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| States Made It Harder to Get Jobless Benefits. Now That’s Hard to Undo. | States Made It Harder to Get Jobless Benefits. Now That’s Hard to Undo. |
| (1 day later) | |
| The state unemployment systems that were supposed to help millions of jobless workers were full of boxes to check and mandates to meet that couldn’t possibly apply in a pandemic. | The state unemployment systems that were supposed to help millions of jobless workers were full of boxes to check and mandates to meet that couldn’t possibly apply in a pandemic. |
| States required workers to document their job searches, weekly; to register with employment services, in person; to take a wait period before their first check, up to 10 days. | States required workers to document their job searches, weekly; to register with employment services, in person; to take a wait period before their first check, up to 10 days. |
| Such requirements increased in the years following the Great Recession, as many states moved to tighten access to or reduce unemployment benefits. With them, most states cut the share of jobless workers they helped. | Such requirements increased in the years following the Great Recession, as many states moved to tighten access to or reduce unemployment benefits. With them, most states cut the share of jobless workers they helped. |
| Now these requirements have been getting in the way. Effectively, many states have been trying to scale up aid with systems built to keep claims low. | Now these requirements have been getting in the way. Effectively, many states have been trying to scale up aid with systems built to keep claims low. |
| “In a time when pretty much everybody who’s applying should be eligible, we’re working with a system that got us to a 26 percent recipiency rate,” said Steve Gray, the director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency. That means Michigan was giving aid to one in four unemployed workers in 2019, following restrictions adopted by the Michigan legislature after the Great Recession. That system, Mr. Gray said, was “built to assume that you’re guilty and make you prove that you’re innocent.” | “In a time when pretty much everybody who’s applying should be eligible, we’re working with a system that got us to a 26 percent recipiency rate,” said Steve Gray, the director of Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency. That means Michigan was giving aid to one in four unemployed workers in 2019, following restrictions adopted by the Michigan legislature after the Great Recession. That system, Mr. Gray said, was “built to assume that you’re guilty and make you prove that you’re innocent.” |
| The crush of claims has demanded of states not just more server capacity and call-center workers, but also an abrupt change in the premise of the safety net: Systems trained to treat each case as potentially fraudulent must now presume that millions have legitimately lost their jobs. | The crush of claims has demanded of states not just more server capacity and call-center workers, but also an abrupt change in the premise of the safety net: Systems trained to treat each case as potentially fraudulent must now presume that millions have legitimately lost their jobs. |
| System crashes and website glitches are tied to this challenge, too. Requirements embedded in the architecture of unemployment must be turned off, worked around, or simply ignored. | System crashes and website glitches are tied to this challenge, too. Requirements embedded in the architecture of unemployment must be turned off, worked around, or simply ignored. |
| “If after you submit your application, you receive a message that states you are not covered and your claim has been denied, please disregard,” Kentucky’s unemployment website reads. | “If after you submit your application, you receive a message that states you are not covered and your claim has been denied, please disregard,” Kentucky’s unemployment website reads. |
| “The Department of Economic Opportunity has suspended the requirement to provide work search contacts,” Florida’s system said, in red letters. But forms asking workers to document their job searches remained online for weeks. | “The Department of Economic Opportunity has suspended the requirement to provide work search contacts,” Florida’s system said, in red letters. But forms asking workers to document their job searches remained online for weeks. |
| The hitches have frustrated Congress’s intent to steer trillions of dollars to workers. | The hitches have frustrated Congress’s intent to steer trillions of dollars to workers. |
| In Florida and Alabama, the number of workers who were receiving jobless benefits was relatively low compared with all the initial claims filed, according to data reported Thursday. Hawaii and Indiana lagged by that measure, too. Survey data from Gallup suggests that more workers in several states, including Oklahoma and Colorado, have lost work than are reflected in claims data through mid-April. | In Florida and Alabama, the number of workers who were receiving jobless benefits was relatively low compared with all the initial claims filed, according to data reported Thursday. Hawaii and Indiana lagged by that measure, too. Survey data from Gallup suggests that more workers in several states, including Oklahoma and Colorado, have lost work than are reflected in claims data through mid-April. |
