Oregonians Prefer New Method Of Claiming
Unemployment Benefits
Unemployed workers say they save
time, trips to their local employment
office and prefer filing their weekly
claims using a new touch-tone tele­
phone system, according to a recent
study by the state Employment Divi­
sion.
A new Weekly Claim Line offered
by the employment Division allows
applicants who have a touch-tone tele­
phone to call a local or toll-free number
and answer a series of questions that
were previously asked on a mail-in
claim card.
The new system, called interactive
voice response, can process continued
claims 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. Because of the convenience and
simplicity of the new claim line, appli­
cants who are eligible to receive ben­
efits may now receive an unemploy­
ment benefit check each week, instead
of every two weeks.
The claim line was tested at several
Employment Division offices through­
out the state and is now available state­
wide in English and Spanish.
“This is one of several technology
enhancements w e're developing to im­
prove our services to Oregon workers,”
said Pam Mattson, Administrator of the
Oregon Employment Division. “The
applicants who have used the Weekly
Claim Line in our test sites seem to
understand it better than the mail-in
cards, and they make fewer errors in
responding to the eligibility questions.
This improves customer service, re­
duces the follow up work our employ­
ees would normally do, and allows us
more opportunities to work with cus­
tomers who need one-on-one consulta­
tion.”
To use the system, applicants enter
their social security number, a personal
identification Number and answer a
series of pre-recorded questions by
pressing the appropriate buttons on a
touch-tone phone. The information pro­
vided by the applicant is fed directly
into a mainframe computer where the
claim record is updated.
The entire process takes less than
five minutes each week and saves ap-
plicants the cost of postage for mailing
in a claim card. To protect against
unemployment insurance fraud, the tele­
phone claim line has the same safe­
guards as the traditional mail-in sys­
tem.
A recent survey of Oregonians us­
ing the system in the Portland metro­
politan area showed that:
92% of Employment Division cus­
tomers preferred the Weekly Claims
Line to the traditional mail-in system;
92% reported that they never re­
ceive a busy signal when using the
touch-tone system;
83% reported that they never had
to visit and Employment Division of­
fice when using the Weekly claims
Line; and
75% of customers never had to
phone the office with claims questions
while using the Weekly Claims Line.
Unemployed workers who are in­
terested in using the Weekly Claim
Line to draw their unemployment ben­
efits should contact their local Employ­
ment Division office.
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November 4, 992„/The Portland Observer...Page 3
THE 1992 WALKER INSTITUTE
, LECTURE SERIES
OOMMlSSI(><
COMMISSION MEETING
Date: November 10,1992
Place: Portland Building
1120SW Fifth Ave., 11 th Floor
Portland, Oregon
Tim e 9:30 a.m.
Commission meetings are open to
the public. A complete agenda is
available at PDC or by calling
823-3200. Citizens with disabilities
may call 823-3232 or TDD 823-6868
for assistance at least 48 hours in
advance.
PDC is the City of Portland's urban
renewal, housing and economic
development agency.
p re se n ts
Economic Empowerment
A Prescription fo r Personal, Professional a n d C om m unity Success
fea tu rin g
D ennis K imbro
Author of
“Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice
Happy “First”
Birthday!
Raevyn
Nov. 4
From Granpa & Gogin
HOW DOES YOUR HOME MEASURE UP?
Piedmont Neighborhood
Association Presents
Home Repair Fair
Saturday, N o vem b er 7
10:00 a.m . - 6 :00 p.m .
H oly R edeem er S chool
127 N. P ortland Btvd.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Interior R epair
E xterior M ainten an ce
H istoric R estoration
W ater C on serva tion
Yard C are
W eatherization
Fire P revention
H om e S ecurity
E nergy Efficiency
G ardening
M eet A rea V e n d e rs ***T a lk W ith E x p e rts ***S e e Hands-On
D e m o n s tra tio n s ***W in Prizes For Your H o m e **» F re e G iveaw ays
A dm ission: $2.00 A dult
C hildren are Free.
H alf-price ad m ission w ith this Ad!
W in a Tool Box w ith the tools & supplies every hom e ow ner needs for basic
hom e repairs ♦ * * A draw ing every hour.
Take Portland Blvd. exit from I-5 N. go east to
Vancouver Avenue.
A com m unity e ve n t fu n de d in p a rt with a g ra n t
from the O regon C om m unityFoundation's
N eighborhood P artnership F un d and
o
Happy Birthday!
Nov. 1st
Tomica & Lynell Carr
From Dad and Family
Membet F D IC
F ir s t I n t e r s t a t e Bank
Park Block Revels To Be Held Sunday,
December 6th In South Park Blocks
Join the fun and frolic of the Twen­
tieth Annual Park Block Revels Sun­
day, December 6th in Portland’s scenic
South Park Blocks. At 12:15 p.m., me­
dieval trumpeters announce the start of
festivities with the unfurling of banners
and trumpet fanfares. Every hour on the
hour from 1 to 4 p.m. free musical and
dramatic performances take place at
the sixteen participating Park Block
Neighbors.
From Portland State University to
SW Salmon Street all along the Park
blocks the Neighbors host entertainers
from the Dickens Carollers, the Metro­
politan hom Choir and much more. In
addition to the many fine free perfor­
mance, several of the Neighbors spon­
Tuesday November 10, 1992 at 7:00 p.m.
