N4T Investigators: Arizona unemployment benefit appeals face long delays | N4T Investigators

TUCSON, Ariz. (KVOA) – The News 4 Tucson Investigators have uncovered significant delays for those appealing denied unemployment claims in Arizona, with some waiting more than a year for a court date.

According to Samuel Carroll, an attorney with Southern Arizona Legal Aid, these prolonged wait times are pushing some clients into homelessness. He believes the delays are violating people’s rights.

“A lot of times people fall further into poverty waiting for these hearings, waiting for these benefits, that they were supposed to be approved for a year or more ago,” Carroll said.

Carroll currently represents 20 clients who have been waiting between six to 15 months for a hearing. “Having to wait this long to have your case heard and getting approved for benefits kind of defeats the purpose of the unemployment insurance program,” Carroll said.

One woman from Green Valley, who wishes to remain unidentified, shared her experience of waiting over a year for a hearing, which has been postponed twice. “You have 14 days from the notice of your denial to get your appeal in but then they take 14 months to get back to you,” she said.

Her hearing is now scheduled for later in September but she isn’t confident that it will stay on schedule. 

Carroll argues these delays are a procedural due process issue. “Having to wait this long to have your case heard is a procedural due process issue; it’s a violation of the 14th amendment,” he said.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of unemployed workers in Alabama facing similar delays due to a COVID-19 backlog.

In Arizona, Carroll observed that delays began during the pandemic. “Before the pandemic from what I’ve heard you could get denied and get an appeal hearing within a month,” Carroll said.

The News 4 Tucson Investigators reached out to the Department of Economic Security (DES), which reported average appeal wait times of 350 days. DES attributes these delays to federal funding cuts from the Trump administration, resulting in staff reductions.

Despite these challenges, DES officials stated, “We are committed to getting people the support they need while exercising due diligence. That’s why in the coming months, we are rolling out a new Unemployment Insurance eligibility system that will streamline our appeals processing and improve transparency at every step.”

For many facing these delays, the sentiment remains one of frustration. “Hurry up and wait,” is how the woman in Green Valley described her options. 

Carroll encourages the public to bring attention to this issue. “I encourage everybody to reach out to their local and state representatives and get more eyes and ears on this issue, because it’s a big issue,” he said.

Here is DES’s full statement:

“As Unemployment Insurance (UI) claims have risen, requests for appeals have risen as well. The average wait time for a UI appeal hearing has reached approximately 350 days and our ability to manage the increase in workload has been hindered by the federal funding cuts that forced the Department of Economic Security (DES) to significantly cut its workforce. Despite these challenging circumstances, we are committed to getting people the support they need while exercising due diligence. That’s why in the coming months, we are rolling out a new Unemployment Insurance eligibility system that will streamline our appeals processing and improve transparency at every step.”

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