| And while every other state reported an increase in the number of people receiving unemployment insurance in the second week of April, Florida inexplicably reported a decrease of 162,000 people from the first week of the month. | And while every other state reported an increase in the number of people receiving unemployment insurance in the second week of April, Florida inexplicably reported a decrease of 162,000 people from the first week of the month. |
| Once all of these workers get into the system, federal aid will help smooth some of the inequality in benefits across states. | Once all of these workers get into the system, federal aid will help smooth some of the inequality in benefits across states. |
| “That was on our minds every single day through all of this,” said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, who pushed the expansion of unemployment benefits in the CARES Act. “That you could have an unemployed worker in State A getting less help than an unemployed worker in State B.” | “That was on our minds every single day through all of this,” said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, who pushed the expansion of unemployment benefits in the CARES Act. “That you could have an unemployed worker in State A getting less help than an unemployed worker in State B.” |
| Congress pledged additional weeks of federally paid aid, ensuring that workers can receive up to 39 weeks even in states that have shortened their benefits. Congress funded an extra $600 per week, per worker, through July, lifting some maximum state payments as low as $235 to a more livable income. The bill also expanded benefits to self-employed and gig workers who make up more of the labor force in Florida, California and New York. | Congress pledged additional weeks of federally paid aid, ensuring that workers can receive up to 39 weeks even in states that have shortened their benefits. Congress funded an extra $600 per week, per worker, through July, lifting some maximum state payments as low as $235 to a more livable income. The bill also expanded benefits to self-employed and gig workers who make up more of the labor force in Florida, California and New York. |
| But it is harder amid a crisis for Congress to counteract the subtler differences between states in access to aid. | But it is harder amid a crisis for Congress to counteract the subtler differences between states in access to aid. |
| “What you can’t see in numbers is how hard it is to apply for unemployment insurance, state by state,” said Stephen Wandner, a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance and a former U.S. Department of Labor official. | “What you can’t see in numbers is how hard it is to apply for unemployment insurance, state by state,” said Stephen Wandner, a senior fellow at the National Academy of Social Insurance and a former U.S. Department of Labor official. |
| Michigan has tried to undo some of its restrictions. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has temporarily pushed the maximum benefit duration back to 26 weeks, what the state offered before the cuts passed in 2011. She suspended criteria limiting which workers qualify and stretched the eligibility window to file a claim. | Michigan has tried to undo some of its restrictions. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has temporarily pushed the maximum benefit duration back to 26 weeks, what the state offered before the cuts passed in 2011. She suspended criteria limiting which workers qualify and stretched the eligibility window to file a claim. |
| Michigan has now fielded claims covering 20 percent of its work force, among the highest shares in the country, according to data reported Thursday. But the process has confounded many. | Michigan has now fielded claims covering 20 percent of its work force, among the highest shares in the country, according to data reported Thursday. But the process has confounded many. |
| Loretta Lee, who lives in Detroit, was furloughed in late March from her job in supply chain management for a manufacturer. The state unemployment site kept crashing; the system told her she was missing required information. She called an overloaded call center more than a thousand times. She called her U.S. senator, then her state senator. | Loretta Lee, who lives in Detroit, was furloughed in late March from her job in supply chain management for a manufacturer. The state unemployment site kept crashing; the system told her she was missing required information. She called an overloaded call center more than a thousand times. She called her U.S. senator, then her state senator. |
| “I felt like a child,” said Ms. Lee, 32. “I was so helpless.” | “I felt like a child,” said Ms. Lee, 32. “I was so helpless.” |
| Finally, she reached a state worker by phone who told her to send in a copy of her pay stub — by fax, marked “Attention: Pam.” And so, wearing a mask, she took the pay stub to a hotel concierge desk, entrusting her personal financial information to a woman she did not know who had access to a fax machine in a pandemic. | Finally, she reached a state worker by phone who told her to send in a copy of her pay stub — by fax, marked “Attention: Pam.” And so, wearing a mask, she took the pay stub to a hotel concierge desk, entrusting her personal financial information to a woman she did not know who had access to a fax machine in a pandemic. |
| In the last recession, most states depleted their unemployment trust funds and had to borrow from the federal government. As the economy improved, they had two options: raise taxes on employers who fund unemployment insurance, or cut benefits to workers. | In the last recession, most states depleted their unemployment trust funds and had to borrow from the federal government. As the economy improved, they had two options: raise taxes on employers who fund unemployment insurance, or cut benefits to workers. |
