Skoufis Encourages Constituents with Unemployment Insurance Issues to Contact His Office

Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley) and his office have fielded thousands of constituent inquiries and flagged hundreds of unemployment insurance claims with the Department of Labor (DOL). Because DOL has seen such an influx in claims due to the impacts from Coronavirus, the unemployment phone lines and website have been regularly crashing. In response to this, Senator Skoufis is encouraging constituents to reach out to his office for help filing claims by calling 845-567-1270 or emailing skoufis@nysenate.gov. 

Although the state hired an additional 700 employees to process claims and launched a new online application, Skoufis knows people are still struggling through this process. Skoufis’ office is using an independent portal by which his constituent services specialists can flag specific claims with DOL representatives when a constituent is having difficulty connecting with a live person.

Senator Skoufis said, “From the very start of this pandemic, my team and I have been helping expedite unemployment insurance claims with the Department of Labor. While this pandemic has revealed the resilience of New Yorkers and the leadership we are all capable of displaying, it has also highlighted the fundamental necessity of well-functioning government services. That’s why I’m encouraging constituents who are having issues to take advantage of my office as a resource and contact us for help; we can ensure your claim is flagged for the appropriate person and help move this process along as quickly as possible.”

Senator Skoufis remains a committed community partner and public servant. Skoufis recently released an interactive map of food programs in our communities and his staff is volunteering weekly at the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley. Constituents who need help should not hesitate to reach out to his office. 

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