Mount Hood Room, Red Lion Hotel-Lloyd Center
1000 NE Multnomah • Portland, Oregon
Tickets $15.00
1
JIIKE^ For information, please call 293-3403
-1005 West Burnside
U l M
Sponsored by NIKE and Powell's Book Store *1005
Bumsidi
sor an “Open House.”
Join the Oregon Historical Society
for their Annual Holiday Cheer and
Author’s Party, and the Portland Art
Museum’s “Hat’s Off to the Second
Century Birthday party. Demonstra­
tions and delectable food and holiday
cheer will be served all day at the
Broadway Revue.
Since 1973, thousand of people
have joined the cultural institutions
surrounding the South Park blocks for
this winter festival. The many Park
Block Neighbors and friends join to­
gether to present the finest in family
entertainment and fun. Come rain or
shine, the Park Block Revels welcomes
you to a day o f neighborhood festivi­
ties. Free event schedules are available
at all Park Block Neighbors.
Park Block Neighbors
Broadway Revue Restaurant
First Christian Church
First Congregational Church
Gifford-Doving Florists
Portland Art Museum
Heathman Hotel
Oregon Ballet Theater
Oregon Historical Society
Portland Center for the Perform­
ing Arts
Portland State University
Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist
St. James Lutheran
The Old Church
Kinko’s Copy
Happy Birthday!
Chinaka Phillips
Nov. 10
From Family
In flu e n z a Im m u n iz a tio n U rg e d
People 65 and older, and those of
any age with chronic lung or heart
disease, are among those most at risk
for influenza and are especially urged
to get immunized during this year’s flu
season, according to Kathleen A.
Gaffney, M.D., state health officer. Dr.
Gaffney said influenza, combined with
its most common complication, pneu­
monia, is currently the sixth leading
cause of death nationally and in Or­
egon. “With flu shots readily available,
we can dramatically lower the inci­
dence o f influenza in Oregon,” she
added.
Dr. Gaffney said the Oregon Adult
Immunization Coalition, a group of
health and social service organizations,
will launch its second annual “Knock
Out the Flu” campaign this fall, aimed
at reminding the public that it is time to
be vaccinated against flu.
W HO NEEDS INFLUENZA
VACCINE?
Persons at elevated risk of influ­
enza;
• Those 65 years of age or older.
• Residents of nursing homes and
other chronic-care facilities.
• Adults and children with chronic
chest or heart diseases, including chil­
dren with asthma, and adults with em ­
physema and chronic obstructive pul­
monary disease.
• Adults and children treated for
chronic diseases during the past year, as
in inpatient or out patient.
• Children and teenagers (6 months
-18 years of age) who arc on long-term
aspirin treatment.
Persons at elevated risk of trans­
mitting influenza to high-risk persons:
• Health care personnel in inpatient
or outpatient facilities.
• Employees of health care facili­
ties for elderly.
• Providers of home care.
• Household members.
W HO NEEDS PNEUM OCOCCAL
VACCINE?
Persons at elevated risk of pneu­
mococcal infections:
• Persons 65 years of age or older.
• Patients lacking a spleen or with
disease affecting the spleen, such as
sickle cell disease.
• Persons with chronic illnesses
affecting the heart, liver or kidneys.
• Patients with other chronic condi­
tions such as diabetes or impaired resis­
tance to infections, including pneumo­
nia, emphysema and chronic obstruc­
tive pulmonary disease.
CAN BOTH VACCINES BE
GIVEN AT TH E SAME TIM E?
They can be given at the same time
(at a different site) without any increase
in side effects or reduction in protection
against infection.
W HERE CAN I GET THESE
VACCINES?
Influenza vaccine may be obtained
through your physician, hospital or
clinic, or your local health department.
Pneumococcal vacc ine may be obtained
through your physician.
IS M EDICARE OR MEDICAID
REIM BURSEM ENT AVAIL­
ABLE?
At the present time Medicare reim­
bursement is only available for pneu­
mococcal vaccine while Medicaid re­
imbursement isavailable for both influ­
enza ($10.20) and pneumococcal vac­
cine ($16.54).
WHY SHOULD I BE CON­
CERNED ABOUT INFLUENZA
AND PNEUM OCOCCAL PNF.U-
MONIA?
Aside from the inconvenience due
to sickness and disrupted daily activi­
ties, these infections contribute to a
striking increase in hospitalizations and
deaths each year.
Deaths from pneumonia and influ­
enza comprise the sixth leading cause
of death among all Oregonians and the
fifth leading cause of death among resi­
dent 50 years of age and older.
From 1979 through 1989, approxi­
mately 8,000 Oregonians died due to
the effects of pneumonia and influenza.
The average number of deaths each
year during this interval was 727 and
varied from a low of 608 in 1979 to a
high of 924 in 1989. There has been a
steady increase in deaths during this
interval in spite of immunization ac­
tivities directed largely against influ­
enza.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I BE
IM M UNIZED?
Influenza vaccine components are
changed each year to maximize protec­
tion against prevalent viruses and since
the duration of protection is usually less
than 6-8 months, this vaccine should be
obtained on an annual basis.
Pneumococcal vaccine is usually
ad m in iste red only o n ce, but
rcvaccinalions may be indicated for
certain high-risk individuals.
WHEN SHOULD I OBTAIN
THESE VACCINES?
Pneumococcal vaccine may be
given at any time should you fall into
a high-risk group listed above.
Influenza vaccine should be ob­
tained each year before the flu season.
Vaccinations during October and early
November should provide maximum
protection against influenza in Oregon.
Z
.