
SW Region Town Hall: Dislocated Worker
Friday, January 22, 2021 via Zoom
Project Director Yvette Bayless and Program Analyst Eric Rivera, both with WIOA Adult & Dislocated Worker Programs, defined Dislocated Worker and shared programs available at no cost.
Angela Gallegos, Unemployment Insurances Specialist with the Department of Workforce Solutions shared basic information about Unemployment Insurance and benefits.
Josh Orozco, Southwestern Area Workforce Development Board Chair, was the Moderator.
To protect the privacy of individuals, customer-specific questions related to Unemployment Insurance claims were not addressed in this Town Hall.
Questions and Answers
The following are questions and answers not shared live during the Town Hall.
Q: How is Unemployment insurance handling those in the DACA program?
A: If they meet eligibility requirements and are authorized to work in the United States, then Yes, they would be eligible for benefits.
Q: I spend hours calling the Unemployment Insurance call center trying to reach someone. Why won't people answer the phone?
A: Hundreds of people call the the UI call center each day and there are only so many phones and staff available to answer. When they assist customers, calls can take quite a bit of time. To help alleviate the high volume of calls, the Department of Workforce Solutions has designated call days based on the last digit of your social security number.
0-3: Monday
4-6: Tuesday
7-9: Wednesday
Missed your day: Thursday & Friday

Additional Resources
Please visit the following links for additional resources related to Unemployment Insurance
New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions > Unemployment (state.nm.us)
Unemployment Insurance FAQs (state.nm.us)
SSO_Getting_Started_E_S.pdf (state.nm.us)
Click the following video to view the recorded event...