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Nevada's struggling unemployment system will get big boost from federal bucks

The State of Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation building on E. St. Louis in Las Vegas
Posted at 11:17 PM, Oct 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-10-21 02:17:23-04

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Nevada's struggling unemployment system will get a boost - thanks to a big check from the federal government.

Chief Policy Deputy Erik Jimenez of the Nevada State Treasurer's Office says $335 million in State Fiscal Recovery Funds from the American Rescue Plan have been allocated to repay what was borrowed from the federal Unemployment Trust Fund.

On top of that, $54 million will go toward upgrading the unemployment system.

Throughout the pandemic, Nevada's sky-high unemployment rate overwhelmed the system from computers to phone lines to staffing.

Among many things, upgrades are needed to stop fraud and make claims processing faster.

DETR also wants to move to a cloud-based system so the agency can make updates and test new program features more quickly.

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