FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The back-up of unemployment claims continues to affect families across the Commonwealth.
When we reached out to the state's Labor Cabinet last week, officials reported close to 600 claims from March were still unanswered. Every month from April to October had more than 9,900 each.
Tracy Caskey is a heavy equipment operator based in northern Kentucky.
Due to the nature of her construction job, she's been laid off for a week or two at a few different times.
She's filed unemployment claims but has received no answer.
"You just can't get anybody to call you back. And I can't understand why there's not somebody there to answer phone calls. And it's been six months. I just want somebody to call me back," said Caskey.
As the weeks and thousands of dollars pile up, waiting for unemployment benefits can add real strain to the family's finances.
That's the reality Tonya Brock said she's faced since she was let go from her human resources job in August.
"It's very depressing. My husband takes out to health insurance. It's $600 bi-weekly, and that's probably about what I was paying a month. It's very strenuous on your child as well. He just turned 19, which I guess he's not a child anymore, but his birthday was in November so we were limited as to what we could get him just because there's a financial strain," said Brock, who is from Winchester.
If you're still waiting for an answer from Frankfort on your unemployment claim, you can email us at news@wlex.tv. Please include a brief description of your situation, along with contact information such as your name, phone number, and email address.
We will pass your message along to the unemployment office.
