Posted on 01/26/2022 4:09:21 AM PST by gattaca
Arizona made $4 billion in "overpayments to ineligible claimants" and likely won't be able to recoup the funds, according to federal pandemic relief watchdog report.
A fraudster used the same Social Security number to apply for unemployment benefits in 50 states and was able to successfully collect jobless payments worth $222,532 in 29 states, according to the federal government's pandemic oversight monitors.
"State workforce agencies that are a part of the National Association of SWAs Integrity Data Hub could have the ability to crossmatch UI data with other states," read a report from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC). "But as of December 2020, just 32 of 54 SWAs used or partially used the Integrity Data Hub. If a SWA does not have access to another state's UI data, it is limited in its ability to perform multi-state analyses similar to DOL OIG."
The state of Arizona paid out a whopping $1.6 billion to individuals with stolen identities, California paid more than $1 billion in fraudulent claims, and Michigan made almost $4 billion in "overpayments to ineligible claimants," according to the PRAC report, Key Insights: State Pandemic Unemployment Insurance Programs.
"Michigan's Auditor General emphasized that the SWA [State Workforce Agency] will likely be unable to recover the overpayments as the SWA was at fault, not the claimants," the watchdog report found.
Under the March 2020 CARES Act and subsequent stimulus laws, Congress allowed independent contractors to collect weekly unemployment benefits for the first time. A federal bonus payment was added on top of state jobless payments.
The expansion of eligibility for jobless benefits to self-employed individuals created a "once in a lifetime opportunity for every scammer, fraudster and thief in the world," said an identity theft expert in the Indiana Attorney General's office.
The federal government reported the fraud statistics after examining "more than 40 reports from 16 states" to see how they handled jobless benefits at the onset of the pandemic.
The U.S. Department of Labor Inspector General in July of 2021 determined that an estimated $90 billion was paid in fraudulent or improper unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Probably voted at least once in every one of those states, too.
Now why didn’t I think of that?
So did they catch the guy or just recognize that we got taken again?
The dope should have opened a “foundation”. That’s how all the pros in DC become overnight millionaires.
Affirmative action. Minority hiring. Disability checks to bums.
We even give money to fat people. Why? Because they're fat.
200K is peanuts.
I wonder how long ago he entered the country illegally from Mexico.
More proof that government is not a good steward of our tax dollar.
how does one get the fat people money? Asking for a friend ...
Tell your "friend" it usually involves getting put on Social Security "disability" after getting a convincing letter from a doctor and maybe getting a lawyer involved to appeal denials.
Better make that “alleged fraudster”.
The IRS should catch this when reviewing the federal income tax. Come to think of it, TurboTax should ask a question as well when the W-2’s are entered.
Oh that’s nothing that higher taxes and more spending won’t fix.
Under the March 2020 CARES Act and subsequent stimulus laws, Congress allowed independent contractors to collect weekly unemployment benefits for the first time. A federal bonus payment was added on top of state jobless payments.
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FedGov opens the door to grifters then we’re supposed to believe they’re amazed grifting is going on. You can bet the grifting NGOs are all run by friends of the ruling class.
Thats a drop in the bucket compared to what doctors and others in the medical field rob medicare. OR people with food stamps, or section 8 or many other dim-0 programs.
Where do I sign up?
will likely be unable to recover the overpayments as the SWA was at fault, not the claimants,
I wonder if they ever heard of the term unjust enrichment? Seems that was a legal principle I recall hearing about in school many moon ago but then again we live in a changing world now.
And this is the same government that maintains voter registration roles and claims any election fraud claims are unfounded.s
To be fair he was not employed in any of those states.
Uk, ok, so who was it?
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