Maryland couple recounts hardships while pursuing unemployment for 6 months

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    BEL AIR, Md. (WBAL) — Thousands of Marylanders are still trying to collect unemployment benefits for which they applied months ago.

A Cecil County couple told the 11 News I-Team that they have been trying for the past six months to get a resolution, and on Thursday, they got some hope.

If nothing else, Donna Murphy and her husband, David Kibler, both 73, are persistent. Murphy is trying to help Kibler get $225 a week in unemployment funds. The benefits are based on his 20-hours-a-week part-time maintenance job that brought in extra cash to supplement his Social Security benefits.

“My persistence is rooted in my anger for myself and other people. I know there have been people who have just given up,” Murphy said.

Kibler said he worried about the spread of COVID-19 and possibly contracting it and bringing it home to his family, so he could not continue in his job.

“The employer could not guarantee me it would be impossible for me to catch COVID, and the risk wasn’t worth the reward,” Kibler said.

For the past six months, the couple has been reaching out, making hundreds of calls. Murphy said she got lucky when unemployment call takers answered three times but could not help the couple get a final resolution.

“It’s atrocious,” Kibler said.

The couple turned to an attorney for help.

“She said, ‘You two have done everything you possibly could have done. There’s nothing I can do for you until they turn you down. If they turn you down, you can appeal,'” Murphy said.

Just before and during the couple’s interview with the I-Team, they received two calls from the Maryland Department of Labor with one person offering assistance.

Kibler said the person told him, “I really don’t have any information on this. This was just dumped in my lap.”

Kibler said the worker then said she was going to get a supervisor to find someone to handle the case.

“It’s his money, it’s his money. Hopefully, I’ll get a bunch of roses for my efforts if he ever gets it,” Murphy said.

Kibler said he is not losing his house or car or having to decide between buying medicines or groceries. He is worried about others who are making those choices, and in that second call Thursday from the DOL, he was told his case is still being investigated.

Unemployment claims increase in first week of December
The couple’s story came as Maryland saw another increase of around 2,500 new unemployment claims filed for the week of Dec. 5.

There were 15,361 new unemployment claims filed in Maryland for the week of Dec. 5. That’s down from 12,790 the week prior.

The Maryland Department of Labor reports unemployment claims by type: Regular or pandemic related assistance (PUA and PEUC). There were 10,216 regular claims and 5,145 PUA and PEUC claims.

The DOL said there was an average of 2,592 new unemployment claims per week in Maryland between Dec. 28, 2019, and March 7.

The DOL has launched an interactive unemployment claims database in which the numbers are broken down by industry, occupation, jurisdiction and ZIP code.

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