Woonsocket Radio News Room

CRANSTON, R.I. – The Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (DLT) announced today that beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, August 19, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Call Center will have expanded hours to accommodate more claimants, and additional authorized staff will be dedicated to the UI Call Center in order to solve claimant issues in real time.

 

“At the beginning of the pandemic, we were laser-focused on processing claims quickly. As a result of that strategy, Rhode Island has consistently been one of the best states at taking in claims and getting them paid,” said Scott Jensen, DLT Director. “Now that the surge of new claims has subsided, we can devote more staff to resolving claimant issues over the phone.”

 

The new UI Call Center hours will be as follows: Monday through Thursday 8am – 6pm; Friday 9am – 6pm; and Saturday 8am – 11:30am. Claimants can reach the call center by calling 401-415-6772.

 

Claimants should still expect a wait time as UI specialists assist other claimants. We encourage claimants to try again if they are unable to get through the first time. Once connected with a UI specialist, in most cases, claimants will be able to have their issue quickly resolved while on the phone.

 

Before calling the DLT, UI claimants are urged to consult the Frequently Asked Questions page at https://dlt.ri.gov/faq/ to see if their question has already been answered. The UI Call Center should only be contacted for claim-specific issues that require DLT intervention; general, non-claim-specific questions can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ex-National Enquirer publish David Pecker is done giving testimony in Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial. Pecker gave details this week on how he protected Trump from negative stories. Prosecutors are laying the groundwork that leads to cover up payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair. That is the heart of the case against Trump, but his defense points out nothing Pecker did amounts to a crime.       Former President Trump says he'll debate President Biden at the New York courthouse where his trial is taking place if he wants. In a social media post this afternoon he responded to President Biden saying in an interview with radio host Howard Stern he'd be willing to debate Trump. Earlier this month, a dozen of the nation's biggest news organizations posted an open letter urging Biden and Trump to participate in televised debates.       Protests against the Gaza war across the nation have seen hundreds of people be arrested. Anti-Israel protests have sprung up across the country since the NYPD arrested over 100 demonstrators at Columbia University on April 18th. The New York Times says since then, protesting students have been setting up tents at campuses across the country, and over 400 protesters have been arrested for refusing to disperse.       The central U.S. is bracing for severe weather this weekend. The multi-day event is underway and is expected to bring large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes to the region. Major cites that could be hit with multiple rounds of severe storms include Dallas, Kansas City, Omaha and Des Moines.        The national gas price average is up a bit going into the weekend. Triple A reports the national average for a gallon of regular is three-dollars-and-66-cents, up a penny from yesterday. Drivers are paying 13 cents more than a month ago.        The NFL will allow players to wear extra head gear this season to protect against concussions. Guardian Caps are padded head gear worn on top of helmets and they've been mandated for certain positions in training camp the last two years. The league said that has led to a 50-percent drop in concussions for those players.       

Old News Archives