Kansas will use new unemployment debit cards next week. Here’s what you need to know
Kansans who receive unemployment benefits on a Bank of America MasterCard will soon have to transfer to a new debit card because the state changed service providers.
Unemployed workers should have begun to receive the new U.S. Bank ReliaCard in the mail as of July 7, as long as they have read and accepted the disclosure on their unemployment account.
Starting Tuesday, the state will load unemployment benefits issued on or after that date to the new U.S. Bank card.
You might not receive the new debit card by Tuesday if you have not read or accepted the disclosure or verified a current address on file with the state labor department.
To check that you have completed the steps, you can visit www.getkansasbenefits.gov to check your account or call the labor agency’s contact center at 785-575-1460.
You can also check on the status of your new card at www.usbankreliacard.com/web/usbankreliacard/card-order-status-tracker.
The volume at the state labor department’s call center has dropped off since earlier in the year. Agents received an average of more than 41,000 calls a day in late May. Earlier this week, the call center saw an average of about 28,500 calls a day.
The old Bank of America debit card will remain active until Nov. 1. Recipients should use all the funds on the old card before beginning to use the new U.S. Bank debit card.
Once you receive the new card in the mail, you will have to activate it and choose a new personal identification number, or PIN.
Workers who receive their unemployment benefits via direct deposit are not affected by the change in debit card vendors. If you prefer to change your payment method to direct deposit, you can do so at any time under “payment options” on your online account.
If you have questions about the debit cards, you can also contact each vendor directly.
You can call Bank of America at 844-484-0046 or visit www.visaprepaidprocessing.com/governmentcard/home/index.
You can call U.S. Bank at 855-282-6161 or visit www.usbankreliacard.com.
The Kansas Department of Labor continues to remind unemployment recipients this week that many must participate in the new My Reemployment Plan Program in order to continue to receive benefit payments. The program is meant to help create a personalized job search plan and offer assistance to workers looking for new positions.
While the program is ongoing, 12 p.m. Friday is the deadline for the first set of recipients who have been notified to complete first steps.
