Measure will allow focus on fighting UI benefit fraud
U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight, and Danny K. Davis (D-IL-07), the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, released the following joint statement on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) announcement today that they will allow states to waive repayment of certain unemployment insurance benefit overpayments when the recipient was not at fault.
“Congress acted swiftly and decisively to expand pandemic-related unemployment benefits that protected millions of Americans who found themselves without a job during the COVID crisis. These unprecedented benefits met a moment of great need, keeping families afloat, safe from the virus, and connected to the labor force. As evidenced by last week’s jobs report, Americans are increasingly back at work and we are building a strong economic recovery, even in the face of unprecedented public health challenges.
“At the same time, delivering these benefits was a herculean undertaking for states, and they continue to face operational challenges as they dig out of their own pandemic hardships. We are pleased with today’s announcement to expand the use of ‘blanket waivers,’ easing the states’ burdens and allowing them to focus on fighting real fraud, particularly large-scale, coordinated operations. Furthermore , these waivers will reduce paperwork and other burdens on individuals who were overpaid long ago due to state errors and are now dealing with the challenges of work during a pandemic.”
This relief was requested by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA), whose membership is comprised of workforce agencies in all 50 states.
Original source can be found here.
