COVID-19 March 28 Update

Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES)

• We continue to receive calls expressing frustration over the accessibility and response time of MDES. We feel your frustration and are trying to help you as best we can.
  • We have relayed these complaints and concerns to Jackie Turner, Executive Director at MDES.
  • She says they normally receive about 600 calls per week, but this week they received 6,000. This gives you an idea of the overwhelming volume of claims they are trying to handle.
  • They have expanded their call hours to 7:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. Claims can be filed by calling 888-844-3577.
  • They have enlisted the WIN job centers to help. The contact information and websites for the WIN job centers can be found at [email protected] and are also listed on our Facebook page.
• IMPORTANT POINT – Your unemployment benefits run from the time of separation from employment, not from the date you file your claim. Some people mistakenly believe that they have to hurry up and file a claim, because they are losing money for each day they do not file their claim. We are told this is not true. You will still receive benefits from the day you lost your job, not from the date you file a claim. Once people realize this, they no longer feel pressure to hurry up and file a claim. Therefore, if you can wait to file your claim, then please do so. This will help alleviate the overwhelming volume of calls at MDES and allow everyone to file a claim without long waits and overwhelming the system.

Update on number of cases.

• 84 new cases reported yesterday.
• Total cases statewide now number 663.
• 115 hospitalized
• Unfortunately, we now have 13 deaths. All the deaths have been over 60 years of age.
• Louisiana has recorded the world’s highest daily growth rate.
• Three dozen people in Arkansas who attended a church event have now tested positive.
• The U.S. just became the nation with the highest number of confirmed cases with over 90,000, overtaking China and Italy.

Call if you need help.

• We have had phone calls to our office forwarded to our staff. If you need any help at all, please call us at 601-359-3300.
• We have also set up an email address for you to ask questions or seek help. That address is [email protected].