Thousands of newly unemployed New Yorkers desperate to stay afloat are being frustrated by the state’s 1970s-era technology.“Scary things are going on in our life right now,” said Mohammed Saiful Islam, a Lyft driver who has been idled by the pandemic. Credit…Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York TimesMohammed Saiful Islam got a taste of how antiquated the technology that runs New York State’s unemployment-insurance system is when he had to go to a Staples store in the middle of a pandemic to fax his pay stubs to Albany.Mr. Islam, a Lyft driver who lives in Queens and has been idled by the outbreak, is among more than 450,000 New Yorkers who have tried, often in vain, to apply for unemployment benefits in the past three weeks.As he and many others discovered, the state’s archaic systems were woefully unprepared for the deluge of claims. In Mr. Islam’s case, he said it took him four days to reach someone who could explain what he had to do to complete the application process.State officials admitted as recently as last summer that there were problems with the technology used for such applications, describing New York’s unemployment-insurance systems as relics from the heyday of mainframe computers.The software programs that run the systems were “written in the 1970s and 1980s and remain constrained by the technology of that era,” officials wrote while seeking bids as part of a planned modernization project.In March, when hundreds of thousands of workers whose jobs had suddenly evaporated started trying to log onto the Labor Department website or call its phone lines, the systems failed.Would-be applicants’ frustration grew as their computer screens froze repeatedly and their calls went unanswered for days. Some attempts to apply for benefits yielded a pop-up message that suggested using Netscape, a browser that effectively no longer exists.Mr. Islam, who had never applied for jobless benefits in the 35 years since he immigrated from Bangladesh, said he was taken aback to hear that he had to find a fax machine to complete his claim.But he put on a face mask and gloves and warily trudged off to a Staples store. Late this week, he was still waiting to hear how much he would receive, and when.“Scary things are going on in our life right now,” Mr. Islam, 49, said in an interview from the home he shares with his wife and four children.New York’s governor, Andrew M. Cuomo, acknowledged the problems with the unemployment-claims process on Tuesday.“I apologize for the pain,” Mr. Cuomo said at a news conference. “It must be infuriating to deal with.”The Labor Department, he said, had received 1.2 million calls the day before, after getting more than seven million calls last week. But the state reported just 80,000 claims for the week that ended March 20 and just 370,000 last week, far fewer than either California and Pennsylvania reported.“The staff at the Department of Labor are killing themselves to try to deal with this situation,” said Richard Blum, a lawyer with the Legal Aid Society who advocates for worker protections and benefits. “But the problems that they and applicants are facing are the results of long-term disinvestment in the system.”Department officials did not respond to repeated inquiries about the computer systems.New York is not the only state having trouble handling the tidal wave of unemployment claims.On Thursday, the executive director of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity publicly apologized after the state’s unemployment website failed. Auditors had warned the governor, Ron DeSantis, about problems with the website last year.Connecticut has a backlog that could take five weeks to process because its computer system is also at least 40 years old, said Nancy Steffens, a spokeswoman for the state’s Labor Department.Ms. Steffens said that Connecticut has had to resort to recruiting retirees who knew how to program in COBOL, a nearly extinct computer language. Connecticut and four other states are involved in a joint project meant to overhaul their systems but it will not be finished before next year, she said.New York is not part of that effort. Instead, in 2017, the state sought bids for a “solution” to its unemployment-insurance system. Last year, it awarded a $56 million, five-year contract for that solution to Tata Consultancy Services, which is based in Mumbai.In a subsequent solicitation last July, the state used similar wording to describe its “outdated and expensive mainframe-based” systems, suggesting that the modernization effort would take more time.The repeated crashing of New York’s online application system was a relatively minor setback for Elizabeth Lucia, considering what she has been through lately. Ms. Lucia, who is 30 and several months pregnant, lost two jobs on the same night last month.After Mr. Cuomo ordered nonessential work to stop, she could no longer do either her main job, at the furniture chain Raymour & Flanigan, or her side gig in real-estate sales. Raymour & Flanigan later furloughed her, but the company said it would keep her on its health-insurance plan.Ms. Lucia, who lives in Vestal, N.Y., heard recently that property showings were still allowed, but she decided to stay home anyway.“I need to be healthy to give birth in a month,” she explained.Now, she said, she was counting on unemployment checks to cover her rent and mounting expenses.“I already have a medical bill in the mail for $1,100 that I’m trying to figure out what to do with,” she said, adding that “getting unemployment would be a matter of sinking or swimming.”Navigating the Labor Department’s overloaded system has been a challenge even for tech-savvy applicants like Eric Saari, who said he had once designed mobile apps for IBM.Mr. Saari, 50, said he worried that he might become homeless if he was unable to get unemployment benefits. He had been driving a taxi in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., until early March when a visibly ill passenger wearing a mask said he might have the virus.Mr. Saari quit driving after that and said he was down to his last several hundred dollars, which he needed to buy food for the next month. He has tried seven different websites and the phone numbers of at least three government agencies to try to get help filing a claim, he said.