The Oregon Employment Department will officially open its third unemployment insurance call
center in Bend, April 7. The department currently operates centers in Eugene and the Portland
metro area. The Bend center will handle all unemployment insurance claims for central, eastern, and south central Oregon.
The opening of the Bend center marks the final step in the Employment Department’s strategic
plan to move all unemployment insurance operations to centralized call centers. This direction in service delivery marks a dramatic change in how unemployment insurance claims have been handled since the first benefit check was issued in 1938.
Instead of coming into a local WorkSource Oregon Employment Department field office to file for
unemployment, an individual will now simply pick up a telephone and dial a local number. After
answering a few preliminary questions, the caller will be connected with a department staff member who will provide individual service and information. Individuals in central and eastern
Oregon can reach the center by calling 1-800-663-7914. This includes residents of Klamath and
Lake Counties.
In addition, claimants can file on the Internet at: www.workinginoregon.org/ocs.
“Given current federal funding levels and loss of staff through retirements, we were challenged to
take a hard look at how we deliver services,” said Deborah Lincoln, director of the Oregon
Employment Department. “We truly feel the unemployment insurance call center model gives us
the best opportunity to deliver quality customer service in a very cost efficient manner.”
During February, the Portland and Eugene Unemployment Insurance centers filed more than
10,000 initial claims for benefits. According to a survey of claimants, more than 80 percent
responded that they preferred filing for unemployment by phone or the Internet, rather than
coming into a local Employment Department office.
“The use of call centers is quickly becoming the preferred method of operating unemployment
insurance programs nationwide. At this time, only two states do not have plans to institute call
centers,” Lincoln said.
“It is important to note,” Lincoln said, “that the establishment of the unemployment call center does not mean the closure of the WorkSource Oregon Employment Department field offices in central and eastern Oregon.”
“Our local WorkSource Oregon Employment Department offices will continue to offer reemployment and business services to job seekers and employers in their area,” Lincoln said. “In
fact, with unemployment program operations in the call center, our local staff will be working hard
with our workforce agency partners to intensify employment services. You will always be able to
count on Employment Department staff to offer job search assistance and local economic and
labor market information.”
Staff for the Bend unemployment call center will come from existing department positions. Staff
and unemployment insurance (U.I.) claims work will be coming to the Bend center from Hood
River, The Dalles, Hermiston, Pendleton, La Grande, Baker City, John Day, Burns, and Klamath
Falls.
Individuals may also file for unemployment by computer through the department’s Web site,
www.WorkingInOregon.org. Filing initial unemployment insurance claims by Internet has been
available since early spring of 2004. Currently, about 40 percent of all unemployment claims are
filed online.
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