EDITORIAL: Nevada needs to improve unemployment process

Many Nevada workers who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus shutdown have expressed understandable exasperation with delays they’ve encountered trying to file for unemployment. But let’s cut Gov. Steve Sisolak and his administration some slack — to a point.

Pointing fingers and hindsight may be cathartic, but who among us could have envisioned months ago the disruption that this flu-like pandemic has wrought? There is no state in the country that was prepared to seamlessly handle the massive and sudden increase in joblessness triggered by the economic and social restrictions now in place.

We are operating without a playbook during these unprecedented times. In the week ending March 21, Nevada jobless claims soared 1,300 percent — the highest rate in the nation — to more than 93,000.

“I’m aware of the frustration. I hear the anecdotal stories,” Gov. Sisolak said Monday in response to complaints about busy signals, system crashes and other problems encountered by those hoping to sign up for unemployment benefits either online or by phone. “I know for every person, if you’re the one that cannot get through, it’s a big deal to you. We do not have the structure in place, I can assure you of this, to process this kind of volume.”

But while the unemployment bureaucracy has indeed been overwhelmed in recent weeks, state officials must do more to provide relief. The governor noted that the state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation had expanded its hours and added staff — a spokeswoman for the agency said it had tripled the number of people devoted to new claims. Good. But it obviously isn’t enough. More urgency is required.

It’s also telling that a private Facebook group appears to be ahead of the state in terms of helping those who lost their jobs navigate the unemployment bureaucracy. The Review-Journal reported Tuesday that Cyara Neel — who found herself out of work after her Las Vegas company temporarily closed — has set up a page called Unemployment Nevada Information and Help, which now has 4,000 members.

“There wasn’t one place for anybody to go and ask questions and get answers,” she said, “so I made one.” The group has eight moderators — all of whom successfully made it through the unemployment application process — to answer questions and to smooth the inevitable bumps.

State officials might do well to pay heed. In addition, Gov. Sisolak should temporarily ramp up claims staffing to an even greater extent and consider a 24/7 system until the crisis has passed. His administration should also reach out to Ms. Neel, who seems to know a thing or two about neutralizing red tape.