Corrado Calls on Murphy to Utilize CARES Act Money to Ease Logjam of Unemployment Claims

Processing Delays Continue and Time is Running Out for Desperate Families

Senator Kristin Corrado today demanded action from the Murphy Administration to address the agonizing backlog of residents unable to resolve unemployment cases with the Department of Labor.

“This atrocity has dragged on far too long for many people who have been struggling to have their claims settled for 19 long, torturous weeks,” said Corrado (R-40). “The state is letting residents down and there’s no sign of the situation getting any better. We have begged, screamed and pleaded with the Governor, but the phones in our district office continue to ring off the hook with exasperated residents who don’t know how they will pay for food.”

Murphy continues to sit on more than $2 billion in federal money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), and Corrado said the Governor should invest some of it into the dysfunctional unemployment system.

“Governor Murphy, you have dragged your feet long enough. It is time to stop giving New Jerseyans the run-around. Resolve these problems now,” Corrado said. “Families are running out of time. It’s long overdue, but New Jersey must open unemployment offices now, so residents can speak with humans who understand their problems and can provide help and guidance.

“There is no reason not to take the necessary precautions to allow trained unemployment experts to safely meet with citizens and break this logjam of claims,” the Senator continued.

Senator Corrado cited the agony of one family man who lined up with dozens of others at the One Stop Career Center in Elizabeth on two dates they were scheduled to open. He waited for four hours hoping to speak with a representative, only to be told the office would not be opening after all.

“It’s heartbreaking to hear the despair in his voice,” said Corrado. “Lives are being ruined by bureaucratic incompetence. The system is broken and families, many that have never turned to government for help in their lives, have been forsaken. Inaction is inexcusable.”

Corrado’s district office in Totowa has been assisting constituents with unemployment issues throughout the pandemic, but hundreds residents with nuanced, complex claims are desperate for relief.

“Since this mess started almost five months ago, we have been begging to a legislative liaison with labor to help with complicated questions and long-delayed claims,” lamented Corrado. “Like the residents who can’t get any help from unemployment, we have been abandoned.”