An audit of the state’s unemployment agency has determined that nearly 400,000 emails sent through Kentucky’s unemployment insurance assistance link between March 19 and May 10 remained unread and were archived by Governor Andy Beshear’s administration.
This is the latest in a series of deficiencies related to the governor’s handling of unemployment benefits in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March.
State Auditor Mike Harmon had previously found the state still does not have a good handle on how much it may owe in claims from the previous fiscal year that ended in June.
Harmon said the unread emails could have included questions about issues or problems for the department to answer or even just general questions.
click to download audioHarmon’s office also said the state’s office of unemployment insurance made mistakes and violated federal law as they rushed to handle tens of thousands of new claims in March and April as the result of pandemic restrictions handed down by Beshear that put people out of work.
Amy Cubbage, a labor cabinet attorney, said the department simply didn’t have enough people to answer all of the emails.
click to download audioGovernor Andy Beshear continued to point the finger at others as contributing factors for the shortcomings of the unemployment insurance process.
click to download audioHarmon said the state improperly backdated unemployment claims early in the pandemic and paid claimants for weeks in which they were not unemployed. He added the state did not ask people for an eight-week period to submit weekly wage information to determine their eligibility for benefits. Instead, Harmon said they set the claims to “auto-pay,” which resulted in overpayments that the state may be required to collect later.
Beshear said changing guidance from the federal government was something that Kentucky and other states dealt with when trying to get their jobless claims paid.
click to download audioBeshear didn’t indicate Tuesday how many jobless claims remain unpaid although he did say that number should be lower by the end of this week.
The state has set up a virtual appointment system for people who still haven’t been paid. Last month, Cubbage said there were 16 staff members handling 125 appointments a day. There have been complaints that people can’t access the website to make their appointment or haven’t received a phone call once they have. Cubbage said people need to answer their phone.
click to download audioBeshear’s administration responded in writing to each of Harmon’s 25 findings but did not address the finding of the 400,000 unread emails.