| Many chose the latter. Nine states cut the length of time workers could remain on unemployment. Others raised the minimum income to qualify, or cut weekly payouts. | Many chose the latter. Nine states cut the length of time workers could remain on unemployment. Others raised the minimum income to qualify, or cut weekly payouts. |
| Florida moved to an electronic-only filing system that meant many workers erred on applications they filled out with no assistance. | Florida moved to an electronic-only filing system that meant many workers erred on applications they filled out with no assistance. |
| Michigan excluded some employees as seasonal workers. It shifted the burden for reporting past income from employers to employees. It redefined some job separations as “voluntary,” making those workers ineligible. | Michigan excluded some employees as seasonal workers. It shifted the burden for reporting past income from employers to employees. It redefined some job separations as “voluntary,” making those workers ineligible. |
| “All of these things, they’re small,” said Luke Shaefer, a professor of social work and public policy at the University of Michigan. “If you looked at them on their own, you might imagine they’re totally reasonable. But they end up, layer after layer, adding red tape.” | “All of these things, they’re small,” said Luke Shaefer, a professor of social work and public policy at the University of Michigan. “If you looked at them on their own, you might imagine they’re totally reasonable. But they end up, layer after layer, adding red tape.” |
| Updated June 5, 2020 | Updated June 5, 2020 |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. | Mass protests against police brutality that have brought thousands of people onto the streets in cities across America are raising the specter of new coronavirus outbreaks, prompting political leaders, physicians and public health experts to warn that the crowds could cause a surge in cases. While many political leaders affirmed the right of protesters to express themselves, they urged the demonstrators to wear face masks and maintain social distancing, both to protect themselves and to prevent further community spread of the virus. Some infectious disease experts were reassured by the fact that the protests were held outdoors, saying the open air settings could mitigate the risk of transmission. |
| Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. | Exercise researchers and physicians have some blunt advice for those of us aiming to return to regular exercise now: Start slowly and then rev up your workouts, also slowly. American adults tended to be about 12 percent less active after the stay-at-home mandates began in March than they were in January. But there are steps you can take to ease your way back into regular exercise safely. First, “start at no more than 50 percent of the exercise you were doing before Covid,” says Dr. Monica Rho, the chief of musculoskeletal medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago. Thread in some preparatory squats, too, she advises. “When you haven’t been exercising, you lose muscle mass.” Expect some muscle twinges after these preliminary, post-lockdown sessions, especially a day or two later. But sudden or increasing pain during exercise is a clarion call to stop and return home. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. | Taking one’s temperature to look for signs of fever is not as easy as it sounds, as “normal” temperature numbers can vary, but generally, keep an eye out for a temperature of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. If you don’t have a thermometer (they can be pricey these days), there are other ways to figure out if you have a fever, or are at risk of Covid-19 complications. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Over this time, denial rates across the country increased as workers stumbled over rules unrelated to the wages and layoffs that entitled them to unemployment insurance. | Over this time, denial rates across the country increased as workers stumbled over rules unrelated to the wages and layoffs that entitled them to unemployment insurance. |
| By 2019, one in 10 unemployed workers in North Carolina was receiving benefits, the lowest share in the nation. But the state’s trust fund was in far better shape than when the legislature passed tighter restrictions in 2013. | By 2019, one in 10 unemployed workers in North Carolina was receiving benefits, the lowest share in the nation. But the state’s trust fund was in far better shape than when the legislature passed tighter restrictions in 2013. |
| “It was certainly a painful thing to do, and it was a tough vote,” said Tim Moore, now the Republican speaker of the North Carolina State House. “The balance that we had to strike was between making sure we’re taking care of somebody who truly can’t find a job, versus allowing in folks who simply did not want to work.” | “It was certainly a painful thing to do, and it was a tough vote,” said Tim Moore, now the Republican speaker of the North Carolina State House. “The balance that we had to strike was between making sure we’re taking care of somebody who truly can’t find a job, versus allowing in folks who simply did not want to work.” |
