Kentucky’s Prison Coronavirus Defense Is Failing
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Incarceration today means frequent lockdowns and isolation, costly fees to stay in touch and fewer people in programs that would reduce time behind bars.
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/author/jbennett/)
Incarceration today means frequent lockdowns and isolation, costly fees to stay in touch and fewer people in programs that would reduce time behind bars.
McNamara took over the unemployment office when it had been depleted and left unprepared for the crush of claims to come.
The state auditor said his findings “should be deeply concerning to taxpayers and those who have filed for UI benefits.”
The most recent federal coronavirus relief package finally grants states that option, but it will have no effect in Kentucky. That’s because debt forgiveness still isn’t allowed under state law.
People in rural areas are typically sicker, older and have less access to regular healthcare than other communities.
KyCIR has documented the unemployment office’s hurried steps to make payments quickly as the pandemic shut down businesses in the spring.
As some Republican legislators are unsatisfied with the program’s results and call for it to be defunded, the program’s director says it’s still saving lives.
The federal government set aside $7 billion in 2009 to modernize the nation’s unemployment systems. Kentucky left its portion on the table.
Education professionals can’t claim unemployment during the summer break that started in Louisville on May 31, a caveat the state doesn’t appear to have made clear when it extended benefits to substitute teachers. Subs who continued to file for unemployment after summer break began are now expected to repay anything the state paid in error.
The USPS released the data in response to a lawsuit. Ballots received in Kentucky will be counted till Friday.