LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The state's unemployment insurance benefits system is going dark for the next week for scheduled maintenance.
That's because the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehability (DETR) is preparing to launch a "modernized Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits system on July 7."
As with any outage at DETR, claimants are concerned. Some told me it will take a lot to restore their faith in a system that broke during COVID-19 and never fully recovered.
WATCH: DETR system going dark for scheduled maintenance over next week
"I work in technology and I know that things go wrong all the time, so I really hope that they've got their timelines mapped out correctly and it's not more than a week that they're down," DETR claimant Juan Barrera told me.
Like many thousands of Nevadans, Barrera filed for unemployment during the pandemic. He says he was out of work for nearly a year and thought he'd be done with DETR once he started working again.
"It took them years to then decline my benefits and say now you owe us all this money," Barrera explained. "I don't know how you can do that years later to somebody."
He says he's been fighting this issue since 2022. In the meantime, new fees are getting tacked on weekly. According to his portal, he now owes DETR more than $30,000. While the agency won't talk to us about Barrera's case, they tell me they are taking another look.
"Are you trying to scam the system," I asked Barrera.
"I have no desire to scam the system," he replied. "I feel like they're trying to scam me, honestly."
While worried about his own case, he empathizes with others who currently count on unemployment benefits and are facing a week without access.
"People are going to freak. out, I think, when they realize they can't file their claim that week."
DETR says it's been working ahead so people don't freak out, communicating extensively in advance with both claimants and staff. However, someone claiming to be a DETR staffer says otherwise.
An anonymous email sent to 13 Investigates last week says staff has been kept in the dark over the past few months, getting "vague or dismissive" answers from leadership about how the public was being notified.
"With the shutdown happening during the first week of the month, many individuals relying on unemployment may be caught off guard," the email reads in part. "Staff are not only concerned about the confusion and hardship that may cause the public, but also for their own safety, given that DETR offices are publicly listed locations and there is precedent for public frustration during past system issues."
You can see the full email below.
We shared those concerns with DETR. The director did not specifically respond to it but did send a statement to all media about the planned outage.
You can read his full statement below.
"This transformation is the result of years of planning and development, and it will provide claimants with faster, more user-friendly, and mobile-accessible services.
To ensure a smooth transition, the current system will undergo a scheduled maintenance outage—or “dark week”—beginning at 4:00 p.m. on June 30 and ending with the launch on July 7. During this time, claimants will not be able to access the system or receive any other UI services.
This planned outage was communicated extensively and in advance through direct mail, email, interactive voice recognition (IVR) call center notifications, DETR websites, and other outreach methods. Internal staff were also fully briefed and prepared to support claimants throughout the transition.
We look forward to officially launching the new system on July 7 and will update the public in the weeks following go-live to showcase the system’s new features, improved functionality, and how it will better serve Nevada’s workers and employers.”
You can read the letters that were sent to claimants and employers below.
DETR Letter To Claimants
DETR Letter To Employers
DETR says the agency has not forgotten the pain of the recent past, which showed how outdated, inefficient and difficult to navigate the system was.
"I don't know if it's a system problem or if it's a people problem and upgrading a system isn't going to fix a people problem," Barrera said. "If it's a data problem, upgrading the system is not going to fix a data problem. And so, for me, I feel like it's a mixture of both. I don't know that it's going to help me."
The agency says it's weighing some very heavy responsibilities: the safe and secure transfer of thousands of Nevadans' personal data while continuing to fight attacks on the system that can result in fraud, phishing, hacking and scamming that could waste taxpayer dollars.
When the modernized system launches the morning of July 7, you'll have to create a new account, link it to your existing claim, and certify for the past and current week. DETR says you'll get extra time to do that. And even if you certify late due to the outage, they say your benefits will be paid and backdated.
This is one of several upgrades that DETR is rolling out after the pandemic. Other improvements include upgrading cyber security systems and improving computer and phone systems.
"With the NUI (new unemployment insurance) system rolling out in summer, it's going to probably cut down a lot of those phone calls coming in because a lot of those things, then, will be automated," DETR Director Christopher Sewell told Nevada lawmakers in February. "Because this current system, UINV, is an extremely old system and it's clunky. It's not user-friendly. It's probably one of the worst UI systems I've seen."
Sewell also said DETR has hired more staff.
"When I took over, our vacancy rate was over 30%, close to about 35% for our employee FTE. We're down at 8%."
A spokesperson also previously told us that all DETR backlogs are completed and appeals are now at the Department of Labor standard.
We have been continuing to follow DETR issues and how they are affecting our community. If you are experiencing any issues after the rollout is complete on July 7, you can contact us at 13Investigates@ktnv.com and we can try to get you the help you need.
WATCH: Have DETR backlog issues gotten better since the COVID-19 pandemic began?