OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Congresswoman Kendra Horn’s office conducted a survey on Oklahoma unemployment assistance, and found that many Okahomans are not satisfied with the state’s unemployment system.
Horn’s office released the results of the survey, which 860 Oklahomans participated in, on Wednesday.
The participants referenced their experience using or attempting to use the state’s unemployment system when completing the survey, according to a news release from Horn’s office.
The survey’s findings include the following:
• 92% of respondents rated their experience with the Oklahoma Employment Securities Commission (OESC) as either “very negative” or “somewhat negative.”
• 84% of respondents have not yet received unemployment assistance, either due to problems with the application or delays in receiving benefits.
• 80% of respondents with a pending application have waited over a month for help.
• 51% of respondents reported three or more significant roadblocks in applying for and receiving unemployment assistance.
“We passed the CARES Act eight weeks ago, and Oklahomans still aren’t getting the unemployment assistance I fought to include,” Horn said. “My office has been working day and night to help hundreds of workers who lost their jobs through no fault of their own. They are struggling to put food on the table or afford live-saving medication because they still haven’t received the unemployment assistance they’re entitled to. The results of my survey will help provide insight into where our state’s unemployment program has fallen short and how to fix it. I am sharing the results and comments we received with the Governor’s office to help our state to eliminate barriers to relief and get assistance to the people who need it.”
Oklahoma received over $10 million from the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in March to scale unemployment assistance operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Oklahoma officials recently said that almost $587 million in total benefits have been paid to claimants during the COVID-19 crisis, with more than 410,000 people filing for unemployment relief.
Dozens of self-employed Oklahomans gathered at the Oklahoma State Capitol on Monday to protest how the state has handled unemployment claims.
The protest started with chants, but ended with Secretary of Digital Transformation David Ostrowe, and three OESC agents, promising protesters they would help figure out what was holding up their claims.
The entire report on the survey from Horn’s office is as follows:
Horn Report – Unemployment … by KFOR on Scribd
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