113 days. No unemployment payments. This school crossing guard says she’s

It’s been 113 days since Carmela Damelio filed for unemployment benefits.

She still hasn’t been paid.

The 79-year-old Chatham woman has worked as a school crossing guard for the last 10 years. Every summer, she said, when school is not in session, she has received unemployment benefits.

But this time she was laid off when schools shut down on March 13 because of the coronavirus outbreak, and she quickly filed her unemployment claim.

In past years, Damelio said, she would file for benefits in person at the Randolph unemployment office. At the office, she would file her claim and then file weekly by calling because she does not have a computer.

It’s never been a problem before.

When she filed this year, the Department of Labor phone system confirmed it had received her claim.

But she’s been unable to certify. The system tells her there is no claim on file, but if she tries to make a new one, it won’t let her because it says there is already a claim on file.

Every time she would call — and she would call often, she said — she was unable to reach an agent and would get cut off by the system.

“Talking to an agent would seal the deal but they are non-available. This has become a cruel hoax of Dungeons and Dragons and at my age, it is a harmful game with a sad ending for myself and the many other vibrant young families who can speed dial and fail,” Damelio said. “This program is a boondoggle, a well-scripted failure for the State of New Jersey.”

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

Damelio said she understands the Labor Department was overwhelmed with claims and she’s been patient, but “feeble public relations blurbs” don’t pay the bills.

“I am presently destitute,” Damelio said.

She said her relatives have been helping with money to supplement her $750 monthly Social Security benefit — from which $140 goes to Medicare premiums.

She noted her crossing guard colleagues are all collecting their benefits, so she doesn’t understand what makes her case any different.

“After months of spending multiple days with dead end, no response calls…” she said. “As of today, the program has failed to deliver.”

It’s failed to deliver for 113 days. How much longer will she have to wait?

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.