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With fraud bogging down the state's unemployment system, Lawrence residents and organizations left without answers | News, Sports, Jobs - Lawrence Journal-World: news, information, headlines and events in Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., is pictured Aug. 20, 2015. Lawrence resident Ben Turner’s most recent meal consisted of beans and cornbread, and his two kids have been relying mostly on the cafeteria food and small cartons of milk the school district has been handing out to families during the coronavirus pandemic. Like others, Turner has been waiting on extended unemployment benefits from the Kansas Department of Labor, which were funded by the federal coronavirus stimulus package approved by Congress at the end of December. He hopes the money will hit his account soon, but it’s been weeks, and he’s losing sleep as food runs low and expenses pile up.

Audit: Bogus unemployment claims may have cost Kansas $600M

Audit estimate: $600 million in fraudulent unemployment claims paid in Kansas

Audit estimate: $600 million in fraudulent unemployment claims paid in Kansas Figures are double the estimates provided by Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration Share Updated: 6:45 PM CST Feb 24, 2021 Figures are double the estimates provided by Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration Share Updated: 6:45 PM CST Feb 24, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript REPORTER: TONIGHT, MAJOR DISAGREEMENT, OVER HOW MUCH MONEY THE KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR HAS PAID TO SCAMMERS. >> ULTIMATELY WE ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 600 MILLION IN UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS PAID IN KANSAS IN 2020 COULD HAVE BEEN FRAUDULENT. REPORTER: WEDNESDAY, THIS NEW STATE AUDIT SAYS SCAMMERS COULD HAVE STOLEN $600 MILLION IN UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS FROM THE STATE OF KANSAS. $200 MILLION FROM STATE’S UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND. $400 MILLION FROM FEDERAL PANDEMIC PROGRAMS. >> WE RAISED SEVERAL AREAS OF CONCERN WITH THE AUDIT AS CONDUCTED. REPORTER: BUT LABOR LEADERS, AND GOVERNOR KELLY’S OFFICE SAY THE FIGURES ARE LOWER. ESTIMATING $140 MILLION TAKEN FROM THE STATE. $150 MILLION FROM THE FEDS. >> FROM WHAT WE CAN TELL, KANSAS WAS A MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM THAN MANY OTHER STATES. REPORTER: LAWMAKERS HAVE SLAMMED THE DEPARTMENT SAYING THEY DIDN’T CATCH FRAUD SOON ENOUGH. WITH DEPARTEMNT LEADERS, FIGHTING BACK SAYING OTHER STATES ARE SEEING THE SAME PROBLEMS. >> THAT KANSAS IS SOMEHOW, THE ONLY STATE OR AN OUTLIER OR NUMBER ONE AND FRAUD IS CATEGORICALLY FALSE AND

Legislative audit pegs Kansas unemployment fraud at $600 million; KDOL says it's bunk

Legislative audit pegs Kansas unemployment fraud at $600 million; KDOL says it's bunk Dion Lefler and Katie Bernard, The Wichita Eagle Feb. 24—Kansas Legislative auditors are estimating that fraudulent claims accounted for at least $600 million worth of unemployment payments since the COVID-19 pandemic started last year — twice the rate the state Department of Labor is acknowledging. Popular Searches "Of the roughly $2.6 billion in state and federal unemployment benefits paid in Kansas in 2020, we estimated about $600 million (24%) could have been fraudulent," said a report prepared by the Legislative Division of Post Audit and presented to a joint House/Senate committee on Wednesday.

Kansas reports $290M in bogus unemployment claims in 2020

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas may have paid $600 million worth of bogus claims for...

Audit: Bogus unemployment claims may have cost Kansas $600M

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas may have paid $600 million worth of bogus claims for...

Audit: Bogus unemployment claims may have cost Kansas $600M

Audit: Bogus unemployment claims may have cost Kansas $600M

Audit: Bogus unemployment claims may have cost Kansas $600M

Kansas Governor Picks Lawrence Official To Run Labor Department

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday tapped a Lawrence woman who has technology experience to run the Kansas Department of Labor, which has struggled to process a surge in claims from workers who lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. Amber Shultz will serve as acting labor secretary until the state Senate confirms her as the new head of the agency, the governor’s office said in a news release. Kelly’s first labor secretary, Delia Garcia, resigned in June amid problems with the system for distributing unemployment benefits. Her replacement, Acting Secretary Ryan Wright was allowed by law to serve only six months. In December, Acting Secretary Brett Flachsbarth became the third person to lead the department while the governor worked to find a permanent leader for the agency.