Republicans eager for the economy to reopen complain that expanded unemployment benefits are making it difficult for some businesses to keep or rehire their workers.

But many workers across the country who left their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic havent received benefits in the first place.

Elaine Perez of Fort Myers, Florida, said it took her and her husband six weeks just to apply for benefits on the state governments crash-happy website for unemployment claims, and they still havent received any money.

It feels like its designed to make people not want to do it, Perez, 28, said in an interview. Last week her employer asked her to resume her work as an in-home behavioral therapist.

Perez is 38 weeks pregnant, meaning shes potentially at higher risk of serious illness during the pandemic. She doesnt feel safe going back. Yet, if she turns down the work, she could lose eligibility for the benefits she still hasnt received.

Shes among millions of workers caught in this bind, thanks in part to an antiquated unemployment insurance program thats been crushed by the pandemic-fueled recession and in part to earlier decisions by Florida lawmakers to make it difficult to obtain benefits.

The unemployment system in the U.S. is a patchwork of 52 different state-level agencies, mostly understaffed and with technology in varying degrees of decay, overseen by the U.S. Department of Labor. Even in 2014 and 2015, when far fewer people sought benefits, it could take as long as two hours to get through to someone on the phone in a state workforce agency.

When the pandemic forced millions of Americans out of work this spring, these agencies could hardly keep up. Then Congress upped the level of complexity in March, when lawmakers passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act.

The new policies made even more workers eligible for unemployment benefits, extending coverage to independent contractors and gig workers. Most notably, lawmakers created whats been called unemployment on steroids, an extra $600 a week for all beneficiaries. Combined with regular benefits, its more than many of the lowest-wage workers ever earn and twice the federal minimum wage.

The money shouldve been a boon for the legions of unemployed workers. And for many, it has been a lifeline. But states have struggled mightily to distribute the benefits, with some claimants waiting two whole months before theyve seen a penny.

More than 38 million Americans have filed unemployment claims since the coronavirus lockdowns began earlier this year, but barely half had likely been paid as of early May, according to an analysis of Labor Department data by the activist group One Fair Wage .

Republicans, however, are more fixated on the possibility that, because of the extra $600 per week, some workers might turn down job offers.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked President Donald Trump on Tuesday to oppose extending the added $600 past July 31, when its due to expire. Trump did not rule out signing a bill that would extend current benefits, but was sympathetic to Grahams position, calling it a problem.

He agrees that it is hurting the economic recovery, Graham said after meeting with Trump and Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Business groups have long argued against generous benefits, worrying about being forced to raise pay for the lowest-wage workers. And state workforce policies have been designed to make it difficult to win benefits, said One Fair Wage President Saru Jayaraman.

They dont want the benefits to be easy to access because they want people willing to take low-wage jobs, Jayaraman said. We always want to keep a pool of low-wage labor at the ready.

There are some Republicans who acknowledge the problem with benefits not being paid.

The antiquated systems that exist in our states make it difficult to get their base benefits, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) told HuffPost on Wednesday, citing the surge in unemployment claims in South Carolina over the past month.

The good news is you know the money is coming. The bad news is it doesnt help you today, he added.