| That balance has been vindicated today, he said, as the state now has more money on hand to pay unemployment claims in a crisis. “Had we not made those changes,” Mr. Moore said, “we would be in a real mess right now going into this economic downturn.” | That balance has been vindicated today, he said, as the state now has more money on hand to pay unemployment claims in a crisis. “Had we not made those changes,” Mr. Moore said, “we would be in a real mess right now going into this economic downturn.” |
| People who fiercely opposed the changes at the time counter that workers now face mass unemployment with weakened benefits. | People who fiercely opposed the changes at the time counter that workers now face mass unemployment with weakened benefits. |
| “It’s now coming back to haunt us,” said the Rev. William J. Barber II, who led weekly protests against the legislature at the time. “What they did was terrible, immoral and bad. But now, with this pandemic on top of it, it’s going to be even greater in terms of its pain.” | “It’s now coming back to haunt us,” said the Rev. William J. Barber II, who led weekly protests against the legislature at the time. “What they did was terrible, immoral and bad. But now, with this pandemic on top of it, it’s going to be even greater in terms of its pain.” |
| Rita Blalock, who works at a McDonald’s in Raleigh, tried to apply for newly expanded aid after her hours were cut. A friend had to fill out the online application for her, and it took two weeks to file her claim. Ms. Blalock, 53, has no smartphone and no computer. | Rita Blalock, who works at a McDonald’s in Raleigh, tried to apply for newly expanded aid after her hours were cut. A friend had to fill out the online application for her, and it took two weeks to file her claim. Ms. Blalock, 53, has no smartphone and no computer. |
| “McDonald’s pays me $9 an hour, so how could I afford that stuff?” she said. She believes her claim has been accepted, but is still waiting for her first payment. | “McDonald’s pays me $9 an hour, so how could I afford that stuff?” she said. She believes her claim has been accepted, but is still waiting for her first payment. |
| No state unemployment system could have handled this smoothly. State offices have fielded more applications in a single day than they did in the worst weeks of the Great Recession. Adding $600 to every payment has been no small task. And Congress effectively asked states to create an entirely new benefit, expanding aid to self-employed workers whose wages can’t be verified on a pay stub. As of Wednesday, just 21 states had begun that program. | No state unemployment system could have handled this smoothly. State offices have fielded more applications in a single day than they did in the worst weeks of the Great Recession. Adding $600 to every payment has been no small task. And Congress effectively asked states to create an entirely new benefit, expanding aid to self-employed workers whose wages can’t be verified on a pay stub. As of Wednesday, just 21 states had begun that program. |
| It can be hard, then, to tell which breakdowns are fair game for criticism — and eventually reform. | It can be hard, then, to tell which breakdowns are fair game for criticism — and eventually reform. |
| “The failures are policy failures,” said Seth Harris, a former deputy labor secretary in the Obama administration. He distinguishes those decisions from the efforts of agency workers. “The failures are in the states that in their basic U.I. program offer fewer than 26 weeks of benefits — that’s a failure. The failures are in the states that narrowed eligibility — that’s a grotesque failure.” | “The failures are policy failures,” said Seth Harris, a former deputy labor secretary in the Obama administration. He distinguishes those decisions from the efforts of agency workers. “The failures are in the states that in their basic U.I. program offer fewer than 26 weeks of benefits — that’s a failure. The failures are in the states that narrowed eligibility — that’s a grotesque failure.” |
| But in many ways, those policies are inseparable from the technical failures. Even states like Florida that have nominally more modern systems have still built into them obstacles that make them hard to use. | But in many ways, those policies are inseparable from the technical failures. Even states like Florida that have nominally more modern systems have still built into them obstacles that make them hard to use. |
| People talk about making these systems work better in a crisis, said Jennifer Pahlka, the founder of Code for America, who is now part of a team of volunteers helping states with their unemployment systems. “But if you’re poor in America, you’re having this kind of battle,” she said, “pretty much every day.” | People talk about making these systems work better in a crisis, said Jennifer Pahlka, the founder of Code for America, who is now part of a team of volunteers helping states with their unemployment systems. “But if you’re poor in America, you’re having this kind of battle,” she said, “pretty much every day.” |
| Now more than 30 million people — including middle-class workers who’ve never touched the safety net before — have seen firsthand what that means. | Now more than 30 million people — including middle-class workers who’ve never touched the safety net before — have seen firsthand what that means. |
| Ms. Lee, who finally received her first payment this week in Detroit, just as she was recalled to work, learned this lesson in all the obstacles she encountered: “I think they do this for people to give up.” | Ms. Lee, who finally received her first payment this week in Detroit, just as she was recalled to work, learned this lesson in all the obstacles she encountered: “I think they do this for people to give up.” |