Mom’s unemployment Facebook group helping thousands get paid
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Jennifer Glynn, a mom of two, started an unemployment help group on Facebook to assist people in securing unemployment benefits.
Her only experience was going through the unemployment filing process before, but her free advice has been priceless for nearly 7,000 Hoosiers struggling to get the benefits they deserve.
“These people shouldn’t be losing their homes, they shouldn’t be losing everything that they own,” Glynn said. “I’ve had people tell me that they were on the brink of depression until I helped them, that they were on the verge of giving up until I gave them hope.”
Glynn says while the group feels like a full-time job, often answering calls and messages at 3 a.m., she believes it’s necessary work because people are growing desperate.
“Who else is going to help them?” Glynn asked. “I’m trying to help everybody that I can. And there have been times that I have not been able to help somebody. And that’s disappointing.”
She says the most common issue she sees is when people receive a letter for making an error on their filing or their appeal form. That error that can be costly.
“I specifically know one woman, she had to wait over a year just for one error,” Glynn said. “That’s the longest that I’ve seen.”
However, she says it’s been nearly impossible to get someone from the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to answer a phone call or email, making it difficult to figure out what the exact error was.
Glynn says if a claim has an issue, it can’t be fixed until a claims representative or an investigator.
“The Indiana Department of Workforce Development currently has 16 issues listed on their COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions worksheet,” Glynn said. “The list that I have, I currently have a list of 47 that could cause issues and keep somebody from getting paid. Big difference, right?”
Glynn says, after doing extensive research, she was able to create templates others can fill out to make sure the right information is getting to claim representatives so that errors are not made. She then helps to make sure those forms are sent to the right place.
“I was doing all the legwork, Glynn said. “And having the claimant send the letter to the claims representatives, and then the claims representatives would clear the issue. I’m doing all the work.”
Glynn says she knows she won’t be able to keep up the Facebook group forever, but she keeps asking herself why the DWD hasn’t fixed the problems. “I’m not the one that should be saying all this, but who’s dropping the ball?”
If you are in need of unemployment help, you can join Jennifer’s Facebook group here.