SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- More than 500,000 online applicants and nearly an equal number of callers a day are crushing New York’s system for filing unemployment claims as the coronavirus outbreak puts people out of work.

People trying to file for unemployment benefits with the state Department of Labor are being greeted by constant crashes of the department’s website. Those who try filing over the phone are running into jammed lines.

Kim Devesty, who was laid off from her job as a waitress at the Double Tree hotel on Carrier Circle, said she struck out on numerous attempts in the last couple of days trying to file her unemployment claim online and over the phone.

After successfully logging onto the department’s website and filling out the information for her claim, the site crashed before she could submit it.

“As soon as it said click ‘File Now,' it crashed,” she said.

Devesty said she then turned to the department’s automated phone service to file her claim. But she had no more luck after making literally hundreds of calls over two days -- sometimes 50 an hour.

“It says, ‘I’m sorry, we cannot help you at this time, click,’” she said.

Kim Devesty, of Syracuse, got this error message when she tried to file for unemployment benefits on the New York State Department of Labor's website on Friday, March 20, 2020. The website has been overwhelmed by people trying to file for unemployment benefits after being laid off as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Kim Devesty

Deanna Cohen, a spokesperson for the Department of Labor, said the department’s website received 532,000 visits from New Yorkers filing unemployment claims on Thursday. And on Friday, the department received more than 475,000 calls from applicants for unemployment benefits, she said.

She said the department has added server capacity and dedicated more than 700 staff members to address the influx, which includes a 1,000% increase in claims in some areas across the state.

“Our dedicated staff are doing the best they can and are committed to serving every single person, no matter how long it takes,” she said.

Cohen said the delays will not reduce the amount of unemployment benefits people will receive.

“It is important to stress that everyone will get their benefits,” she said. “Even if they don’t get through this week they will receive their full benefit back to the date of unemployment.”

On Wednesday, the Department of Labor implemented what it hoped would be a more efficient system for filing unemployment claims to deal with what it called a “massive surge” in applications related to the coronavirus pandemic.

The new system requires people to file on days determined by the first letter of their last name:

A - F : Monday

G – N : Tuesday

O – Z : Wednesday

Missed your day : Thursday and Friday

Since then, the number of people filing for unemployment has skyrocketed.

That’s only expected to increase after Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday ordered all businesses but those in “essential” industries to have 100% of their employees work remotely. Businesses that cannot have their employees work from home are shutting down and laying off their staffs.

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In a week of fear and kindness in CNY, we are all quarantined in this together

Rick Moriarty covers business news and consumer issues. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact him anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148

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