Should Record-High COVID-19 Cases Bring Restrictions? It’s Complicated
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The shrinking economic safety net and politics of the moment complicate an otherwise straightforward public health decision.
Government
Legislators To File Bill Preventing Unemployment ‘Overpayment Debt’
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“These people don’t have that money. They paid for groceries, they used the money,” Sen. Nemes said. “That’s what unemployment is for. When you are unemployed you get your unemployment insurance and you pay your bills so you can get back to work.”
coronavirus
Gov. Beshear: Save Unemployment Money In Case Of Overpayment Debt
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Gov. Andy Beshear acknowledged that Kentucky mistakenly overpaid people who requested unemployment benefits — and advised recipients to save that money.
Government
Beshear Says Federal Changes Responsible For Unemployment Confusion
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It’s unclear if state officials ever communicated the change to out-of-work Kentuckians after the state received new guidance in April.
Top Story
Gov. Beshear Offered ‘Self-Quarantine’ Unemployment. Now State Is Backtracking — And Billing
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In a written decision, a state official said self-quarantining isn’t a legitimate reason to claim unemployment – and that the governor never told a private citizen to leave their job.
coronavirus
With Coronavirus Cases In Jail Rising, A Bail Fund Steps Up Its Work
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Despite the contagious virus taking root inside the jail, judges continue to set bail amounts that are out of reach for some people. Government agencies lean on a set of narrow parameters when deciding who gets set free. The pandemic is also leading to delayed court hearings for some people, resulting in extended stays behind bars where they risk infection.
The result: Hundreds of people stuck in a cramped jail as a dangerous, contagious virus spreads, infects and, in some cases, kills. Many inmates and their families are turning to bail funds for a shot at getting out of confinement.
Gov. Andy Beshear
Kentucky Violated Federal Rules In Rush To Pay Some Unemployment Benefits
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Kentucky officials likely underpaid some workers and overpaid others who weren’t eligible for the benefits they received.
Coronavirus
6 Young Kentuckians Known To Have Rare But Serious MIS-C, Linked To Coronavirus
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Six cases of a rare coronavirus-related inflammatory condition have been identified in Kentucky youth since March, according to public records from the state. Case data suggest the syndrome is disproportionately impacting young people of color. MIS-C, or multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, has been identified in Kentuckians as young as five and as old as 19. Symptoms of the rare but serious condition include the inflammation of multiple body parts, fever, rash or vomiting. The cause of MIS-C is unknown, though it’s linked to the new coronavirus.
coronavirus
In Kentucky, Unemployment Checks Are Docked For Old State Debts
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The state is required to collect when a person has been overpaid in unemployment benefits — even if it wasn’t their fault. That means some are learning about their state debt only after they’re in need of unemployment again.
Government
Fired Unemployment Director Testifies About Chaotic Pandemic Response
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The former executive director of the Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance told legislators Thursday the agency’s chaotic rush to deliver benefits in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic led to months-long delays — and may have violated federal unemployment regulations.
Muncie McNamara testified before the Interim Joint Committee on Economic Development and Workforce Investment. The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting first reported the details of McNamara’s time at the Office of Unemployment Insurance earlier this month; he was hired personally by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman in January and fired in May, amid the chaos of the pandemic.
McNamara spoke for almost half an hour about the issues he saw at the agency. After his testimony, Republican lawmakers questioned him about Gov. Andy Beshear’s response, the months-long delays and data security. Only one Democratic lawmaker was called on to ask questions.
McNamara told legislators that neither he nor Josh Benton, the Deputy Secretary for the Cabinet for Education and Workforce Development, were consulted before Beshear announced a statewide shutdown of in-person business that led to a massive spike in unemployment.
According to McNamara, Beshear and Benton wanted to quickly extend benefits to independent contractors and other workers who previously wouldn’t have qualified.
“[Benton] stated he wanted to do this as soon as possible, and he did not want to wait for the feds, the U.S. Department of Labor, to act,” McNamara testified. “He wanted Kentucky to take the lead in this.”
McNamara said that decision to move quickly at the beginning has contributed to the months-long delays for benefits the state is now trying to untangle.