Director of unemployment agency in Nevada, state hardest hit by economic downturn, leaves amid

Director of unemployment agency in Nevada, state hardest hit by economic downturn, leaves amid threats to safety


Nevada’s new director of the Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation is leaving the post after less than two months on the job.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said that Heather Korbulic had requested the transfer out of concern for her personal safety. She’ll move back to her previous role as executive director of the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, and an interim director will be determined within the next week, Sisolak said.

Korbulic had become the target of online angst over delays in the payment of unemployment benefits. More than 650,000 applications for benefits have been submitted for regular unemployment and a new federally funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program — levels at historic proportions — in the wake of business shutdowns to curb the spread of coronavirus.

While a majority of eligible claimants have been paid, tens of thousand of claims remain unpaid for a variety of reasons, in spite of DETR staff working thousands of hours of overtime and bringing on additional employees and contractors. Claimants report trouble staying on hold and reaching operators, and indecipherable issues holding up payment.

Read more: https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/director-of-unemployment-agency-in-nevada-state-hardest-hit-by-economic-downturn-leaves-amid-threats-to-safety