Coloradans face delays in getting unemployment benefits

Colorado's unemployment system was so overwhelmed that it struggled to handle the flood of applications. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment went from processing just under 100,000 initial claims in 2019 to nearly 800,000 claims in 2020 and close to 1 million in 2021

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When the economic disruption from COVID-19 and the resulting shutdowns began in early 2020, Colorado's unemployment system was so overwhelmed that it struggled to handle the flood of applications.

The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment went from processing just under 100,000 initial claims in 2019 to nearly 800,000 claims in 2020 and close to | million in 2021. In comparison to Colorado's 7008 spike, South Dakota experiencedanearly 5008 increase in initial claims from 2019 to 2020, while California saw a 4508 rise.

Colorado’s sevenfold surge in the first year taxed the system so much that it resulted in claimants reporting significant delays in receiving benefits and difficulties in getting a real person on the phone to resolve problems with their claims.

Even as the economy began to bounce back and the number of claims declined, complaints about the bureaucracy unemployed Coloradans must negotiate to pay their bills haven't subsided. Frustrated claimants report reaching out to the department multiple times a day for weeks, while others lost track of how many attempts they made.

This has left them frustrated, emotionally drained and without any financial aid to support themselves or their loved ones. Delays in processing claims have been linked to several factors, including high claim volumes and challenges with the labor department’s new computer system, which has led to a backlog dueto difficulties with ID verification.

Nearly IOO people have reached out to The Denver Post over the past few months to share their experiences and concerns about the system. Some eventually received their money while others have thrown in the towel. Complaints have been lodged with the attorney general and the governor's office, with one individual even suing the labor department over missing unemployment benefits and another over integrity holds.