Iowa’s new unemployment system is now live on iowaworks.gov, creating for the first time one centralized location for filing a claim, participating in reemployment activities, and ultimately finding new employment.
In addition to the job and recruitment tools that were previously available, claimants and employers can now use iowaworks.gov for all actions within the unemployment process. The new and modernized system replaces a previous system used for over half a century that required multiple websites and accounts to file for unemployment.
IWD has experienced a higher than normal volume of calls to its helpline, so claimants seeking assistance may experience longer wait times. However, IWD estimates that over 3,500 Iowans had successfully filed a claim in the new system as of noon on Tuesday.
In the weeks before launch, IWD provided resources to claimants and employers to prepare them for the new system, and many Iowans were able to file their regular claims last week before the beginning of a brief system downtime. However, any claimants who were unable to file before the downtime now can retroactively file a claim in the new system.
With this once-in-a-generation change, IWD expects there to be a transition period as more and more Iowans become used to the new process. However, the agency is confident that the new system in IowaWORKS creates a much-improved experience that will result in better workforce outcomes.
