COVID and the Unemployment Insurance Crisis
In Ky. Unemployment Office, 400,000 Unread Emails And Payment Troubles
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The state auditor said his findings “should be deeply concerning to taxpayers and those who have filed for UI benefits.”
Coronavirus
How Kentucky Missed Out On A $90 Million Unemployment Upgrade
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The federal government set aside $7 billion in 2009 to modernize the nation’s unemployment systems. Kentucky left its portion on the table.
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.
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
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.
Government
Josh Benton To Leave Role At Education and Workforce Development
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Benton has been the face of the state’s unemployment office in recent months.
Government
Well-Connected Unemployment Director Quietly Fired Amid Crisis
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The head of the Office of Unemployment Insurance was quietly fired on May 5, amid an unprecedented number of jobless claims, a race to overhaul an archaic computer system and a belatedly-reported data breach.