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Lawmakers call for investigation into unpaid Georgia unemployment claims
Lawmakers call for investigation into unpaid Georgia unemployment claims
ATLANTA - Georgia lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the Department of Labor (GDOL) over a backlog of filed unemployment claims that have not been paid out amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus (GHDC) Subcommittee on COVID-19 submitted a letter to Attorney General Christopher Carr to request an investigation and audit into "the GDOL's inability to process and pay Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits claims in a timely manner."
The legislators say they are concerned that thousands of claims have not been paid to date and have received reports that some Georgians have waited more than six months to receive UI benefit payments.
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In the letter, lawmakers request an audit of GDOL’s processing and payment system based on the department’s adherence to federal regulation to pay claims in a timely manner. Lawmakers also request a separate investigation by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) to further investigate fraud and irregularity allegations.
The subcommittee previously requested Governor Brian Kemp to intervene, and its congressional delegation has submitted a letter to GDOL Commissioner Mark Butler.
Butler released the following statement in response:
The demands and actions of some members of the Georgia House Democratic Caucus Subcommittee on COVID-19 is appalling. I agree that an investigation with Attorney General Carr’s office should take place but needs to focus on the harassment of my employees and my department to pay claims that legally cannot be paid. Their baseless allegations of failure to issue timely payments are not supported by factual information from both the employee and the employer, which is a federal requirement of unemployment determinations.
Since March, over 111,000 claimants applying for regular UI were fired or quit requiring an eligibility review to determine if benefits are approved. Over 113,000 claimants have not worked in 18 months or have no wages. Over 400,000 claimants have reported working but are not showing enough wages to establish a UI claim. More than 31,000 claims have been identified as potential fraud requiring intensive investigation and potential legal action. When issuing state and federal payments, the GDOL must ensure claimants are eligible for benefits in accordance with state and federal requirements. When these requirements are not met, benefits cannot be released. The individuals that shared their stories yesterday on the call had already been contacted before the call even occurred and their claims included discharges, severances, quits, and job refusals.
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