LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Chance Holding is having an identity crisis. He knows who he is and he knows he needs help, the problem is he can't verify his identification information with Nevada's employment department to get the money he needs.
ID.me, the new verification system used by the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, or DETR, is having some issues.
It went into effect on April 18 for all Unemployment Insurance claimants and DETR Director Elisa Cafferata says so far, between 90% to 95% of applicants have been able to use it.
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Cafferata says a common ID.me issue is due to expired documents and recommends that any UI claimants having issues contact the call center to find another way to clear their identity.
“Wait times are less than an hour," said Cafferata.
"We do have calls that we don't get to every day," she said, "but again, that has gone from tens of thousands to maybe two or three thousand depending on which line you're calling on."
Holding, however, says he hasn't received payments from DETR in months after receiving them last year.
“Beginning December, I didn't get any money," he said. "So, I still do it every Sunday and I still check on my email, check on my phone to see if I got a phone call and I didn’t get anything."
His family has been helping him, including filing the claims and assisting with the ID.me verification process. They say his documents are not expired.
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“We haven't heard from anyone," said his aunt, Shannon Mann. "We have called numerous times without a callback, without an answer and it is very concerning for us because it's kind of like he fell through the cracks."
When asked about how people with disabilities can get help if they can’t a response from someone, Cafferatta says there is an ADA compliance form on their website that “can be used of our services."
"We are actually updating that now to provide, so there’s actually a separate program if you need a specific physical accommodation versus an information accommodation,“ she said.
For more information, DETR has a FAQ document for ID.me on its website.
