Virginia lawmakers weigh in with unemployment concerns amid COVID-19 crisis

RICHMOND, Va. - Dozens of Democratic Virginia lawmakers are calling for reforms at the state agency tasked with handling unemployment benefits, saying in a letter that they were concerned about its ability to “adequately address” the high volume of claims due to the COVID-19 crisis.

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Del. Guzman discusses Virginia unemployment concerns

Del. Elizabeth Guzman spoke with FOX 5’s Bob Barnard about unemployment concerns in Virginia.

Unemployment woes in Virginia continue

FOX 5's Bob Barnard reports that lawmakers in Virginia are calling on the state’s employment commission to fix its system.

Republicans lawmakers, who were not invited to sign the letter, have also been raising concerns about the Virginia Employment Commission.

The agency has been swamped with an unprecedented number of benefits claims amid the pandemic.

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It has increased staffing, redeployed existing staff, upgraded phone lines and brought in a third-party call center.

But issues have persisted.

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