The Kentucky Office of Unemployment Insurance on Nov. 4 began requiring unemployment insurance claimants in the state to verify their identity with ID.me, a third-party verification provider, in order to receive benefits. The new verification requirements are aimed at limiting fraudulent unemployment insurance claims in the state.
Fraudulent unemployment insurance claims have, according to Labor Cabinet Secretary Jamie Link, periodically overwhelmed Kentucky’s unemployment insurance program during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and prevented the timely processing of valid claims. Kentucky paid $637.5 million in fraudulent unemployment claims between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“This strategic move is expected to help reduce the number of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims that have been a drag on the program,” said Link in a statement. “It will significantly reduce the amount of time our employees spend working on, or even handling, fraudulent claims and allow us to realign our resources to help those claimants who have waited far too long for assistance.”
Kentucky joins more than two dozen states already using ID.me to verify the identities of unemployment insurance claimants.
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