Phone line added to help speed state unemployment claims process

The Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation took additional steps to help speed up its unemployment insurance claims process, adding a phone line with about 100 workers and reiterating plans for a new online filing system.

The new phone line will be managed by call center Alorica, the department said in a statement Wednesday. Staff size may change “based on needed support.”

Those with general claims questions can reach reach the new hotline at 800-603-9671 Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Inquiries on specific claim scenarios cannot be answered via the hotline but should be directed to the DETR phone lines: 775-684-0350 for Northern Nevada and 702-486-0350 for Southern Nevada.

“While there are tools online to assist with navigating the unemployment insurance process, we absolutely understand the need to connect with a human voice to get questions answered,” DETR Director Tiffany Tyler-Garner said in the statement. “Our goal with the new call center is to alleviate the enormous call volume flooding our current call centers. We will continue to address concerns as we work to serve Nevadans during this unprecedented time.”

The announcement came one day after Gov. Steve Sisolak said Nevada’s unemployment system has staggered under the weight of 300,000 claims filed in the past 30 days. The state processed 79,000 claims in the week that ended April 4, more than nine times as many as during the worst week of the Great Recession.

“The system was never set up to handle this volume of calls and claims,” Sisolak said Tuesday.

U.S.-based Alorica, which has more than 100,000 employees in 14 countries, operates two other call centers in Nevada. The new call center will use work-at-home agents to provide a “full-service, scalable customer experience,” according to the statement.

The call center can also support the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provision, which was created for independent contractors, freelancers, gig workers and other workers not covered by standard unemployment insurance.

“We are proud to be able to support Nevadans during this difficult time, helping to answer questions and guide them through this critical process,” said Colleen Beers, president of North America operations for Alorica. “We applaud the State of Nevada and DETR for making it easier for people in crisis to receive assistance.”

Also Wednesday, DETR reiterated that its new online filing method is “aimed at providing faster results” for Nevadans looking to initiate or renew their unemployment insurance claims. The new system, announced Tuesday, will be made available Sunday.

Those whose last names begin with the letters A through K are asked to file on Sundays. Those whose names start with L through R should file Mondays, and those whose names start with S through Z last names should file Tuesdays. Wednesdays through Saturdays are open for anyone to initiate or renew their claims.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.