Jobless just want state response

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - It's been a rough new year for David and Kay Wright on the phone and online trying to see if they're eligible for unemployment benefits from the Department of Workforce Solutions.

"The time that people need the help most is now, and this is when it's most difficult to get the help," David Wright told KRQE News 13.

The Wrights were real estate agents, but when the housing market went downhill, so did their careers.

Other part-time jobs dried up, too, and now their cash flow is limited. The two are only living on Social Security and were forced to move in with their daughter.

At Thanksgiving the couple started calling Workforce Solutions every day, sometimes every hour, and finally got through a month later.

"They told us that they show no New Mexico wages for us," Kay Wright said. "We didn't understand that."

The Wrights confirmed their employer had reported their wages to the state, but with the Workforce Solutions phones continuously jammed, the Wrights feel wronged again. For them the solution for Workforce Solutions is simply to be responsive.

"To be able to get through, first of all," Kay Wright said. "Tell us what we can do to solve this problem."

News 13 took their concerns to Workforce Solutions and now they are getting some help.

The Wrights were among dozens of News 13 viewers who e-mailed their stories of trying to file for unemployment benefits. News 13 sent those e-mails to the governor's office for his response.

His deputy chief of staff, Gilbert Gallegos, replied in an e-mail of his own that directed any questions back to Workforce Solutions. To read Gallegos's response, click here .