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State unemployment computer system still not working

UPDATE:

The state Employment Security Department says the unemployment benefits system is still having problems.

While 37,000 people were able to file claims over the phone, viewers told KIRO 7 the newly upgraded website is allowing users to log on but then they are unable to get passed the identity verification step, so they get locked out.

The state says the call center received nearly 750,000 phone calls on Tuesday. The Employment Security Department says about 60,000 people receive unemployment benefits and were calling multiple times.

Previously the department said it resolved issues preventing people from logging into their new

and said people who were locked out should try again.

ORIGINAL TEXT:

People who count on unemployment are finding out the state's computer system is having problems. People who are unable to get access online are flooding the call centers, making it very hard to get through.

The Employment Security Department tells KIRO 7 News it upgraded the computer and phone system over the weekend. Everything was supposed to be up and running by 8 a.m. Tuesday, but so far it is not working. The information technology team is scrambling to get it working. While the state says no one will lose benefits, some checks may be delayed.

KIRO 7 viewers say they've been unable to get onto the newly upgraded computer system, Secure Access Washington, that was supposed to have added levels of security.

The inability to log on meant users would have to wait even longer for the unemployment checks.

Tammy Baughman, of Lynnwood, started trying to log on at 12 a.m. on Tuesday. She submits her weekly claim on Sundays and gets her check on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The delay meant she was short on money for rent. Baughman, who is an accountant and worked previously as a controller for a construction company, said she wished the state would have given claimants more notice so they could budget for the delay. Baughman said she would have made sure she had extra money on hand to pay her rent. "I'm disgusted. They could have prevented the stress everyone is going through had they had key people in place to properly do their jobs," Baughman said.

Some people have been able to get their weekly claims filed over the phone.

But so many people are trying to use the call center it is hard to get through. The state says it took 17,000 claims over the phone.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Employment Security Department said it had fixed the computer problem that kept users from logging on.

Baughman tried to log on after the state said the site was working and still received an "error" message.

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