Dayton man calls DETR about 2,000 times with no results

Several of our viewers say they're shut out of Nevada's website and call center to apply for unemployment benefits more than a month after Gov. Sisolak closed non-essential businesses.

Bob Hastings of Dayton is one of thousands experiencing this problem.

We sat with him after he made a call to file his claim.

A recorded voice coming from his phone responded, "Welcome to Nevada's telephone unemployment insurance claim system. Due to heavy call volumes our telephone que is already full for the day and no further calls can be accommodated before close of business. Please call back during our next business day. Calls are accepted beginning at 8 a.m."

"What's going through your mind when you hear that every morning?" asked KOLO 8 News Evening Anchor, Noah Bond.

"Frusteration. I've almost gone into auto pilot for it. I sit out on the back deck and it's just like hit, hit, hit and that's how I'm doing 300 calls at a time," Hastings responded

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Hastings out of his job April, 10.

Since then he has documented all of his calls to Nevada's Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation.

"Monday I did 349 calls, Tuesday I did 617, Wednesday i did 453," he said.

Before making his first call he applied online and like many others he hit a problem.

"Got part way through and hit a snag with a question and the system plan and simply would not let me pass that question. It will not let me go to the next steps," Hastings said.

He says he can't place an end date on his other income producing job as a Lyon County Commissioner and this is the reason he says the system won't let him continue with his application.

"It still sees me as working and says well, we don't want to do anything with this and it just stops," Hastings says.

"You said you've made about 2,200 calls, but you haven't gotten through yet. What's going through your mind?" Bond asked.

"It's really frustrating and it's starting to get scary. We are in a position where we have a little savings. We're OK for a month or two, but at some point I'm not going to have enough money to put food on the table. I'm not going to have enough money to pay my mortgage," Hastings said.