Hawaii Expands Telephone Assistance for Unemployment Claimants

The state Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) on Thursday, Aug. 19 announced additional details for the expanded and new telephone appointments for general unemployment insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Employer Services inquiries and Adjudication.

Nearly 1,700 weekly appointments are available as follows:

• Adjudication Telephone Appointments: 30-minute appointments will be offered Monday through Wednesday. The first appointment will be held on Aug. 23.
• General Unemployment Insurance Claims Telephone Appointments: 20-minute appointments will be offered Monday through Friday. The first appointment will be held on Sept. 7.
• Employer Services Telephone Appointments: 30-minute appointments will be offered Monday through Friday. The first appointment will be held on Sept. 7.
• PUA Telephone Appointments: 30-minute appointments will be offered Monday through Wednesday. The first appointment will be held on Sept. 7.

“The 1,692 appointments available weekly will facilitate resolution of all types of unemployment insurance and assistance issues while helping ensure the safety of our customers and staff during this current Delta-driven COVID-19 outbreak,” said DLIR Director Anne Perreira-Eustaquio. “The efficiencies of this new appointment system will allow us to provide higher service levels than an in-person approach.”

Appointments are now open for Adjudication. All other telephone appointments will open up on Aug. 24. All appointments can be scheduled via the web (Chrome or Microsoft Edge) at: labor.hawaii.gov/ui/appointments/.

Appointments must be scheduled with the appropriate section that can service the individual’s claims. General unemployment insurance appointments must also be scheduled with the appropriate island office specific to where the individual lives. Language interpretation services can be requested through the appointment system. Appointments are restricted to the registered person on the appointment schedule.

None of the benefits described above, nor unemployment benefits of any kind, are available to employees who are terminated for cause, quit their job without good cause, or refuse to return to work. Attempts to collect benefit payments in these situations could be viewed as fraudulent. Investigation of job separation is part of the eligibility determination process.

For more information, visit: https://www.hawaiiunemploymentinfo.com/.

For more information about unemployment insurance and other labor issues, visit the FAQs at https://labor.hawaii.gov/covid-19-labor-faqs/.