Frances Online, Oregon's new unemployment system, set to start

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Though the current unemployment rate in Oregon is only 3.7%, those who need to file for unemployment benefits have to do it quickly or wait until next week.

The Oregon Employment Department is switching to a new computer system which will cause a delay for anyone filing a claim. The new system will go live on Monday, days after the current system goes offline.

The new system, Frances Online, will provide a better customer service experience and be mobile friendly.

When the pandemic began 4 years ago -- and unemployment skyrocketed -- Oregonians went months without unemployment checks. The OED director at that time, Kay Erickson, said upgrading the system then would have taken thousands of hours and delayed benefits even longer.

Lindsi Leahy, the current Unemployment Insurance Division director, told KOIN 6 News that "customers will be able to do a lot more things online through self-service features instead of waiting for a letter in the mail or calling the unemployment insurance contact center."

Programs such as Paid Leave are already using the site. Others, like Workshare, are getting added. That supplements the reduced wages of workers when they can no longer get paid full-time.

Anyone who needs to file an unemployment claim should do so before the end of business on Tuesday. Weekly unemployment insurance for this past week must be done by 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The current system will be offline from Wednesday through next Monday -- when Frances Online debuts.

OED officials are expected to hold a press conference on Wednesday.

By the way, Frances Online is named in honor of Frances Perkins, U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 – 1945 and the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet.

KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story.