Budget limits snarl phones at the unemployment office

Question: I have had to call the unemployment claims office at the state Department of Labor ever since I got laid off. Two numbers are provided — 586-8970 and 586-8971 — but it is nearly impossible to speak to someone, despite multiple attempts. I called 34 times between 2:45 and 4 p.m. one day. The numbers are "busy" till the office closes at 4 p.m., after which a message comes on to tell you that business hours are up to 4 p.m. I am concerned with this level of inefficiency, especially since there is no email to reach anybody in this department. How can I get my questions answered if nobody answers the phone?

Answer: "Budget constraints" have affected the Unemployment Insurance Division’s ability to answer the phones, acknowledged William Kunstman, spokesman for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

While phoning or going to an office are still two of four options to contact Unemployment Insurance, the department wants to steer people away from calling or showing up in person.

"Currently, nearly 95 percent of claimants use the Web-based claims filing system," Kunstman said.

You can email the Honolulu office at dlir.ui.honolulu@hawaii.gov or the Waipahu office at dlir.ui.waipahu@hawaii.gov, or visit either office between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Another option is to find written information and instructions online at labor.hawaii.gov or in the document mailed to those who have completed an application for unemployment insurance compensation, Kunstman said.

The fourth option is to call either of the two numbers you listed between 7:45 a.m. and 4 p.m., but there is no voicemail. As you discovered, those lines can be busy, particularly on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, Kunstman said.

He blamed "budget constraints" for adversely affecting the Unemployment Insurance Division’s ability to assign staff not only to answer phones, but also to handle clients who report in person, assist applicants in filing claims by using office computers, process weekly claims for payment and identify issues that affect eligibility, "while still struggling under the time constraints of meeting (U.S. Department of Labor) standards for prompt and accurate payments."

Kunstman said if the state does not meet federal standards, it can negatively affect federal funding for Hawaii’s Unemployment Insurance program, the program’s only source for operational funding.

"The department strongly recommends using the online account to access claim information," he said.

By improving its electronic systems and Web applications, the department hopes "to reduce drastically the need for in-person or telephone inquiries by increasing the availability of user-friendly (online) applications for our customers beyond normal business hours," he said.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently awarded the state nearly $1.1 million to improve the Unemployment Insurance business process through technology. As part of the plan to improve its business processes, the state discontinued its "UI Hawaii Tele-claim" system on Oct. 1.

Question: We saw a Dodge pickup truck on King Street with the license plate "SHDAFUP," which translates to "Shut Da F— Up." How do they get away with this? We thought there were censors for this.

Answer: What you saw is not a legal Hawaii license plate, said Sheri Kajiwara, director of the city Department of Customer Services.

"It’s an illegal replica," she said, explaining that state license plates have six characters at most.

"We do our best to catch these offensive types of plates," Kajiwara said, adding it’s up to police to cite the motor vehicle owner.

Section 249-9.1 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes gives the city the authority to recall license plates that "are misleading or publicly objectionable."

For more information about "offensive" license plates, see bit.ly/14j55tq.

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