State unemployment insurance officials have started scheduling appointments for in-person meetings beginning April 15 at the Kentucky Career Center in Hopkinsville, 110 Riverfront Drive, and 12 other cities.
The appointments can be scheduled online by anyone who needs assistance filing an unemployment claim.
The career centers have not provided in-person assistance to people filing for unemployment since the fall of 2017. In addition, the pandemic created overwhelming demand for aid that resulted in a backlog of claims.
- SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Sign up for Hoptown Chronicle’s newsletters
“When you combine years of painful staffing cuts, an out-of-date system designed to tell people no and the effects of a once-in-100-years pandemic — many Kentuckians have been unable to obtain benefits,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a news release. “In addition to taking many new actions to help Kentuckians in need, we are now making good on our promise to begin putting unemployment specialists back into the local career centers.”
The state provided the following guidelines for residents who plan to schedule an in-person meeting:
- Anyone attending an appointment must wear a mask at all times.
- Photo ID is required to enter a KCC building.
- Temperatures will be taken before entering KCC buildings due to COVID-19.
- Accommodations will not be made for those without appointments.
- While staff makes every effort to answer all questions during this appointment, UI specialists may not be able to provide a resolution during a single appointment. Some claims could require additional paperwork or take additional time to complete. An additional appointment will not be necessary.
The Hopkinsville office, at Riverfront Drive and Second Street, is across the street from the Hopkinsville Fire Department’s main station downtown.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. She spent 30 years as a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition.
