The Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI) announced plans on May 11 to launch a mobile office that aims to help citizens access unemployment insurance services. The office aims to help those in poorer communities complete tasks like filing for unemployment benefits, verifying their identities, and determining their eligibility for benefits.
The mobile office will be funded with money from a $4.5 million UI Equity Grant from the U.S. Department of Labor. $2.3 million is going to the mobile office, and the remaining funds will help to establish a new self-serve unemployment insurance portal and system-generated text and push notifications that will keep claimants updated on the statuses of their claims.
The OUI did not offer a specific date for the launch.
Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.
The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.
Additional reading:
- Unemployment insurance
- Unemployment insurance in Kentucky
- Unemployment insurance fraud in Kentucky
- History of unemployment insurance fraud in Kentucky
