Ohioans still struggling with unemployment system more than 1 year into pandemic

Lawmakers collecting stories from residents who faced challenges collecting benefits
Published: Apr. 14, 2021 at 10:50 PM EDT
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TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Lawmakers in Ohio want to hear from residents who have struggled to navigate the unemployment system during the pandemic or faced roadblocks along the way to getting benefits.

State Sen. Teresa Fedor (D-Toledo) and State Rep. Lisa Sobecki (D-Toledo) are two members of the Unemployment Compensation Improvement and Modernization Council, a new council formed by the state legislature to help modernize the state’s unemployment system.

The council members are collecting personal stories from residents who have had issues to present to other lawmakers.

Wednesday night, they discussed some of the challenges their constituents have faced in a virtual event live-streamed on Facebook.

Join Us for a conversation with Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley about Unemployment Issues Ohioans are facing across the state

Posted by Rep. Lisa Sobecki, Ohio House District 45 on Wednesday, April 14, 2021

One of those people is Shayne Shoched. He’s worked in the automotive industry for almost 30 years.

Like many Ohioans, he had to file for unemployment after his company shut down in March 2020 due to the pandemic. He had to find ways to support his seven children, two of whom have special needs.

But he couldn’t get through on the phone after calling daily for three months. His luck changed after he got in touch with Sen. Fedor.

“The frustration was beyond maddening,” Shoched said.

He eventually went back to work but tested positive for COVID-19 in early February.

Now, he’s on oxygen, hasn’t been able to work in more than two months, and says he was told he doesn’t qualify for benefits this time.

He learned that from the hospital where he spent four hours on the phone with unemployment

But Sen. Fedor told him he is eligible.

“The system is broken,” Shoched said. “You’re made to feel you did something wrong. The system should be set up to help people.”

Fedor said since she started analyzing the problems with the system, she found a few key issues, including underinvestment in the state’s unemployment infrastructure that featured outdated computer and phone systems.

It’s a system that was ripe with fraud issues that caused many of the delays.

The unemployment insurance workforce was downsized because the economy was performing well, Fedor said. But without a contingency plan or reserve workforce, response times suffered.

“It’s inadequate to the point where people are worried about their lives,” Fedor said. “People are worried about whether they’re going to have to sleep in their car. Some people even are hiding their cars so they won’t get repoed. These are stories we never imagined we’d hear today.”

The Council has meetings on April 22, April 29, May 13, and May 17 all at 2 p.m. You can watch them on the Ohio Channel.

To submit testimony, you can click here, or email Chelsea.Golterman@OhioSenate.gov or Rep45@OhioHouse.gov.

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