NEW JERSEY'S UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE A REAL AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH
" Governor Murphy's Department Of Labor Workforce & Development Unemployment Division Is Nothing More Than Smoke & Mirrors."
August 9, 2021 By Art Fletcher & Leo Madison Reporting For: Englebrook Independent News,
TRENTON, NJ.- Back on April 12, 2021 we published an article on New Jersey's Unemployment System. In the report we followed two individuals that were experiencing grave issues in trying to collect unemployment benefits that they paid into, but were unable to collect compensation.
Since our last reporting, although Governor Murphy and Department of Labor's Commissioner Rob Asaro-Angelo promised that the system would be upgraded and people would be receiving their unemployment benefits, including arrearages, the facts are that absolutely nothing has been done to compensate individuals that can not feed their families or meet their basic needs for survival.
As tens of thousands of New Jersey residents continue to follow the guidelines of The Department of Labor & Workforce Development's website to no avail, they need to understand that Murphy and Asaro-Angelo though they say the care, the facts are they do not, and why should they.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy reported a net worth of over $50 Million from June 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. Rob Asaro-Angelo received an annual salary of $175, 000. and was responsible for the Annual Budget of The States Department of Labor of over $130 Million during the same time period.
Over the past three months, since last reporting we discovered everything that the two of them promised was nothing more than outright falsifications of the truth. Today, three months later New Jersey's Unemployment System is broken, and the leaders of New Jersey have no intention of rectifying the present system.
Back in March, 2021, during a Covid-19 Briefing Governor Murphy and DOL Commissioner Asaro-Angelo said that the system was updated, as reported instead of the phones at the various unemployment centers continuously going unanswered, now when you call a recorded message states due to the high call volume please call back on the next business day. Well since April 12, 2021, our investigative members called three times every day, up to five times a day for 88 days and received the same recording not once getting through, then the system hangs up.
During the past three months our investigative team travelled numerous times to the regional offices, Somerville, New Brunswick, and Camden finding that the offices were fully staffed but no admittance was allowed, glancing in windows we found that most employees were not on phones. In June after restrictions with the pandemic were reversed, we asked when the offices would be open, Security personnel at two offices said " it's up to Murphy, and as of Monday, August 9, 2021, the Somerville Office still remains closed although fully staffed.
During the investigation we had the two individuals call after hours and during the three month time period they left 17 messages after a the system said a specialist would return their call to handle their claim, as of date no one ever called them back.
On July 2, 2021 one of the individuals filed a new claim, and during these unprecedented times it would take up to four weeks to determine their claim and they would be notified by mail. On August 3, 2021 they received a letter in the mail dated July 29, 2021, stating, you can begin to claim benefits for the first time and for each week you are unemployed based on the schedule provided at myemployment.nj.gov you can only certify for your benefits during the day(s) and time(s) assigned to your social security number (ssn).
After certifying the received that their claim was not payable at this time and please call your reemployment center, well when they called the same recorded message came on and then terminated the call. On Monday, August 9, 2021, we had six people call three times each at three different locations every ten minutes they received the same recorded message and were hung up on.
The other individual who had always been employed, and at his last place of employment and after working there for over a year was terminated due to one of his family members contracted Covid-19 and he needed to take care of them, after asking his employer to adjust his schedule of which he was told the could not accommodate his request, he was terminated.
When he filed a claim he was denied due to he voluntarily left his employment, when in fact he was terminated. After failing to find employment, he has been locked out of the system and unable to file a new claim.
Another individual who's claim was listed at $7,320.00 original claim and then increased to $16,284.00 due to the pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) has yet been able to collect. The Federal Government paid The State of New Jersey for that claim, then why is he unable to collect at least the Federal portion of his claim. I think we all no why.
Since President Biden has taken Office New Jersey has received $6 Billion in Federal Pandemic relief funding and another $1 Billion to cover past and present due rent for households across the state. As of July 28, 2021 only 25% of the Federal Rental Assistance has been distributed and The Murphy Administration and The Democratic led State Assembly and Senate has not decided what to spend the money on even as the Federal Treasury said it must be provided to support households, past rents, and utilities.
Murphy had stated that due to the pandemic New Jersey took a hit of around $5.7 Billion in tax revenue, its apparent that Murphy's delay in releasing funds might be due to him wanting to make up for the lost tax revenue in New Jersey's overspending.
Call it what you will, as Murphy imposes mask mandates for K-12 students as they return to school this fall, to continue the forever pandemic, the hopes that the tens of thousands of hardworking taxpayers who have lost their employment will never receive a dime in compensation.
While New Jerseyans continue to struggle and are unable to feed their families, our Governor's and Asaro-Angelo do not have a worry. We will continue to follow up on these issues.
FILED UNDER AUGUST 9, 2021: LOCAL, POLITICS, NJDOL: