‘It’s broken’: Launch of new unemployment benefits website leaves some Oregonians hanging

PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/KTVZ) — Oregon is having a rough time launching its new unemployment system. The computer software, "Frances Online," launched Monday after the state invested $100 million toward the revamp, KGW reports. 

The Oregon Employment Department says it is aware of its issues, and on Wednesday, held a meeting to confront these complaints. 

Aaron Kier was laid off in mid-January and had been receiving benefits weekly until the launch of the new software. Kier said he's spent almost 18 hours total on the phone trying to receive benefits. 

"You cannot actually expect that you are going to unplug one system one day and plug in another one the next day," said Kier. "Certainly not if you are reporting over tens of thousands of users."

The Oregon Employment Department hired 40 additional staff members at the beginning of the year to handle customer support and the learning curve of the new system.

But Kier doesn't see any improvement.

"Their phone lines are busy for the entire business day for 2-and-a-half days," said Kier. "Those are not people having a hard time learning a new system. Those are people telling you the system does not work. It's broken."

OED said they've been closely monitoring the system to address complaints, like customers with active claims not being able to complete an account.

"If this happens, the fastest option for customers is to restart the account creation process," said Lindsi Leahy, the unemployment insurance director. "When they do, the key step is to verify their identity."

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Another Oregonian who wishes to remain anonymous said he spent 10 hours on the phone trying to receive benefits. He said this problem also only started for him after the update.

"Monday, I had spent about three hours trying to contact them on hold. Tuesday, I spent about three hours on hold in the morning, and then, four hours in the afternoon," he said. 

OED said it would be a few weeks until they have a full picture of how the system is working.

The agency stated the rollout of the new technology has been relatively smooth, adding that more than 23,000 weekly claims have been successfully received for existing customers.

"We have paid more than $8.1 million in unemployment insurance benefits through Frances," said Leahy.  

OED claimed the average time for customers filing weekly claims on desktop was just under 11 minutes, and on mobile devices, less than 9 minutes.

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Oregon Employment Dept. news release:

SALEM, Ore. (KTVZ) – The Oregon Employment Department launched a brand new, easy-to-use online system for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits this week. UI benefits went live through Frances Online on Monday. 

“Frances Online is modernizing customer service for Oregonians filing for Unemployment Insurance benefits,” Governor Kotek said. “This is a step in the right direction for the State of Oregon. While there may be bumps in the road as we adjust to the new system, the Employment Department is ready to respond to issues quickly and make necessary adjustments.”  

Preliminary data for Monday and Tuesday shows that:

• More than 23,000 weekly claims have been received from existing customers
• More than $8.1 million in claims have been paid through Frances Online
• The average time for customers filing weekly claims was just under 11 minutes on desktop computers and under 9 minutes on mobile devices.

“The new system is mobile-friendly and will help streamline our work on UI claims so customers can get their benefits paid more efficiently,” said David Gerstenfeld, director of OED. “We are proud to be delivering on our promise to modernize our technology systems. We believe it will address a lot of the pain points customers and OED employees have previously experienced.” 

What Current Claimants Need to Know

Current claimants need to take two important actions to use the new system:

1. Create a Frances Online account at frances.oregon.gov. If they have an active claim or applied for benefits in our old legacy systems but their claim is still being reviewed, information about their claim will appear in their new Frances Online account. If they have an account in Frances Online because they claimed benefits from Paid Leave Oregon, they do not need to set up a new account.  
2. File their weekly claim at frances.oregon.gov/claimant. Claimants can now file for the week of February 25-March 2. If they did not file a weekly claim for the week of February 18-24 and they are seeking benefits for that week, they can still claim that week using Frances Online. They will be able to file all future weekly claims using Frances Online going forward. 

Customer Service Tips 

The agency anticipates high call volumes at the UI Contact Center. Current claimants are encouraged to use self-serve features available through Frances Online. Other tips:

• Check U.S. mail and email daily and respond quickly to requests for information. Also check email spam filters. Some information will still have to come by U.S. mail, even if claimants select to get email alerts. Letters and emails may have due dates for responding. If claimants miss due dates, their benefits could be delayed or denied. Uploading documents is easier in the new system. 
• Check online before calling the UI Contact Center. Many questions can now be resolved quickly through the new self-serve features in Frances Online. 
• Review and continue to follow UI eligibility rules. This will help avoid a disruption in receiving benefits. 
• Check out tutorials and how-to guides on navigating Frances Online at unemployment.oregon.gov/frances.
• Know where you can get help. Customer service is available at Frances Online () via secure messaging, live chat, chatbot and the Contact Us form. 

The agency says there will be a learning curve for employees and claimants for the next few months. OED has hired 40 additional staff with one-time funding to support the transition.

“Frances Online is more agile and efficient,” said Lindsi Leahy, director of the UI Division at OED. “We expect that the system will work well for most and that a small number of claimants will experience issues. We will continue providing a more staff-intensive level of customer service for those who need it.” 

Like other states that have launched new UI systems, the state may see an uptick in fraudulent claims. Leahy stressed that the new system is more resilient and has enhanced fraud protection features that will better protect UI benefits. Leahy also reminded consumers that Frances Online is free to use, and OED will never call a customer to ask for customers to pay to use any of OED’s services. If customers get a suspicious piece of mail, call or text, or see a questionable website or link, they should visit OED’s webpage on fraud for more information and a link to reporting fraud. 

The addition of UI benefits to Frances Online is the final stage of the state’s approximately $106 million effort to modernize its online customer service systems. Paid Leave Oregon launched in Frances Online in 2023 and employer contributions for UI and Paid Leave launched in 2022.

The name Frances was chosen in honor of Frances Perkins, who was born in 1880 and was a lifetime advocate for working Americans. She was the first female presidential Cabinet member and the longest-serving Secretary of Labor in U.S. history. Perkins was instrumental in forming the Social Security Act and the Unemployment Insurance program. 

Go to unemployment.oregon.gov/frances for more information and resources about Frances Online for UI benefits.