DETROIT – On Monday, more Michigan residents became eligible to file for unemployment benefits, but in the morning, the state’s website crashed again.
The crash happened just hours before the Unemployment Insurance Agency was set to talk with the media about these issues. That press conference was canceled and residents across the state are frustrated.
Once news spread that the site had crashed, officials called off the press conference and reschedule it for Tuesday.
Stephan Wren said she was able to certify her benefits almost a month ago, but she hasn’t received a dime. She’s worked to hop back online or call the phone line, but like many others, she can’t get through.
The system simply can’t handle the massive spike in new traffic, and that won’t get any better because now those who are self-employed, independent contractors and low-wage workers can also apply.
“The state of Michigan networks and applications are currently experiencing performance issues that are causing some online services to be temporarily unavailable,” the unemployment office said in a statement. “Teams are working diligently to restore service to 100%. There is not currently a timeline for restoration.”
You can watch Hank Winchster’s full story in the video posted above.