Lexington Herald-Leader
Kentucky’s unemployment system crashes as coronavirus response brings job losses
Kentucky’s phone line and website for filing unemployment insurance claims were not functioning as of Tuesday afternoon and have not since Monday morning, when Gov. Andy Beshear ordered all restaurants and bars to close dine-in services in an effort to curb the new coronavirus. On Monday, Beshear directed state officials to begin waiving the state’s mandatory one week waiting period for unemployment benefits for people who lost their jobs because of the virus, and also eliminated the requirement for those people to search for work while they receive benefits. Beshear said during a news conference Monday that officials were working to correct problems with the website and phone line, but provided no concrete timeline for when those services would be available.
