RICHMOND, Va. -- Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, CBS 6 has done many stories on the performance of the Virginia Employment Commission.
When millions of people across the country suddenly had no work, getting benefits out to desperate claimants was a struggle for most states, and that certainly included the Commonwealth.
But three years later, Virginia's performance in key categories remains abysmal, despite a change in administration 15 months ago, and despite promises to make the VEC the "best in class."
Last summer, Commissioner Carrie Roth appeared on CBS 6 and acknowledged many of the VEC’s shortcomings but insisted that progress was being made, and the goal was to make the VEC “the best in class.”
The US Dept. of Labor compiles data on every state or territory’s unemployment benefits performance.
The first quarter numbers for 2023 in key unemployment categories show Virginia is last or nearly last among all 50 states and the Virgin Islands.
“When I saw the latest quarter’s numbers, I think I audibly gasped,” Flannery O’Rourke, from the Virginia Poverty Law Center, said. “On the one hand, the numbers are shockingly bad. On the other hand, it's consistent with what claimants are telling me. I think it's important for folks to understand that these standards are set, not only to make sure that claimants receive payments in a timely manner but also so that unemployment insurance services can achieve the broader goal of providing stability for the economy.”
The Virginia Poverty Law Center took part in a class action suit two years ago to force the VEC to get payments out faster.
O’Rourke pointed out that for the last quarter of 2022, the average claimant waiting for the VEC to grant their appeal a hearing had to wait 362 days, basically a year.
“Now they have to wait 427 days, 14 months, just to get their case heard,” O’Rourke said. “Add to that, the extra time to have it adjudicated, and possibly appealed again. And then if they are found to be entitled to benefits, they are waiting even longer to then get the payment. So for the folks that are entitled to the benefits, the idea that they are then waiting 14 months to even get a hearing on the topic, is appalling. These are Virginians who are trying to pay their rent, pay their bills.”
Among all 50 states and the Virgin Islands, only Alabama is worse than Virginia: there, claimants wait an average of 685 days. The Dept. of Labor says 30 days is the goal.
But the first quarter 2023 numbers get even worse: as far as claimants getting that crucial first unemployment check within the DOL recommended 14-21 day window, the VEC is dead last, 51 out of 51.
“One of the most stressful times in life is right when you become unemployed, and you've applied for unemployment,” O’Rourke said. “And you're counting on not just that decision finding that you are entitled to benefits, but you're counting on that first payment. And so when it takes longer than it should to show up, that can be really harmful, and I think also very stressful to claimants. Astonishingly, the number is not so different from a year ago, and it's actually lower than any quarter for 2021. So it's moving in the wrong direction.”
I reached out to VEC spokesperson Joyce Fogg for comment on the latest numbers and to follow up on Roth’s promise about making the VEC “best in class.” I am still waiting for a response.
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