BOSTON, Mass. — For nearly a year, Boston 25 News has been digging into delays at the state’s unemployment office, hearing from frustrated claimants waiting weeks, sometimes months, for answers or benefits.
For the first time, the Department of Unemployment Assistance is giving Boston 25 News an inside look at the system and responding directly to questions about the backlog.
“What became very loud that it’s like, you know, we’ve got to address it?” Boston 25’s Elly Morillo asked Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones during an exclusive sit-down interview at DUA headquarters. “We did see that there was an adjustment period last summer, combined with the peak season that we typically have with seasonality in the summer weeks,” Jones said. “That combined really led to a greater backlog than we were probably anticipating.”
Boston 25 reviewed federal data and found that Massachusetts ranked last among states and territories nationwide for timely unemployment payments last year at the height of the backlog. In July of 2025, only about half of claimants were receiving benefits within 30 days.
States with similar caseloads like Michigan (92.0%) and Oregon (82.8%) processed claims faster, while Florida had similar processing times (61.5%) during the same time period.
New Jersey – had nearly DOUBLE the cases of the Bay State and cleared cases at 92.8%
“Massachusetts is a competitive state and certainly any ranking we look at, we think about how we can better improve ourselves at the end of the day to support our claimants,” Jones said. “We know data does matter and we are looking directly at how we can improve.”
Jones says the state has since made progress. According to the department, Massachusetts improved from roughly 49% of claimants receiving payments within 35 days to approximately 74% by the end of 2025.
Still, the state remains below the federal benchmark, which calls for 93 percent of unemployment claims to be paid on time.
“At a time when people are looking to government to be a resource, we have less money to support,” Jones said. “So we are kind of forced to think creatively because we have to do more with less.”
State officials say a pilot program launched to reduce delays played a major role in improving turnaround times. Departments across the country are now looking at Massachusetts’ recent efforts as they navigate similar challenges.
“There is an opportunity to learn from each other,” Jones said.
So what exactly can hold up an unemployment check?
DUA officials told Boston 25 there are three major checkpoints in the process:
- identity verification
- wage verification
- and investigations into why someone became unemployed
DUA Director Katie Dishnicia said mistakes or incomplete information in any of those areas can create delays.
“We have to talk to both the employer and the claimant and get both of their responses,” said Dishnicia. “I would encourage getting the most accurate information and complete responses because if it comes back to us and it doesn’t match, we will need to ask for a rebuttal and get more information from both parties, and that could be a delay.”
Despite the reported improvements, Boston 25 continues hearing from viewers currently struggling to get answers from the unemployment office.
Boston 25’s Elly Morillo asked Jones about claimants who say they’ve lost trust in the system entirely.
“How do you want to reach that demographic of people that maybe just threw in the towel?” Morillo asked. “I understand that individuals have experienced frustrations with the Department of Unemployment Assistance,” Jones responded. “We find this to be a top priority to improve the customer experience, and we hope individuals can recognize yes, they may be frustrated, but we also want to make sure we are focused on this and moving forward for our claimants.”
The state also exclusively told Boston 25 News it plans to add 150 new workers ahead of the expected summer surge in unemployment claims in hopes of reducing delays and helping more Massachusetts families receive the benefits they need.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW