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Marty Wegbreit is about to retire after 43 years of providing legal assistance to Virginians who need it, including 19 at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society in Richmond.
Relief could be on the way to Virginians facing big bills for receiving overpayments of unemployment benefits - through no fault of their own - during the COVID-19 pandemic.
One bill would expand the Virginia Employment Commission's ability to grant waivers in situations where it would go against "good conscience" to demand the money back. Another bill would require the commission to write off nonfraudulent overpayments after five years with good cause, or if the individual has filed for bankruptcy or died.
More than three and a half years since the COVID-19 pandemic began, almost 45,000 Virginians are still waiting for their appeals to be heard on claims for unemployment insurance during the public health emergency.
The Virginia Employment Commission is moving forward in addressing a backlog of unemployment cases linked to the pandemic, according to Chief Deputy Commissioner Jeff Ryan.