State labor chief says new unemployment system will launch this year, aims to cut wait times
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Summary
Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon told joint Senate and Assembly fiscal committees the Department of Labor will put a modern, mobile-friendly unemployment insurance platform into service this year to reduce phone hold times and payment delays. She said the aging legacy system drives call volume because it cannot process incomplete claims.
Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon told a joint Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means hearing that the Department of Labor plans to bring a new unemployment insurance (UI) platform online later this year, aiming to reduce long phone waits and speed benefit payments.
The commissioner said the current UI computer system was built in the mid-1970s and cannot process incomplete claim forms, forcing many claimants to speak with staff and producing a steady surge in call volume. "This system was coded in cobalt, which is from the mid seventies," Reardon said, and added the new platform will be "accessible by smartphone, reduce payment delays, and provide real time claim status updates."
Reardon credited recent financial moves that paid off the federal UI loan, allowing benefit increases, and said the department is using interim improvements — interactive voice-response upgrades and bots — while completing security and functionality testing on the replacement system. She told legislators the new system will include more user-facing transparency; she described a "pizza tracker" to let claimants see their claim status online.
Legislators pressed for a firm launch date and for short-term fixes. Reardon said she could not name an exact go-live date while final testing and security checks continue but promised advance notice and a public campaign. She also said the department is training legislative staff to manage high‑volume constituent inquiries in the interim and is expanding self‑service options so fewer claimants need to reach a live agent.
The next steps: DOL will complete final testing, coordinate a public rollout and follow up with lawmakers in writing on operational details and interim performance targets. Several legislators asked for written follow-ups with metrics, including timeliness of payments and expected reductions in hold times.
Reardon's remarks, and the committee's questions, indicate the modernization is a central deliverable for DOL this fiscal year and a key measure lawmakers will use to judge whether constituent service problems ease.