NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Weekly unemployment certifications for those who claim unemployment will be moving to a staggered schedule, the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce announced.
With unemployment skyrocketing due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are more users on Tennessee's unemployment website at once than usual. More than 324,000 Tennesseans have applied for unemployment benefits in the last month.
While unemployment claimants can certify any day of the week, most choose Sunday. The Department of Labor and Workforce says this puts a workload of 21 times the normal usage onto their system. The change in schedule is meant to spread out the number of people certifying over three days, with the hope of creating a more responsive experience for users on Jobs4TN.gov.
Starting Sunday, claimants will have access to complete their weekly certifications based on the last digit of their social security number.
- Sunday - 0, 1, 2, 3
- Monday - 4, 5, 6
- Tuesday - 7, 8, 9
- Wednesday through Saturday - All numbers
When a claimant tries to certify, if they are accessing the system on the correct day, they will be able to proceed.
For claimants who normally certify on Sunday, switching to a Monday or Tuesday certification will change the day of their weekly deposit.
