Governor Beshear, let us state this right up front: We think, overall, you and your administration are doing a solid job, especially in the midst of the pandemic. We were excited when you won in November, but now we are gratified and grateful that you are our governor, especially as we face all these crises in our state.
But Governor Beshear, in the midst of this good work, one thing is abundantly, embarrassingly clear:
You have to fix the unemployment debacle. Now.
Look, we get it. You’re dealing with a new administration, an ancient system, and an unprecedented number of claims. You’ve got to train people to handle the claims, try to rewrite the software to reflect changes in the law, and somehow get it all done while still processing claims. Essentially, you are having to turn a World War I biplane into an F-16 … while flying it.
Guess what? Doesn’t matter.
At this point, owning it isn’t enough. Half-measures aren’t enough. Processing 95% of the claims is an A in most schools, but in this case, it’s an F for those people still waiting after months and months.
Do what it takes. Contract with a call center company to do nothing but call people back, letting them know where their claim is in the process. Contract with a temp agency to provide the Tier 1 people, run them through a boot camp, and put them to work. Then take your current Tier 1s and train them to be Tier 2s, and take your Tier 2s and train them to be Tier 3s.
And if the software is the problem, work around it. Use spreadsheets, use Google Docs … hell, use paper. Use the field hospital set up in Louisville and put everyone in one room and have them shuffle folders around. Think outside the box.
But whatever you do, whether manual or automated or some jerry-rigged combination, get it fixed. Don’t make people drive to Frankfort to stand in the sun for hours, only to be turned away. It’s wrong, it’s demoralizing, and it’s not what we’ve come to expect from your administration.
And most of all, it’s not how you treat teammates.
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