Oregon's Unemployment System Overloads

The current telephone outage will not affect the amount or duration of any eligible claim.

Salem-News.com photo by Tim King

(SALEM, Ore.) - A network system failure at the State Data Center kept the Unemployment Insurance Claims system shut down for 12 hours on Sunday.

Craig Spivey with the Oregon Employment Department, says this has resulted in a backlog of traffic that has overwhelmed the telephone systems that deliver calls to the Employment Department's call centers.

"Employment Department personnel are trying to help the State Data Center and the telephone companies correct the problem. We anticipate that the telephone problems will be resolved by sometime on Wednesday," Spivey said.

In the meantime---

1. Don't call the Unemployment Insurance call centers today. The reduction in traffic will allow time for the telephone company and the State Data Center to make necessary repairs.

2. If you can, file your continuing claim or new claim online at www.WorkingInOregon.org/ocs. WorkSource Oregon Employment Department offices throughout the state can make a computer available to you, if you don't have access to one. The online claims system is working, but it is slow due to heavy volume.

3. Oregonians who may be eligible for new Oregon Emergency Benefits will be contacted by Employment Department staff via telephone from locations where we have operating telephone connections. Claimants who do not have current phone numbers in our system should update their address online at WorkingInOregon.org/ocs or contact the call centers later in the week.

The current telephone outage will not affect the amount or duration of any eligible claim.

Source: Oregon Employment Division