RI jobless complain of phone delays

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) -- Rhode Island labor officials are blaming insufficient staff and a limited telephone system for the inability of thousands of jobless residents to get through to the state's unemployment insurance system.

The Providence Journal reports Department of Labor and Training spokeswoman Laura Hart acknowledges the delays.

To reach unemployment benefits personnel, the jobless who are filing claims must call according to a phone schedule. They may still be directed to the agency's website to send an email.

Some unemployed workers report numerous times when they need help from a person. Instead, they get busy signals and long waits for responses to e-mails.

Hart says it takes about a week for the agency to respond to emails. She says officials want response time to be three to five days.