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REMAINING
ILLINOIS UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICES REOPEN BY APPOINTMENT
Illinois Policy Institute/
Patrick Andriesen
Department of Employment Security offices
closed their doors to Illinoisans, all state job centers have reopened
for in-person assistance. Job seekers need an appointment, though.
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 The Illinois Department of Employment Security reopened five
Chicago-area unemployment offices for in-person appointments Sept. 20, marking
the full reopening of job centers across the state after they were closed for
531 days during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The offices in Burbank, Joliet, North Aurora and Chicago’s Lincoln Square and
Woodlawn neighborhoods join the 13 other locations now offering job search help
and assistance with unemployment claims to residents on an appointment-only
basis.
IDES has reported a record-breaking influx of claims and fraud while attempting
to provide unemployment services to residents during the pandemic. Experts
estimate the department lost more than $1 billion to imposter fraud following
the flood of claims.
The millions of fraudulent attempts to scam IDES were exacerbated by an early
flaw in the $22 million state-purchased system that exposed the personal
information and Social Security numbers of nearly 32,500 claimants to identity
thieves.
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Claimants continue to hold out for IDES assistance
with 22,350 residents still awaiting a callback from the state
unemployment agency as of Sept. 17.
Now that IDES offices have reopened statewide, out-of-work
Illinoisans can finally walk into a state job center and get
in-person help resolving their fraud and unemployment claims. But
they need an appointment, and they make one through a phone system
that has left as many as 155,765 people at a time awaiting a
callback.
Residents can call the IDES scheduling hotline at 217-558-0401 to
set up an in-person appointment or call the claimant service center
at 800-244-5631 to resolve their issues over the phone.
To learn more about scheduling an appointment, visit the IDES
website.
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