Oregon Employment Department services going offline for nearly a week

By Joe Hathaway on Tuesday, February 27th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News

SALEM — Several services provided by the Oregon Employment Department (OED) will go offline for nearly a week as the department migrates to a new online system.

The new system, Frances Online, is scheduled to go live on March 4. In the meantime, people will not be able to file, restart, check or make changes to claim information until after 8 a.m. on March 4. They will also not be able to finish tasks, such as making payments or ID verification.

All unemployment insurance phone lines will also be closed Feb. 28 to March 1, the agency said.

The last day to file a new unemployment claim will be Tuesday, February 27 before 5 p.m. The last day to file a weekly unemployment claim for the week of Feb. 18-24 will be Wednesday at 5p.m. Benefits will be delayed if customers miss the deadline, the department said.

OED says Frances Online will be mobile friendly and make it easier for people to check and edit their claims status online, as well as live chat with employees. Customers will need to create a Frances Online account before filing a claim, though the agency stresses to not start the process until the update is finished on March 4. The new system will be available in English and Spanish, so those who need help in other languages must contact the UI Contact Center at 1-877-FILE-4-UI.

Customer service information — including unemployment and Frances Online guides, videos and frequently asked questions — will still be available at unemployment.oregon.gov.

The department’s phone numbers and qualification requirements will not be changing.