All of us at the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development are committed to providing the best service possible. Because of a high telephone call volume, many of our clients are having a hard time getting through on the phones to file for unemployment insurance benefits. We know this can be frustrating and would like to offer some tips to make things as convenient as possible.

The Employment Security Division has made improvements to meet the increasing demand for benefits during this time of economic change. We have increased our claim center staff, with more on the way, and we have optimized our phone hours. You can now reach us Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Paying benefits accurately and timely is our highest priority. We have even more improvements planned for the future. We appreciate your patience as we work to improve our services.

Here are some tips you can follow to speed processing of your claim for benefits:

• You must use the same myAlaska account each time you access the unemployment insurance (UI) Web site.
• If you have forgotten the myAlaska account you used for UI benefits, call myAlaska Help Center for assistance.
• Set up direct deposit at the time you file your new claim for a faster and safer method of payment.
• Print and read your Confirmation Page. It provides additional instructions for receiving benefits.

• Juneau: (907) 465-5552
• Anchorage: (907) 269-4700
• Fairbanks: (907) 451-2871
• All other areas: (888) 252-2557

• Calls are answered in the order they are received, so stay on the line.
• If you receive a busy signal it means all lines are occupied. Please be patient and try again later.
• You can call from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• The best times to call are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the afternoon.
• The worst times to call are Monday and Friday.
• Using a landline will save your cell-phone minutes.