The crush of unemployment claims due to COVID-related layoffs and terminations led the Department of Labor’s system to crash. This caused many applicants to remain in limbo for weeks or even months, receiving no money at all. There were also problems collecting back wages. It was revealed that the DOL’s system operates via COBOL programming. COBOL was first introduced in 1959 and in this day and age it’s a pretty outdated way to run a benefits system. Perhaps our legislature will make replacing it a priority now that the floodgates broke and revealed this major flaw.