NEW YORK (WKBW) — Thursday the New York State Department of Labor released initial numbers of unemployment insurance claims for the week ending March 21.
The department says more than 80,500 claims were filed statewide, an increase of 520 percent over the last year.
"From Monday, March 16 to Saturday, March 21, 2020 the New York State Department of Labor received over 1,734,100 total calls and over 2,270,300 web hits," the department said in a release.
To address the increase in call volume and web traffic the department has taken steps to put a more efficient filing system in place.
Based on the first letter of the applicants last name, individuals should follow this procedure for filing a claim:
A - F : Monday
G – N : Tuesday
O – Z : Wednesday
Missed your day: Thursday through Saturday
New Yorkers who wish to file a claim can visit labor.ny.gov or call 888-783-1370.
