Cleveland, OH

She lost her job. So why wouldn’t Ohio pay her unemployment benefits?

Published

3 months ago

March 12, 2026

She lost her job. So why wouldn’t Ohio pay her unemployment benefits?

CLEVELAND — A Cleveland resident said she is owed over $5000 in unemployment funds after the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) abruptly stopped paying her benefits.

“This is a system that’s in place to support me should I need it – and I did – and it was just a complete nightmare and a headache,” Jenna Berris said.

A money mystery

After she lost her job last September, Berris applied for unemployment benefits from the ODJFS.

Initially, the process worked as it was supposed to. She filed for benefits each week, along with submitting proof she was searching for a new position.

“The first couple weeks, I got my money,” she said.

But then, she said her payments abruptly stopped.

Berris said she would call ODJFS every Monday after filing for benefits on Sunday to ask why she wasn’t receiving payments.

“No one seemed to be able tell me what was going on,” she said.

A waiting game

Berris said she kept track of the time she spent on the phone waiting for answers from ODJFS.

She estimates she spent at least sixty hours on hold trying to find out why she had stopped receiving benefits.

“They (ODJFS) would do something in their system and say, ‘You know, you should be paid.’ — and it never happened. This went on for eight weeks,” she said.

At the same time, she said she was searching for a job, prepping for interviews, and writing resumes and cover letters.

She said trying to get to the bottom of why she stopped receiving benefits “just added a lot of extra stress to my plate.”

Berris said she was eventually told she had missed a deadline to upload her resume to the state’s system.

But Berris, who works in the technology sector, said she does not recall receiving any notifications about the requirement.

“The system is poorly designed,” she said. “I think it’s both a tech problem and a communications problem.

“The system is super antiquated… so you’re navigating back and forth but, also, any time you receive a communication, whether it’s about why your claim has been denied or why your claim is going for an appeal, it’s written in this complex legal jargon that I can’t understand, that I’m sure most people can’t understand,” she said.

A call for OH to ‘step up its game’

OH Rep. Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) was not surprised to hear Berris’s story.

“The state should … be stepping up its game,” he said. “We need to hold them accountable as well as to what they’re doing and what they’re not doing to help the citizens.”

Brewer said his office has received numerous phone calls and e-mail messages from constituents who are struggling to obtain unemployment benefits.

He said constituents complained about problems involving uploading information, updating information, and not receiving information from ODJFS.

He also said constituents complained about long wait times when they call, getting hung up on, and never receiving return phone calls.

It’s been six years since a massive surge in unemployment claims during the pandemic exposed Ohio’s unemployment system was antiquated, fragile and easily overwhelmed.

He said the state has improved measures to identify fraudulent claims, but should also improve systems to help claimants, like Berris.

“We (Ohio) should have been there to make sure everything she submitted was submitted on time, correctly and in a timely manner, so she can receive those benefits,” he said.

ODJFS response

ODJFS does not comment on specific cases.

However, in an email to News 5, a spokesperson said the agency regularly experiences an increase in claims during the winter months, which it started seeing in November 2025.

He said the federal shutdown last fall “delayed the hiring and training of our contract staff into December,” which is “partially responsible for some of the delays.”

He also said wait times for callbacks from ODJFS are improving.

At the beginning of February, the average wait time for callbacks was about 21.3 hours.

By the end of the month, it was within 5.6 hours.

The endgame

Berris said she recently got a new job, but drained her savings to stay afloat after the state stopped paying her unemployment benefits.

“I was unemployed for about five months and I didn’t receive payments for about half of that time,” she said.

Even though she’s now employed, Berris is still fighting to receive compensation from ODJFS.

She filed an appeal with the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Review Commission, which reconsiders ODJFS cases.

She said she had been on a decision from the commission since January. She said the commission should authorize the release of unemployment funds to her.

“This is money that I was counting on for survival during that time,” she said.

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Cleveland, OH

Yankees Take Another in Cleveland

Published

2 hours ago

June 10, 2026

Press Room

The Cleveland Guardians fell to the New York Yankees, again, tonight. Dropping game two in this series gives New York the series win and puts the Guardians five games above .500.

Slade Cecconi had a strong outing and is looking like he is hitting a groove. Cecconi went 5.0 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks. He struck out two batters.

The Guardians scored 2 runs on 10 hits and 4 walks. Both runs came in the bottom of the third inning.

With two quick outs to start the inning, José Ramírez hit a single to center, then reached second on his 24th stolen base of the season. Chase DeLuter singled to center, scoring José from second. Kyle Manzardo drew a walk and Rhys Hoskins was hit by pitch to load them up. Angel Martínez singled to Paul Goldschmidt at first base who made a diving catch. Goldschmidt lobbed the ball to the pitcher with just enough arch that Angel was able to slide into first and beat out the tag.

