JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — After weeks of struggling to file for unemployment, some applicants are being told they’re ineligible.
“It’s so aggravating because I’ve literally spent hours on the computer filing and getting kicked off and error and trying again,” said Kasey McClendon, a serving manager at Beach Diner.
Six weeks ago, nearly 100 employees at the Beach Diner were told they were going to be furloughed and to file for unemployment as soon as possible.
Once McClendon finally got through the system and filed for unemployment, she thought that would be the end of it.
“Now it’s saying I’m ineligible,” McClendon said.
Beach Diner owner Barry Adeeb‘s phone has been ringing off the hook with employees in McClendon’s shoes, also being told they were deemed ineligible.
“Only one of my staff members at this point has received unemployment,” Adeeb said.
McClendon says she and her coworkers are at their wit’s end.
“It was the only hope we had to hold onto,” McClendon said. “Thinking maybe next week we’ll get unemployment, maybe next week we’ll get it. Then when you don’t get it each week, it gets so frustrating.”
Adeeb and many of his employees are doing what they can to get answers and their money.
“We’ve made calls to our state representative who went out of their way to help us,” Adeeb said. “And we’re trying to get it rectified as soon as possible.”
Many employees are also appealing their ineligibility.
Adeeb says he understands thousands filing for unemployment can make for a messy situation, but after paying unemployment taxes for years, he feels like the system has failed not only his employees but the whole state.
“Hopefully this can be done sooner rather than later and we can get back to the restaurant and be one big happy family again,” McClendon said.