Nevada unemployment website: Common problems and what to do about them

As of April 25, there have been more than 412,000 Nevadans who have filed for unemployment insurance so far this year. Many are facing similar issues with their claims.

Some are being told there’s an issue with their medical response. Others have a message saying their deductible income is “pending resolution.” The list goes on.

Here’s a round-up of common system messages and the best way to tackle them, according to Rosa Mendez, spokeswoman for the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, which oversees the state’s unemployment insurance program.

What does it mean if the website says there is a “deductible income pending resolution”?

Each unemployment insurance claim must go through an adjudication process, in which the claim is individually reviewed by a state worker. This step must typically be complete before benefits are sent through, Mendez said.

Mendez said a message on “deductible income pending resolution” signals there was some sort of issue with the way deductible income was reported, and the worker behind the adjudication process either needs or is in the process of getting more information.

While it varies case-by-case, some claimants could see this message if information they provided didn’t match information their employer had sent in.

“We have to verify and confirm all that data with employers and claimants,” Mendez said, adding that DETR will reach out to claimants directly if they need to verify information either by phone (calls would come in between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Monday through Friday) or via a message on the online claims portal.

Mendez advised claimants with this message to wait to see if DETR reached out for more information. If a DETR representative had not reached out within a week, Mendez said the next best step would be to reach a representative via the phone lines.

Those in Southern Nevada can reach the unemployment insurance call center at (702) 486-0350, while those in Northern Nevada should call (775) 684-0350.

What happens if there was an issue with my medical response?

When filing, claimants are asked if they’re able and available to work.

Mendez said DETR has seen many people have answer “no” wrongly, assuming that they qualify as being unable to work because of the pandemic and statewide shutdown of nonessential businesses.

“Unless they’re COVID-19 positive, they shouldn’t be stating no,” Mendez said. “It’s always yes, unless you have a medical reason you can’t work.”

Mendez said DETR has implemented an automated solution that should help correct claims that have issues with this question, but said it can be a slow fix because it’s another function that’s taxing the system.

“It’s going to take time to handle each individual claim,” she said. But “there are a lot of folks making this mistake, so we’re trying to fix this.”

For those who had answered this question incorrectly, Mendez said they should wait for the claim to be processed. If it’s been a week or longer and there are still no changes, she suggested they call DETR directly, even though there has been a high volume of calls in recent months and many have said can take days — if not weeks — to get through.

What do I do if a message says I need to reactivate my claim?

Unemployment insurance claims are good for a year, and those who have not filed for three or more weeks will see their claim automatically become inactive. Those who have expired claims need to reactivate them, Mendez said.

Claimants can reactivate their claim if the benefit year has not yet expired and if they have not exhausted benefits, according to DETR’s website.

Claims can be reactivated by going to ui.nv.gov, clicking on the “UI Claimants” tab and then the “Existing User Sign In,” logging on and then clicking “Reactivate My UI Claim” and following the rest of the prompts.

Those who have not worked since their last reported job separation will have their claim reactivated. Those who have worked since then will need to create an additional claim and provide additional information on their latest employer.

Once a claim is reactivated, claimants can request payments for prior weeks by calling DETR’s phone line, but these requests are not guaranteed and may require further review by staff.

What do I do if the system says there’s an issue on my claim related to work search requirements?

As of May 2, unemployment claimants will not have to search for work through the week ending May 16.

The system may automatically create an “Available-Did not look for work” issue, but this message does not impact the claim and will not stop weekly benefit payments. Claimants will not have to take any action to resolve, and it will eventually be removed from the claim.

More information can be found on DETR’s website or the office’s online coronavirus FAQ here.

Contact Bailey Schulz at bschulz@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0233. Follow @bailey_schulz on Twitter.