December 8, 2008

Due to the high volume of calls the Unemployment Insurance Call Center has received recently during business hours, the RI Department of Labor and Training has changed the times it will accept TeleServe calls to after business hours only. TeleServe customers may now call any time between 12:01 a.m. on Sunday to 7:00 a.m. on Monday, and any time Monday through Friday from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. TeleServe customers will not be able to certify for payment outside of these designated hours.

Since September, the RI Department of Labor and Training has requested that unemployment insurance customers voluntarily call the TeleServe automated payment line only after business hours to certify for their weekly benefits. The automated payment certification is a brief process (usually taking under two minutes) that does not require interaction with a call center representative.

Because TeleServe and the call center share the same phone lines, the after-hours policy was enacted to make more phone lines available during business hours for customers who need to reach a call center representative. These customers include new claimants who are filing for unemployment insurance by phone, and state and federal extended benefits claimants who cannot certify for payment online.

During each week in November, TeleServe received approximately 16,000 automated requests. Of these, 11,000 were processed prior to 7:00 a.m. Monday morning and approximately 1,000 occurred during business hours.

The TeleServe automated payment line may be accessed at (401) 243-9100.

For more information on unemployment insurance programs available in Rhode Island, visit the RI Department of Labor and Training web site at www.dlt.ri.gov/ui/