PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Labor and Training is taking interim action to notify and review unemployment insurance benefit payments that have been frozen for thousands of Rhode Islanders following a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island, the ACLU said Thursday.
Following fraudulent filings for unemployment benefits amid the rush of legitimate filings caused by the coronavirus crisis, the state had frozen thousands of benefits in an effort to mitigate the unlawful activity. The ACLU’s class-action lawsuit claims that the DLT had not provided notice to individuals who were legitimately eligible for unemployment insurance prior to halting payments, and those impacted were not always able to reach the department about the issue.
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As part of its efforts announced Thursday, the DLT will double the number of staff dedicated to communicating with those whose benefits have been frozen and the department will provide an email notification to those affected with information on how to speak to someone in person.
If the department does not have an email address on file, the DLT will make contact by mail, text or phone.
“We are pleased to see the DLT has responded to our concerns about the enormous problem facing individuals who have been left far too long in the dark as to why their benefit payments stopped, and who have been unable to get through to the agency for assistance,” said ACLU attorney Lynette Labinger. “We believe this is a good first step to address the problem, but we will continue to advocate for recipients to make sure that the communications are prompt, meaningful, and effective, and that this problem gets a long-lasting solution.”
The department has previously directed those whose benefits have been frozen to visit its website and report the issue, here.
