Benefits slow to reach jobless

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - New Mexicans approved for unemployment benefits are still watching their bills mount while waiting for money to appear in their state-issued debit cards.

Maria Reyes frequently calls the number on her debit card to reach an automated system only to hear a recorded message say, "The available balance on this account is zero dollars."

The state Department of Workforce Solutions approved unemployment compensatoin for Reyes's husband on Nov. 24 when it determined he was eligible to receive $283 a week. But for nearly six weeks the state hasn't deposited the money onto the debit account.

"Right now we're 45 days behind on our mortgage payment," Reyes said. "We're behind on December; January is already due tomorrow."

And Reyes' utilities are about to be shut off, and she's received a cancellation notice from her insurance company.

"I said I wasn't going to cry," she said.

The Reyes's are living on Maria's $1,500 disability check.

"Tomorrow it will get better, but it's not getting any better for us," she said.

After checking with Workforce Solutions, News 13 passed on to Reyes that after a claim is approved it typically takes four to six weeks for benefit money to be transferred to the debit accounts.  That is how the jobless benefits are issued now.

"I didn't know that was part of the process," Reyes said. "When the debit came in it just said call this number to activate it."

As the Reyes family waits for money to rescue them from financial devastation, they hope the state hears their story and makes some changes.

"I think it's horrible," she said. "They don't realize what everybody is going through."

The Richardson administration is taking steps to solve the backlog at Workforce Solutions including adding 20 more employees and extending work hours.