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That's Liz Restrepo's message to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce on behalf of the state's several thousand unemployed residents.
After being temporarily laid off from her longtime job in product development and account management earlier this month as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lyndhurst mom of two had no choice but to file for unemployment insurance for the first time in her career.
She says it became clear to her immediately that "the system is broken and probably understaffed," but says there could be a better, more efficient way.
"I’m more than willing to become a call center in my own home to help fellow New Jerseyans," said Restrepo, who was the one to push Daily Voice for a story on the state's unemployment issue.
"I want to better understand what the process is and why it's so complicated. I get it, thousands are applying and they are inundated. But we need to do it better and we need to do it fast.
"If the state hires some of us ,the unemployed, we can help alleviate not only the overwhelmed staff."
So too, Restrepo said, we would be processing the thousands of claims and give others the money they so desperately need.
Two weeks ago, Restrepo logged onto the state's unemployment website for the first time and created her account. She entered all of her information, filled out the questionnaire and received a confirmation page, which included the date, and a series of 12-18 digits to reference.
Since April 6, Restrepo's status has been pending. The problem? The website says her social security number is invalid when she goes to review what her claim status is.
After a week of seeing "claim pending" on her unemployment dashboard, Restrepo decided to call every number she could find in hopes of getting through to a person.
Day in and day out, she called and called and called, only to get the same automated recording telling her to try again on the next business day.
That's when Restrepo said it occurred to her that the department was not equipped to handle the more than 718,000 applications that avalanched in this month and last.
Restrepo feels grateful that her husband is still working full time and her family has enough to get by on.
But it's others she's worried about: Single moms and dads, families with parents who both lost their jobs, caregivers and more who have no other income source other than their own.
"The fact that people have been waiting for money for four weeks is unfathomable," said Restrepo, in between her kids' virtual education classes.
"I myself have been waiting for over two weeks now. It's deplorable. I can’t believe this is all happening."
Filing for unemployment has become nearly impossible for New Jersey residents out of work due to the COVID-19 crisis. More than 718,000 residents filed for unemployment one month into the state's near-shutdown, flooding the state's 40-year-old system with applications.
Although New Jersey's department of labor implemented a series of improvements to help serve applicants faster, many residents say there's more to be done. In response to their frustration and anguish, Daily Voice has launched this series, "Workless New Jersey," where they can tell their stories.
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