LANCASTER, N.Y. — As Western New Yorkers struggle to get their unemployment benefits, there is one thing you can do that seems to be working. All it might take to get help is calling or emailing your State Senator and Assemblymember.
We first talked with Nicole Wawrzyniak on April 23 when she told us she had been trying to finalize her claim since March 16. She emailed her Assemblymember, Monica Wallace, and got all of her unemployment benefits, including her back pay on May 8.
Tuesday, we caught up with Wawrzyniak on the phone.
"Would you suggest that everybody makes that phone call? Or send that email?" Asked 2 On Your Side’s Kelly Dudzik.
"Yes, absolutely because, you know, at that point, you really feel like there's nothing else you can do that you're really just, you're just stuck, and you don't really know who else to turn to," Wawrzyniak said. "And, whoever has suggested on the Facebook page, you know, they had the same results. Now, I'm not sure you know what county or whatever they live in, but it works. You know if its worked for numerous people, so I would say, it's worth a shot."
Assemblymember Wallace's office is busy responding to calls and emails from people like Wawrzyniak.
"We take that information and we reach out directly to the New York State Department of Labor, who, you know, has been very responsive," Wallace said. "They've been they've been doing their best. But unfortunately, like I'm doing this, all of my Assembly colleagues, all of my Senate colleagues, we're all doing the same thing we're reaching out, and we're trying to prioritize, these are claims that really need to be addressed."
Assemblymember Wallace would like the NYS Department of Labor to approve claims that have been pending for more than thirty days.
"Just go ahead, and assume the validity of that application, send them the money," Wallace said. "And then, when the situation is less dire, let's look deeply and make sure that that was the amount of money, they were entitled to that it should have been paid properly. And if there was a mistake, if there was an error, we can fix it at that point. But for some people, we really need to get money in their hands right away.
"Do you think that the Department of Labor has been forthcoming enough with information?" Asked Dudzik.
"I think the Department of Labor has been doing its best in all honesty, under very extraordinary circumstances, as we all know, mill, you know, we have 19 million people in New York State," Wallace said. "And, so many of them have been, you know, millions and millions and millions of New Yorkers have been laid off, or found themselves out of work in a very, very short period of time. And so, you know, I do know for a fact, they've been working around the clock really trying to make this right. What I'm saying is, despite best efforts, there's a group of people, for whatever reason that have fallen through the cracks, and we need to get to those people right away."
"I felt hopeless," Wawrzyniak said. "I felt like I'm never going to get this money. You know, we have a family of five. And, I'm really glad that I just took the time out, send her a quick email. And my, my issue was resolved literally within a week. It seems like when you're going through this process that you're never going to get through because I felt the same way. But you have to take the steps to plan you can't just sit back and I don't feel like you have to wait for them to call. You really have to be persistent and really be an advocate for yourself because there's just so many people going through this. So, you just really have to take the appropriate steps and really try getting what's owed to you."
"I've been specifically emailing people have reached out to me with information about while you're waiting, here are some resources that might be helpful for you," Wallace says. "For example, here's how you can apply for SNAP benefits. Here's how you can apply for assistance, maybe with payment of your utilities. Here are some other programs that might be helpful to you in the interim."
We also asked Wallace about the infrastructure of the claim system.
"I'm quite sure we will be prioritizing things like this in the future, because we all recognize how important it is to maintain our infrastructure and keep up with our infrastructure and internet security," she said. "Right, because we're asking people to send confidential information over the internet. We want to make sure we're sending it in a format that's going to be encrypted and keep their data safe."
And again, if your status says pending, it means the NYS Labor Department will call you if it needs more information to finalize your claim.