“Right now,” he said, “it’s unfortunately impossible, as far as I can tell.”Congress has promised those who are now unemployed especially generous benefits for the next few months: $600 a week through July, on top of what they would typically get from their home states.But New York residents stand to collect less than recipients in nearby states. The maximum weekly benefit in New York is $504 a week, compared with $631 in Connecticut, $713 in New Jersey and $823 in Massachusetts.“New York’s benefits system is unusually stingy,” said Paul K. Sonn, the state policy program director at the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for low-wage workers. Despite the state’s progressive image, Mr. Sonn said, “New York is not a leading state in providing economic security for jobless workers.”But the $2 trillion stimulus package that Congress approved has made far more people eligible for unemployment benefits, including artists and other freelancers, said Nicole Salk, senior staff attorney at Legal Services N.Y.C.She said she had been counseling some people about how to apply for benefits and avoid pitfalls in the process.New York, she added, also had a distinctly punitive approach when calculating benefits for part-time workers that withholds 25 percent of what they receive in a week for each day they work, no matter how many hours they put in.That means that if an unemployed actress spent just an hour or two a day three days a week delivering groceries for a service like Instacart, she would forfeit 75 percent of her weekly check.The rule, which is inconsistent with how other states handle part-time work, gives unemployed New Yorkers a strong incentive to remain idle while they collect benefits, Ms. Salk said.Legislation to change the rule appeared to have the support of Mr. Cuomo and legislative leaders last year, she said, but no bill was ever signed into law.Mr. Blum said he was told why: The Labor Department’s primitive computers could not be reprogrammed quickly enough to make the adjustment.Alex Traub contributed reporting
Updated April 4, 2020
Should I wear a mask?
The C.D.C. has recommended that all Americans wear cloth masks if they go out in public. This is a shift in federal guidance reflecting new concerns that the coronavirus is being spread by infected people who have no symptoms. Until now, the C.D.C., like the W.H.O., has advised that ordinary people don’t need to wear masks unless they are sick and coughing. Part of the reason was to preserve medical-grade masks for health care workers who desperately need them at a time when they are in continuously short supply. Masks don’t replace hand washing and social distancing.
What should I do if I feel sick?
If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others.
How do I get tested?
If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested.
How does coronavirus spread?
It seems to spread very easily from person to person, especially in homes, hospitals and other confined spaces. The pathogen can be carried on tiny respiratory droplets that fall as they are coughed or sneezed out. It may also be transmitted when we touch a contaminated surface and then touch our face.
Is there a vaccine yet?
No. The first testing in humans of an experimental vaccine began in mid-March. Such rapid development of a potential vaccine is unprecedented, but even if it is proved safe and effective, it probably will not be available for 12 to18 months.
What makes this outbreak so different?
Unlike the flu, there is no known treatment or vaccine, and little is known about this particular virus so far. It seems to be more lethal than the flu, but the numbers are still uncertain. And it hits the elderly and those with underlying conditions — not just those with respiratory diseases — particularly hard.
What if somebody in my family gets sick?
If the family member doesn’t need hospitalization and can be cared for at home, you should help him or her with basic needs and monitor the symptoms, while also keeping as much distance as possible, according to guidelines issued by the C.D.C. If there’s space, the sick family member should stay in a separate room and use a separate bathroom. If masks are available, both the sick person and the caregiver should wear them when the caregiver enters the room. Make sure not to share any dishes or other household items and to regularly clean surfaces like counters, doorknobs, toilets and tables. Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently.
Should I stock up on groceries?
Plan two weeks of meals if possible. But people should not hoard food or supplies. Despite the empty shelves, the supply chain remains strong. And remember to wipe the handle of the grocery cart with a disinfecting wipe and wash your hands as soon as you get home.
Can I go to the park?
Yes, but make sure you keep six feet of distance between you and people who don’t live in your home. Even if you just hang out in a park, rather than go for a jog or a walk, getting some fresh air, and hopefully sunshine, is a good idea.
Should I pull my money from the markets?
That’s not a good idea. Even if you’re retired, having a balanced portfolio of stocks and bonds so that your money keeps up with inflation, or even grows, makes sense. But retirees may want to think about having enough cash set aside for a year’s worth of living expenses and big payments needed over the next five years.
What should I do with my 401(k)?
Watching your balance go up and down can be scary. You may be wondering if you should decrease your contributions — don’t! If your employer matches any part of your contributions, make sure you’re at least saving as much as you can to get that “free money.”
