Report: Kentucky state workers claimed unemployment benefits for themselves washingtonexaminer.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonexaminer.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The paper also reported that two workers within the Office of Unemployment Insurance Integrity Branch used an internal online chat forum to complain about their salaries and how even part-time workers were reaping benefits. Those individuals then filed claims themselves.
According to the report, one state worker said her part-time job as a choir assistant at her church was cut even though the church received a Paycheck Protection Program loan to cover that and other positions. Another worker claimed unemployment because he lost his part-time basketball coaching job. In actuality, the teamâs season ended before the pandemic began.
During a media briefing Thursday, Beshear told reporters he ordered the investigation, saying it was unacceptable and unethical for state workers to do that.
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By TOM LATEK
Kentucky Today Apr 16, 2021 Brannock, Kim S (Education Cabinet)
FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) - There were some possible signs of an improving economy on Thursday. Kentuckyâs jobless rate in March declined from the previous month as did the number of jobless claims nationwide.
Kentuckyâs seasonally adjusted preliminary March 2021 unemployment rate was 5%, according to the Kentucky Center for Statistics, part of the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. That was down 0.2% from February, but up 0.8% from the 4.2% recorded for the state one year ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic really took hold with mass lay-offs.
âTwo main factors contributed to the lower unemployment rate in March,â said Mike Clark, the University of Kentuckyâs Center for Business and Economic Research Director. âFirst, more people were employed, indicating the economy is continuing to recove
Beshear called the fraud of the employees ‘unacceptable’.
click to download audioThe inspector general’s report said workers in the Office of Unemployment Insurance applied for jobless benefits to which they knew that they weren’t entitled and that certain state workers filed for jobless benefits without disclosing their continued full-time state employment on their claims. Rules require all jobs and wages to be identified.
The report also said workers improperly accessed their own and friends’ jobless benefits claims in order to review them, and in some instances, override stops placed on them and help process them.
While Beshear didn’t get into specifics, he said criminal charges could happen if prosecutors decide to take up the case.
While thousands waited for help, state workers gamed the system to collect jobless benefits yahoo.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from yahoo.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.