East Central Reporter

Nearly two million new unemployment claims have been filed with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and Sen. Chapin Rose (R-Mahomet) is not happy with the agency’s performance. 

He recently expressed his discontent with the way many already-distressed Illinois residents have experienced in their dealings with the agency.

"I personally believe that many of my constituents and, I'm sure, many of the citizens of Illinois who have filed, have just given up," Rose told the State Journal-Register. "This was like some Franz Kafka novel combined with 'Atlas Shrugged.' When they needed us the most, they were left waiting and have since moved on."

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, IDES has seen a trail of benefit claims being filed by suddenly out-of-work residents. With the economy moving along well before the crisis struck, acting IDES director Kristin Richards recently told a Senate Labor Committee the hit couldn’t come at a worse time.  

"States are generally incentivized by the federal government to cut resources during times of low unemployment," she said. "In times of low unemployment, agencies tend to not have the resources that they need to plan ahead and plan for large, widespread dislocations."

Chief among the complaints the agency faces are slow response times for people in need of service.

In recent months, Richards admits the agency’s response time has grown to be as long as six weeks, or roughly triple the normal average.

Richards said most of the problems stem from staffing issues, which the agency is doing everything it can to address.

"We are continuing to staff up and train for our call center," she said. "It is a sprint exercise because people just need a phone call back."