My brother had a lot of problems even getting his initial claim filed because the system was so overwhelmed. Then, once he finally got it filed, they rejected his claim because of some discrepancy in his pension amount.
He kept calling and calling, experiencing the exact same issues (busy signal, on hold for hours, getting disconnected, etc.). This went on for weeks. He persisted and finally got through to a live person & got everything straightened out.
So, first off, when she filed her claim, did she get the confirmation page stating her claim was received? If not, she may need to refile. If so, has she tried going online to the IDES website to certify? Her letter may have gotten lost in the mail so I would suggest she try that first. If it won't let her, please tell her to keep calling. Persistence is going to be key here. It's maddening, I know, but keep trying.
It absolutely sucks when you need that money to survive and can't get through the system to get it. Two good things to note, however, are that:
(1) Governor Pritzker is a Democrat. If IL were under Republican leadership, then I would worry about the state trying to screw people out of their unemployment benefits. (See Florida. 🙄 ) I know of a few people who had to wait to get their benefits due to system inefficiencies, but they all eventually got them.
(2) If/when she finally does get approved, her benefits will be paid retroactively to the date she was furloughed, etc. That will include the $600.
Best of luck to your friend! 🙋♀️
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