After capacity reached in Tulsa, unemployment event extends to Ardmore

(TULSA, Okla.) The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission is having an unemployment processing event at a third location this month, after previous events in Oklahoma City and Tulsa all hit capacity. The new in-person, socially distanced claim processing events will be held at the Ardmore Convention Center, located at 2401 N. Rockford Road, on July 29 and 30. The event will run from 7am to 7pm both days. As with other events, passes will be given out in advance, beginning at 9 a.m. on July 28 at the Ardmore Convention Center. Officials said overnight camping is strongly discouraged. Claims to be serviced include: PUA - Filed Once and Locked Out PUA - Never Filed Credit Card Never Received Fraudulent Claims Language or Technological Assistance UI Initial Claim Filing Assistance Conduent staff will also be available to help with OESC Fraud and Credit Card issues. OESC’s offices in Ardmore, Ada, Ardmore and Durant offices will be closed on July 29 and 30 to support the events. Passes for this week's claim processing events in Tulsa were handed out at the Tulsa Fairgrounds on Tuesday on a first come, first serve basis until they hit capacity. It took less than an hour for all the passes to be gone. Each claimant is asked to bring their dated and numbered pass back to the River Spirit Expo on their specific day. The agency expects to help more than 2,000 people in Tulsa alone this week. Tulsa’s events on July 15 and 16 also quickly hit capacity. OESC said those who could not make it into the Tulsa event are encouraged to seek help at their local offices and with virtual agents. We’re told their Muskogee, Okmulgee, Sapulpa, and downtown Tulsa offices are temporarily closed to staff the Tulsa events, but all other statewide locations are open to help people. Additional information can be found here: https://oklahomaworks.gov/about/oklahoma-works-centers/ Officials said they have helped more than 8,000 Oklahomans at their previous events so far. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Oklahoma unemployment rate dropped from 12.6 percent to 6.6 from May to June. Data shows the number of people on unemployment decreased by 113,643. Meanwhile, the number of employed people increased by 56,409. No word on what happened to those other 57,234 people.