Kansas’ 43-year-old mainframe computer can’t keep up with today’s unemployment claims

Article by The Kansas City Star Editorial Board.

The state of Kansas is relying in part on a 43-year-old mainframe computer to process tens of thousands of coronavirus unemployment claims.

No, the state’s ancient digital hardware isn’t completely responsible for the crushing delays in processing some of those claims. Confusion, fear, a shortage of trained workers and a lack of guidance from Washington have also contributed to unacceptable delays in getting cash to people who desperately need it.

But using a 1977 computer for 2020 unemployment payments should anger every Kansan because it reveals a stark truth: Lawmakers and governors in both parties have left the state’s safety net full of gaping holes, through which thousands of Kansans are now falling. […]

Click here to view original web page at www.kansascity.com