TOPEKA, Kan. (WDAF) — Unemployed Kansans should prepare for another disruption from the Kansas Department of Labor.
The troubled state agency said Tuesday it’s experiencing technical difficulties and therefore, payments will be delayed.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the labor department said on Facebook that the GetKansasBenefits.gov website was down. KDOL didn’t provide a timeline for when it expected the site to be back online. Customer service representatives are still available for assistance.
“We apologize for the inconvenience,” KDOL said in a tweet.
KDOL said it believes all regular unemployment insurance (UI) claimants will have their payments deposited into their bank accounts within the next few business days or loaded onto their debit cards in 5-7 days.
For Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) recipients, the wait could be a bit longer, KDOL said. The agency just said, “PUA recipients may experience further delays,” but gave no specific timeline for when those people can expect to receive their benefits.
For anyone who’s still waiting to receive their debit card in the mail, KDOL said it will come most likely within the next week — with your benefit payments already loaded.
The Kansas labor department recently switched from to a new debit card provider, U.S. Bank, and many claimants have grown frustrated with the delays in receiving their cards — and therefore, their benefits.
The state has blamed many of its unemployment struggles on its outdated computer system. This includes long call lines and payment delays, which left thousands of Kansans struggling to make ends meet.