The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations announced its new Unemployment Insurance Call Center will launch on Monday. The state agency also said a streamlined web inquiry form will launch on Dec. 19. 

The call center includes dedicated lines for regular unemployment claims, fraud and identity theft, overpaid benefits, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and employer services. The new call center will guide callers to staff specialists via a menu, while on-hold messages will provide information about UI requirements and answer frequently asked questions. 

“The upgrades will assist the public in obtaining information and support through improved navigation and language access,” said DLIR Director Jade T. Butay. “We’re continuing to roll out upgrades to the existing portal while developing a new platform to replace the legacy application on the mainframe.”

The call center will offer menu options in English, Cantonese, Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. Callers can also access additional interpreter services for other languages.

The new web form will streamline email inquiries. The form will be available in Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chuukese, Marshallese and English.

“Our goal is to make the unemployment insurance system and processes as clear and easy to navigate as possible,” said UI Administrator Anne Perreira-Eustaquio in a statement. “The expanded language options and new enhancements to the platform are part of our ongoing strategy and commitment to providing equitable access to services for Hawaiʻi residents.”

Reach the Statewide UI Call Center at 808-762-5752 or toll-free at 1-833-901-2272. The new web form will be available at labor.hawaii.gov/ui. Free language assistance, including interpreter services and translated documents, remains available to support claimants.