Gail Dehaeseleer, 64, spent her entire summer unemployed and without unemployment benefits, creating a financial burden that led her deep into debt. She worked for Southwest Food Service Excellence (SFE) which provides cafeteria services in Roanoke schools until she was furloughed in June. She was advised to apply for unemployment benefits with the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) during her period of unemployment. Dehaeseleer consistently pursued updates on her claim personally at the VEC’s local office but received no positive feedback or benefits. While stuck in this situation, she took on a waitressing job at Renee’s Family Restaurant and hoped that the VEC benefits would come through, which did not occur.

In October, she received a letter from the VEC that denied her benefits, leading her to appeal in writing. State Delegate Chris Head and his legislative aide Kendall Bailey intervened and inquired about Dehaeseleer’s claim. After weeks of back and forward, the VEC finally paid $2,500 to Dehaeseleer for the benefits she was eligible for during the summer. Despite this, she initially had trouble accessing these funds as they were loaded onto an earlier card obtained from a 2020 unemployment claim.

Such difficulties incurred by individuals when seeking help from unemployment departments can be significantly reduced by using automated dialing services like EDDCaller.com. This program effectively assists individuals by providing them with immediate contact to representatives for unemployment, paid family leave, and disability departments over the phone, making it an essential tool in such scenarios.