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72 °F Forecast | Road Cams Sunday, July 18, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 13, 2004 No more unemployment lines State Employment Department next month begins phone and computer filing for jobless claims By BILL KETTLER Mail Tribune The unemployment line will soon join the buggy whip and the cuspidor as quaint reminders of a bygone past. Oregon’s new system for processing unemployment claims allows people to file by telephone or from a home computer. The Employment Department has created call centers in Eugene, Bend and Beaverton to handle all requests for unemployment compensation. Beginning Aug. 16, Jackson County residents will be able to call a toll-free number to reach the Eugene call center. Most claim calls should take no longer than about 15 minutes, said Joyce Hayford, employment services supervisor at the Medford office. Hayford said many other states already process unemployment claims by phone. "We tried to take all the good things that are working in other states and lump them together," she said. Advertisement The Employment Department will still maintain its office in Medford at 119 N. Oakdale Avenue and in each of the other 42 cities where it has offices, but workers will focus on helping businesses find the workers they need and matching workers’ skills with job openings. Moving all the unemployment claims to three offices will allow the state to eliminate about 100 jobs, said Tom Fuller, the Employment Department’s communications manager. Fuller said no one was laid off in the reorganization, but some people resigned voluntarily and others had to move to one of the call center sites to keep their job. As of Monday, seven people from the Medford office had taken jobs at other locations, Fuller said. Five were moving to Eugene; one to Bend and one to Beaverton. Twenty people will still work at the Medford office. Hayford said most employees are excited about the new system, but some had to leave Medford to hold onto a job. "Moving’s not pleasant if you don’t want to (leave your present home.)" Hayford said the Employment Department will launch an advertising campaign in August to explain the new system. There will be telephones available at the Employment Department office for people who don’t know about the new procedure for filing claims. While people can also file unemployment claims on-line, Hayford said telephone claims seem to move faster. People who file claims on-line sometimes fail to provide all the information that’s needed, and claims can be held up. With a telephone claim, there are fewer opportunities for error because people are talking to each other directly over the phone. The phone number for the Eugene call center hasn’t been released to prevent people from calling in before the system is ready to handle them, Hayford said. "There’s only about two people in Eugene who even know what it is," she said. On the Web: www.workinginoregon.org Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times