Filings for unemployment benefits are soaring because of coronavirus related layoffs, putting stress on state jobless claims systems. Last week, new claim filings rose 70,000 to 281,000 last week.

At the same time, “there were reports of several states’ unemployment insurance websites crashing. Other states have dangerously low trust funds that soon could be overwhelmed by benefits-seekers,” according to a recent Bloomberg Law article.

The states are turning to the U.S. Department of Labor for assistance in maneuvering through this influx. WorkingNation president Jane Oates formerly serves as an undersecretary at the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration. She spoke to Bloomberg Law about the collaboration.

She told them that she hopes the partnership works “because they’re going to be able to predict some challenges and they’re going to be able to make sure those challenges are dealt with before it gets operationalized.”

You can read more about the impact of new claims on the unemployment system in the full article at Bloomberg Law: States Slammed With Jobless Claims Turn to Labor Agency for Aid.