In the top of the fourth, Travis Bazzana made a great sliding catch to end the inning.

The Guards bullpen did their best to hold it down, all things considering. Colin Holderman walked a batter in his inning of work. Tim Herrin gave up a run in his second inning of work, a solo shot to Jazz Chisolm Jr. He fell to 0-2 on the season, recording the loss. The home run was the only hit he allowed. Matt Festa finished the eighth inning, allowing only one other hit. Shawn Armstrong closed the game, keeping the Yankees at bay, but the damage was already done

This team is going through a funk that seems like it could be easily fixed with a couple of pieces or strategic moves. Tonight they left 13 runners on base and were 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position. While the hot start to this season is providing the buffer they need for these sorts of slumps, something needs to improve soon or the White Sox will be taking ahold of first place in the AL Central before we know it.

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Cleveland, OH

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 6/9/26

Published

12 hours ago

June 9, 2026

Press Room

New York Yankees vs. Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 6/9/26

Bryan Armetta offers up a preview, prediction and pick for Tuesday’s MLB game between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians.

It took ten innings, but the Yankees (39-26) eked out a 7-5 win on Tuesday. New York is in a dead heat with the rival Rays for first place in the AL East. As for the Guardians (37-31), winning the lackluster AL Central isn’t their biggest challenge. Cleveland is hoping to prove it can take down the Junior Circuit’s best squads. A victory tonight over the hated Pinstripes would go a long way tonight.

The Yankees are favorites (-123) over the Guardians, with the over/under set at 8.5 runs. Below, I’ve laid out my preview, prediction, and best bet for Tuesday’s showdown between New York and Cleveland on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Yankees vs. Guardians pick, best bet

Yankees vs. Guardians under 8.5 runs (-103): Cole is too good of a pitcher to get beat by the same squad twice in one week. It’s not as if Cleveland’s bats come into this one on a hot streak either. As for Cecconi, continued use of the curveball will be key this evening. He’s already shown an ability to keep New York’s potent lineup in check.

Yankees vs. Guardians prediction, preview

New York was dealt a significant blow last week with the loss of Aaron Judge (ribs). Fortunately, there’s more than enough offensive firepower on this squad going forward. The duo of Ben Rice (184 wRC+) and Cody Bellinger (138 wRC+) have been terrific this season for the Bronx Bombers. As a unit, the Yankees are averaging an American League-best 5.09 runs per game. To boot, they lead all of baseball with 95 home runs. No matter how you slice it, this team can swing the bat with the best of them.

That makes this a tricky spot for Slade Cecconi this evening. The right-hander has produced a mediocre 4.92 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 54 strikeouts (7.2 K/9). With that being said, the 27-year-old is fresh off of a six-inning, one-run outing against New York. The outing saw Cecconi mix in more curveball usage, arguably his most effective pitch. Over his last five starts, the right-hander has accounted for a 3.04 ERA. Yankees batters are slashing .167/.211/.328 against the curveball this season. Cecconi excels at limiting free passes (2.8 BB/9). New York’s offense works 4.26 walks per game, third-most in the majors.

On the other side, it’ll be Gerrit Cole toeing the slab. Over three starts this season, the former Cy Young winner owns a 2.00 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 14 strikeouts (7.0 K/9). He gave up four earned runs over 5.1 innings last week vs. Cleveland. Still, there’s a decent chance the six-time All-Star enjoys more success tonight. The Guardians own a .678 OPS against right-handed pitching, fifth-worst in the league. In his last six meetings with Cleveland, postseason included, Cole has a 3.03 ERA.

The newest weapon in Cole’s arsenal is a changeup, which he’s thrown 16% of the time. Other off-speed weapons include the slider (16%) and curveball (12%). Against those three offerings, the Guardians own a .197 batting average, .267 on-base percentage and .267 wOBA. The team has also scored 37 runs over their previous ten contests, fifth-fewest in baseball during that stretch. Cleveland is averaging 4.03 runs per game at home, seventh-worst in the league this season.

Best Bet: Yankees vs. Guardians under 8.5 runs (-103)

Last week aside, Cole has been terrific this season. I’d expect New York’s ace to bounce back against a subpar Cleveland lineup. As for the Guardians, Cecconi is finally starting to get comfortable on the mound. Facing a Yankees lineup without Judge should lead to another decent performance on Tuesday. At 8.5 runs, this total feels a bit too high.