More than 4,300 Cullman County residents have applied for unemployment from the state in the past four weeks. According to the Alabama Department of Labor, 1,884 applied in the last week. Across the state, 77,515 Alabamians filed unemployment claims last week, and according to the DOL, nearly all of those claims were related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help people keep track of their unemployment claims, the state has launched a new online tool to enable claimants to see the status of their claim, tell them what the next steps are and what to expect from the department. It includes the following information:

What is My Claim Status? Tells you whether there is a claim in the system and whether it is eligible for benefits. Allows you to find out if there are any issues stopping payment.

What Happens Next? Tells you exactly what you need to do to move your claim or payment to the next step.

When Will I Get Paid? Tells you how much you are entitled to each week. Tells you when your next payment will be made and when you can expect to see it in your bank account.

What Have I Already Been Paid? Shows you each of the payments that have already been paid, when the payments were made, and whether there were any deductions.

I need to reset my PIN: A link will allow you to reset your pin without assistance from ADOL staff.

“We have been working constantly to come up with innovative ways to help Alabamians get the answers they need during this period of uncertainty,” said DOL Secretary Fitzgerald Washington. “We hope that this tool will help people find the information they need without them having to spend hours trying to contact us. We continue to urge patience as we are dealing with record numbers of unemployment compensation claims.”

Claimants can access the tool at labor.alabama.gov. They will need their login information (SSN and pin) to access it.