If you’re looking to verify your identity for unemployment insurance in Arkansas, you’ll soon be able to do it at the Post Office.
Three agencies have teamed up – the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS), the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) – to allow people claiming unemployment insurance to get proof of ID by going to the Post Office.
The USPS is has offices that are local to residents all over the state. The goal is to make it easy for residents to verify their identification – regardless of their location in the state and their access to internet and technology. It’s essential that unemployment claimants verify their identity to prevent fraud.
Digital ID proofing has already been available to Arkansans via Login.gov. This is an additional option, to improve the timeliness of benefit payments while reducing the risk of fraud. According to the USPS, 95% of the U.S. population lives within five miles of a post office.
When you’re applying for UI benefits, and you come to the confirmation page, you can select the Post Office option there, as your option for how to provide proof of ID. The confirmation page is generated for each individual once they’ve submitted an initial application for benefits. Follow the instructions, bring all necessary documents, and review which post office locations are participating near you. A valid government-issued ID is required for ID proofing.
Postal workers at the participating locations are trained to complete ID proofing services only and cannot answer questions about unemployment insurance claims. Individuals with questions about unemployment insurance should call the Unemployment Insurance Service Center at 1-844-908-2178 or visit www.DWS.arkansas.gov for more information.
According to Charisse Childers, Director of the ADWS, “This additional option for meeting the ID proofing requirement will further ensure bad actors are prevented from receiving undue unemployment insurance benefits, which is a focus of Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders under Executive Order 23-04. These new identity-proofing options demonstrate a successful federal and state collaboration and will help ensure the integrity of the unemployment insurance system while expediting benefits when they’re most needed.”