How It Took One Woman 8 Weeks to Get Unemployment [New York Times]

Originally published in New York Times

Through a friend, Ms. Josephs reached out to State Senator Shelley B. Mayer for help. Ms. Mayer, a Democrat, represents a section of Westchester County more than 25 miles north of East New York, but she had made a mission of helping people break through logjams in the unemployment insurance system.

This process has been very challenging for thousands of my constituents,” Ms. Mayer said in an interview. “I am impatient and demanding on the part of these individuals who are at financial risk and emotional risk.”

A member of Ms. Mayer’s staff contacted Ms. Josephs around 11 p.m. and received a response from her by email after midnight, the senator said.