Virginia Employment Commission ‘in a much better place’ than during the pandemic

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — For years, the Virginia Employment Commission has grappled with thousands of backlogged claims from the pandemic. Now, the agency says it’s on track to complete its goal of resolving the last of pandemic claims by next week.

Nearly three years ago, a state audit revealed the commission was poorly managed and had little oversight, causing an unprecedented number of claims.

Several Central Virginians have reached out to 8News sharing their frustration with the agency.

In December 2023, the agency projected that it would complete 45,000 appeals by July, eliminating a substantial number of remaining pandemic-related claims. Before working to reach this goal, the agency says its team worked to eliminate the number of disputed claims and separation reports.

In October 2022, there were 100,952 first-level appeals needing review. By October 2023, that number decreased to 49,358. With the goal of resolving 45,000 of these claims by July, the agency says it is on track to meet this goal this week.

Kerri O’Brien, Director of Communications with the Virginia Employment Commission tells 8News that 5,600 of these claims needing more attention still remain.

“We are in a much better place than we were during the start of the pandemic,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said that the VEC team’s implementing an easier claim application process through ID.Me has helped by cutting down on call wait times and connecting with the community to inform them about the claim process.

“They have been working around the clock,” O’Brien said. “They have been working holidays, overtime — and they even held several hearings on Saturdays. They’ve been committed to getting through this backlog.”

As the agency works to clear out the last of its pandemic-related backlogs, 8News learned the agency is seeing a 44% increase in first-level appeals from those filing in 2024.

“When someone reaches out to us, it is probably a very challenging time, maybe one of the most difficult times in their lives for them and their families,” O’Brien said. “And we know that they need that temporary assistance until they become reemployed. And we take that very seriously.”

In order for employers and Virginians to better understand the claim process, the agency has provided information for both parties to know when to file an appeal and when to file a separation report.