STONY POINT, NY – Since the start of the pandemic, Senator James Skoufis (D-Hudson Valley) and his office have flagged and helped process over 3,000 unemployment insurance claims with the state’s Department of Labor (DOL). The 3,000th constituent was provided assistance on Monday.

Due to the pandemic, the DOL has experienced an unprecedented influx of claims, causing the website to crash and phone lines to jam up. In April, the statewide unemployment rate increased from 4.1% to 14.5%. In response, Senator Skoufis restructured his office in order to designate a majority of his team to assist with unemployment support all day, every day. Additionally, Senator Skoufis and his office continue to field hundreds of other questions, concerns, and issues facing the community on a daily basis.

Senator Skoufis said, “While I’m heartbroken that thousands of my constituents have required support to help navigate the state’s unemployment, I’m proud that my team has continued operating with a ‘constituents first’ approach. Well-functioning constituent services is paramount in my office and I’m grateful to have a team that shares the same dedication to taking on issues and, to the best of our ability, resolving them.”