Rep. Amy Elik | File photo
Rep. Amy Elik | File photo
State Rep. Amy Elik (R-111th) says that already stressed-out Illinois residents deserve better from the people who are supposed to be helping them.
“Waiting four weeks or more for a callback regarding unemployment insurance is not acceptable,” Elik posted on Facebook. “I’m working hard to hold the governor and IDES (Illinois Department of Employment Security) accountable to get results for the residents of the 111th
District.”
As part of her effort, Elik has devised a plan that would convert the IDES system into an appointment model, with the hope being that claimants won't have to worry about when the agency may be looking to contact to them. Elik’s plan even goes as far as using her office as a go-between where virtual meetings can be held in instances where difficult and complex cases arise.
“I hope these simple ideas will be acknowledged and implemented quickly so that we can do what we are elected to do, help our constituents,” she added.
IDES struggles hardly end there, as WGN recently reported, even though the agency found a way to block more than a million fake unemployment claims, no one can be sure about how many have already slipped through cracks.
“Fraudsters are finding any avenue through which to get in the door and into the system,” an IDES spokeswoman wrote in an email used in the WGN9 report. “They are continually modifying and evolving their schemes to try to crack state unemployment insurance agencies' anti-fraud measures.”
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