nightmare. We have gotten zero satisfaction,” he said.

Robert said for 15 years, he went to the Georgetown Department of Labor Division of Unemployment Insurance office and met with a counselor to set up his payment. “That stopped completely and they locked the doors,” he said. “They are accepting appointments by email, but no one ever gets back to you.”

Robert said he's never been given a reason why checks stopped Jan. 24. “I found out there have been a lot of retirements in the Georgetown office, and there appears to be an information technology problem,” he said. “But no one has told me what the problem is.”

Rep. Steve Smyk, R-Milton, has taken on the issue as a mission. His office has received numerous calls from people seeking assistance with their unemployment benefits. “Once the word got out that our office was taking complaints, we started receiving calls from people all over the state,” he said. “We had to do more screening and refer people to their representatives while our focus is the 20th District,” he said.

Smyk said after speaking with Daryl Scott, director of the Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance, several factors are responsible for delays in issuing checks.

In 2020 and 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly everyone who had a claim was processed through, he said. Now that is not the case. “They have really had to dial back on that,” Smyk said.

This year, because of widespread fraud throughout the unemployment insurance process, everyone who submits a claim is investigated.

“Legitimate people are getting held up because of the large amount of fraud not just in this state but it's coming in from all over the nation and even internationally,” he said.

Smyk said the number of claims has skyrocketed from 33,000 to 300,000, and just this month, the backlog of unresolved cases is more than 2,300.

“And there is definitely not enough personnel to handle the volume of cases,” Smyk added. “It's not that the Department of Labor is shirking responsibility, they can't deal with the large volume, and this results in really long waits for those calling the offices. Staffing is a real problem.”

He said the General Assembly has allotted funds to hire more employees, but the public sector is facing the same dilemma as the private sector – a lack of workers applying for jobs. To make matters worse, Smyk said, the department has been hit with a lot of retirements.

“We should be taking better care of state employees and I have been saying this for years,” Smyk said. “When they leave, there is no one to replace them.”

He said the state has hired a third-party call center to handle the onslaught of calls. “But they can't resolve any issues and only refer callers to others,” he said.

Smyk said those who are waiting for their checks will receive back payments. “Unfortunately, there is no way to differentiate between legitimate claims and those with fraud involved. Everyone is investigated and treated the same,” he said. “And because of the backlog, going back to January is not a red flag in the scheme of things.”

Calls and emails to the Division of Unemployment Insurance office for comment on this article did not receive a response.

Smyk was first elected to the 20th District seat in 2012. District 20 includes the areas in and around Lewes and Milton, west to Delaware Coastal Airport and south to near Long Neck.