Author: James McAllister
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Virginia governor announces reduction in initial unemployment claims backlog
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) announced Feb. 21 that the Virginia Employment Commission had reduced the backlog of pending unpaid unemployment insurance claims (that were awaiting a determination of eligibility) from about 25,000 to roughly 16,000 since Jan. 15. The change represented a backlog reduction of about 36%. Youngkin also announced the commission processed about…
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Massachusetts announces end of facial recognition requirement for unemployment insurance
The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance announced Feb. 23 that it would suspend the use of facial recognition technology through ID.me as a way for unemployment insurance claimants to verify their identities. The department cited decreased claim volumes as the basis for the decision. The change still allows claimants to verify their identities virtually through…
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Michigan governor signs bill retroactively waiving able and available to work requirements for pandemic unemployment aid
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) signed a bill on Feb. 28 allowing part-time workers who applied for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to keep their benefits. The law may also allow certain workers who were initially denied pandemic unemployment benefits due to part-time work or inability to work to claim retroactive benefits through appeal to the…
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Idaho governor signs bill locking a lower unemployment tax rate for two years
Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) signed House Bill 450 into law on Feb. 18, lowering Idaho’s unemployment insurance tax rate for the next two years. The state estimated the lower unemployment tax range would save Idaho employers $64 million for the duration of the tax cut. Employers pay state unemployment taxes to fund the unemployment…
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Michigan announces unemployment insurance tax forms for 2021 are available online
The Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency announced Feb. 22, 2022, that 1099-G forms are available for anyone who received unemployment insurance benefits in 2021. Residents who claimed unemployment benefits in 2021 have to have the form to file state and federal tax returns. The form includes information on the amounts of benefits claimants received and the…
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Senators argue against private facial recognition for unemployment insurance proof of identity
U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) published a letter to the U.S. labor secretary on Feb. 15 arguing against the outsourcing of facial recognition and identity verification for unemployment insurance benefits to the private sector. The Senators argued outsourcing unemployment identity verification processes potentially created privacy risks for claimants.…
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U.S. Department of Labor announces grants to help workers apply for unemployment insurance benefits
U.S. Department of Labor announced the allocation of $15 million of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to pilot a program to help workers apply for unemployment insurance benefits. The Department will select five states for the UI Navigator pilot, each receiving $3 million. The states will use that money to partner with labor unions…
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Kentucky unemployment insurance audit identifies problems with system
Kentucky Auditor Mike Harmon’s office released a report identifying nine issues with Kentucky’s unemployment insurance program, including problems with security and the state’s auto-pay system. The report also found that the state paid over $195 million to over 28,000 out-of-state claimants between June 2020 and June 2021. Unemployment insurance refers to a joint federal and…
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Pennsylvania labor secretary reports $570 million in unemployment insurance fraud during pandemic
In testimony before the House Labor and Industry Committee on Feb. 10, 2022, Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Jennifer Berrier estimated that the state paid $570 million of fraudulent unemployment insurance benefits from March 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2021. The fraudulent payments represented about 6.3% of the total unemployment insurance payments made during…
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Alabama allocates American Rescue Plan Act funds to replenish unemployment trust fund
The Alabama Legislature passed a plan for spending American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds on Jan. 27, 2022, directing $79.5 million of the state’s $2.1 billion ARPA allocation to replenish the state’s unemployment trust fund. Following the bill’s passage, Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington announced the state dropped to a lower tax schedule…