This is the main support number for Ohio's Job and Family Services Office of Unemployment Insurance Operations. An automated menu says that call volume is higher than average and to visit their website if you can't reach an agent. It also says to go online for information on fraud and scams. You're then prompted to press 1 to continue in English, and the message is repeated in various languages. After selecting a language, they provide options for employers, pandemic unemployment assistance, and all other calls. The numbers to press change with each call as a preventative measure against fraud.
After choosing the third option, the automated message asked me to enter two random numbers to confirm I was a human. You're then required to verify your identity before speaking to an agent. I already have an account with them, so I was asked for my SSN, date of birth, and the six numbers from my driver's license. Once it verified I was a living human with a valid identity, it transferred me to an agent.
I was on hold for about half an hour before my call was picked up. The agent verified my identity information again and quickly answered my relatively simple question. However, it seems I was a bit lucky. In July 2023, thousands of claimants were locked out of their accounts due to fraudulent activity. Ever since then, the average hold time has been several hours, with many callers just getting a message to call back at another time. Even if you reach a human, many don't have answers and transfer you elsewhere or say they'll call you back. It seems to be a mixed bag on whether you'll get a callback; sometimes, the problem is resolved, and they don't need to call you, and other times, you have to call them again.
The automated phone message often encourages you to apply for assistance, report fraud, and more through the website rather than over the phone. However, if you have an existing account that's been locked, you may have no choice but to call. The state has added a new method to unlock your account online, but some users are still reporting issues with this. It's unclear when or if the call volume will lighten since both new and ongoing claims are getting extra scrutiny. A security flaw in the website (since fixed) allowed bad actors to log into accounts using fake credentials, so the understaffed office is facing illegitimate claims coming from legitimate user accounts.
I'd recommend using the Ohio Office of Unemployment's website rather than calling if that's an option. If you have simple questions, an agent can probably answer them over the phone, but you may end up waiting quite a while. If you have a more complicated issue, you might have to deal with several transfers to agents who don't have answers. Phones are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, except for holidays.
This is Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation's best phone number, the real-time current wait on hold and tools for skipping right through those phone lines to get right to a Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation agent. This phone number is Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation's best phone number because 7,008 customers like you used this contact information over the last 18 months and gave us feedback. Common problems addressed by the customer care unit that answers calls to 877-644-6562 include Eligibility question, Claims, Collecting benefits, Missed payments, File application and other customer service issues. Rather than trying to call Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation first, consider describing your issue first; from that we may be able to recommend an optimal way to contact them via phone or web. In total, Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation has 1 phone number. It's not always clear what is the best way to talk to Ohio Office of Unemployment Compensation representatives, so we started compiling this information built from suggestions from the customer community. Please keep sharing your experiences so we can continue to improve this free resource.
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