During the COVID-19 pandemic, most of Hawaii’s workers directly encountered — painfully so, for many — the state’s clunky unemployment insurance (UI) claims system. The pandemic is now over, but the state’s upgrades continue on the UI mainframe.

Starting Friday, UI claimants should know that the web portal now has an extra layer of security, for fraud detection and prevention measures. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations will require UI applicants to enter a verification code in order to proceed. As post-pandemic reports revealed, many programs were hit by fraud, so it makes sense for states to step up security protocols — even if it might make the claims process a bit more cumbersome.