Chaos with new Desempleo Digital platform leaves claimants stranded at Hato Rey office
CoquiList · With information from El Nuevo Día
Thousands of people who depend on Unemployment Insurance in Puerto Rico ran into trouble this week with the new digital platform that the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH) launched on Tuesday, September 1, 2026. Within hours, dozens of claimants ended up stranded outside the central Hato Rey office because they could not complete their transactions online, and a security guard closed the gate, telling people they needed to arrive earlier to be served 1.
The system that broke down this week, called Desempleo Digital, is the result of a $21.9 million contract the DTRH signed in 2022, under then-secretary Gabriel Maldonado González, with Geographic Solutions Inc., a Florida-based company 23. Of that amount, $16 million has already been disbursed 3. The goal was to replace nearly 40-year-old infrastructure that ran on the old portal managed by Evertec, which went offline on August 17 so the migration could be completed 2.
The numbers
The new platform absorbs 67,886 registered claimants in the system, of whom between 25,000 and 30,000 are actively receiving benefits right now 2. It also transferred the database of 53,905 employers who handle payroll filings and contributions to the Unemployment Insurance Fund through the Employer Portal 2. Labor Secretary María del Pilar Vélez Casanova explained that the platform incorporates new identity-verification mechanisms to prevent identity theft and improper payments, and warned that under the new security rules "employees will not be able to register a claimant" on someone else's behalf, something that did happen under the old system 2. The agency insists it has been "very careful with everything related to security" in the new system 2.
What this means for you
If you have an active claim or have ever received unemployment benefits, your file has already been migrated to the new system and you need a personal email account to log in, because the DTRH stopped accepting fully in-person transactions after the launch 2. If you get paid by direct deposit, confirm that your bank account is active and correct, since payments are processed using that information inside the new system 2. And if the system throws an error while you try to register, verify your claim, or upload documents, you are not alone: this week's coverage documented lines and confusion at the Hato Rey office barely 24 hours after launch, with a guard shutting the gate because of overwhelming demand 1.
How to do it / Checklist
- Go to desempleo.trabajo.pr.gov/vosnet/default.aspx to register or log in to Desempleo Digital; you will need your Social Security number and the details of your prior claim if you already had an active one 24.
- If you do not have a personal email account, create one before attempting to register; the system requires it to send you notifications and digital correspondence 2.
- Verify that your direct-deposit banking information is correct inside your profile, since checks are no longer issued by default 2.
- Watch the video tutorial the DTRH published on its official page before calling or showing up in person 4.
- If the system fails, call the claims line first at 787-945-7900, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., before going in person 4.
- For general DTRH matters, the main line is 787-754-5353 4.
- If you genuinely need to go to the central Hato Rey office, arrive before opening time: this week security closed the gate on people who arrived late because of the volume of demand 1.
- If you are an employer, log into the Employer Portal to confirm that your account and your employees transferred correctly, since your employees can no longer register claims on your behalf under the new rules 2.
- Keep evidence of every failed attempt (screenshots, date and time) in case you need to claim a late payment later on 12.
What's next
The DTRH has not announced a deadline for fixing the technical glitches that claimants and news outlets documented this week 1. With close to 30,000 people actively collecting benefits and tens of thousands more who could need the system in the coming months, the big question is whether payments will fall behind while the DTRH fixes bugs in a platform that cost nearly $22 million and that, for now, does not offer a full in-person alternative 23. CoquiList will keep monitoring whether the DTRH announces deadline extensions, additional staff at the Hato Rey office, or measures for people who cannot complete their transactions on time.
Sources
1 El Nuevo Día, "Caos en el Departamento del Trabajo con la nueva plataforma Desempleo Digital," September 2, 2026 - https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/economia/notas/caos-en-el-departamento-del-trabajo-con-la-nueva-plataforma-desempleo-digital/ 2 El Nuevo Día, "DTRH lanzará nueva plataforma para reclamar beneficios de desempleo," August 31, 2026 - https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/economia/notas/dtrh-lanzara-nueva-plataforma-para-reclamar-beneficios-de-desempleo/ 3 El Nuevo Día, "Departamento del Trabajo invierte $21.9 millones en nueva plataforma de desempleo," August 29, 2026 - https://www.elnuevodia.com/negocios/economia/notas/departamento-del-trabajo-invierte-219-millones-en-nueva-plataforma-de-desempleo/ 4 Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH), Unemployment Insurance / Desempleo Digital - https://www.trabajo.pr.gov/seguro_por_desempleo.asp
Sources
CoquiList summary and local context. Read the linked sources for the original reporting.
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