13News investigation prompts DWD to act on some pending unemployment claims, but many more remain
Hundreds of Hoosiers from across the state have shared their desperate stories as they wait month after month for a resolution to their unemployment claims. Author: Bob Segall Updated: 10:34 PM EST December 18, 2020
INDIANAPOLIS The Indiana Department of Workforce Development has taken action on a number of pending unemployment cases following a 13News investigation that exposed a severe backlog of unemployment claims across Indiana.
But thousands of other cases remain in limbo, resulting in evictions and homelessness for some Hoosiers who have waited months for DWD to resolve their claims.
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(Indianapolis, Ind.) – Indiana’s unemployment rate is unchanged from October to November.
According to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, the state’s jobless rate stands at 5.0 percent for November.
Indiana’s unemployment rate remains below the national rate of 6.7 percent. The state’s labor force stands at 3.33 million, and the state’s 62.9 percent labor force participation rate remains above the national rate of 61.5 percent.
Among neighboring states, Kentucky has the next lowest unemployment rate at 5.6 percent, followed by Ohio at 5.7 percent. Illinois and Michigan had the same jobless rate for November at 6.9 percent.
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The Indiana Department of Workforce Development is reaching out to try and soften the landing for hundreds of White Stallion Coal employees who were let go earlier this month when the company announced its bankruptcy.
âWe are trying to reach out to all of those employees and let them know what services Workforce Development has available to them,â said Robert King, Workforce Development Region 8 director.
The White Stallion shut down impacted more than 200 employees including 105 miners at the Antioch Mine and 73 at the Billings Mine in Daviess County.
âThis is our rapid response to try and get these people re-employed and training for new jobs,â said King. âWe have a business services team that offers this free of charge and we try to get to the workers as soon as we hear about a layoff.â
December 16, 2020
(INDIANAPOLIS) – An elderly woman receives an overpayment notice on unemployment insurance (UI) claim, though she’s never filed for benefits. A company in southern Indiana discovers that claims have been filed using the names of several senior-level managers. More Hoosier employees are reporting their identities having been stolen to file even more claims across the state.
For the week ending Dec. 5, more than 26,910 initial unemployment claims were filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, a number likely inflated by the rise in fraudulent attempts to file UI claims. Indiana and many other states continue to combat the increase amid new and emerging fraud schemes.