PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island labor officials are blaming insufficient staff and a limited telephone system for the inability of thousands of jobless residents to get through to the state's unemployment insurance system.
The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/yXauJR ) that Department of Labor and Training spokeswoman Laura Hart acknowledges the delays.
To reach unemployment benefits personnel, the jobless who are filing claims must call according to a phone schedule. They may still be directed to the agency's website to send an email.
Some unemployed workers report numerous times when they need help from a person. Instead, they get busy signals and long waits for responses to e-mails.
Hart says it takes about a week for the agency to respond to emails. She says officials want response time to be three to five days.
Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com
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