Dread intensifies as thousands still wait for unemployment checks

Many people who filed for unemployment months ago still have not received any money. The state’s self-imposed deadline to resolve those cases is up next week.

As the June 15 deadline approaches, 35,400 people are still waiting for the Employment Security Department to resolve their unemployment claim.

That’s roughly the population of Lynnwood.

The state has been trying to clear up a logjam of people who filed a claim in March and April. Employment Security Commissioner Suzi LeVine said the department will "remain laser focused on helping those who still have not been paid and have been waiting the longest.”

New measures to stop fraud explain at least some of the problem. Employment security stopped payments to 190,000 people, demanding proof of identity. Now these cases add to the burden of adjudicators plowing through claims.