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State Senate President Calls Unemployment Issues ‘Catastrophic Government Failure’
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The top leader of the Ohio Senate says the issues with the state’s unemployment compensation system represent a catastrophic government failure. Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima) says Ohio’s unemployment compensation fund has been plagued by insolvency, technical issues and long wait times. “This catastrophic government failure is the result… Read More
More Unemployment Claims Flagged For Possible Fraud, Slowing Down Benefits
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Filings for unemployment benefits had been slowly ticking up in January. But the last two weeks of reported numbers show an explosion of claims. And the state’s job and family services agency is now flagging tens of thousands of claims filed in those last two weeks. Around 50,000 jobless claims… Read More
Ohio Is Finding More Cases Of Fraud In Its Unemployment Processing System
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Some of the more than 140,000 Ohioans who have recently filed for unemployment may not be getting their checks soon due to another problem with fraud in the system for processing those claims. Many claims have been put on hold while the state investigates why there’s a 200% spike… Read More
DeWine Previews Change Coming For Unemployment Filing System
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — People around Ohio are lodging complaints about the state’s unemployment compensation filing portal. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says an unprecedented influx of people applying for benefits continues to weigh down the system. DeWine says the state will soon be entering into a partnership with the private sector to help run… Read More
State Working On Plan For Private Sector To Help Run Unemployment Filing System
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Thousands of Ohioans says they’re struggling to file unemployment claims through the state’s system that is slow and unresponsive. Gov. Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) says the state is doing a complete overhaul to address the issue. The high number of people in Ohio filing for unemployment, the extension of unemployment benefits,… Read More
Why Ohio’s Unemployment System Might Not Be Fixed Soon
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Ohio’s unemployment system continues to be a challenge for thousands of Ohioans who say it is slow and non-responsive. And the system has needed some major updates. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine says when he took over, there was a big problem with Ohio’s unemployment system – it was not… Read More
Ohio Jobless Claims Rise Again Amidst Pandemic Uncertainty
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The number of Ohioans filing initial claims for unemployment compensation during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic jumped last week, according to state data released Thursday. The latest figures show Ohioans filed 42,975 initial jobless claims for the week ending Jan. 16, a 15% increase over the previous week, the Department of Job… Read More
Why Many Ohioans Are Not Getting Federal Unemployment Dollars Yet
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The federal government has authorized $300 weekly unemployment bonus checks, but many Ohioans say they are not getting them yet. Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Kim Henderson says people who have been getting unemployment benefits are seeing the $300 weekly bonuses. But she says it’s more… Read More
Nearly 13% Of Ohioans Received Unemployment Assistance At Some Point This Year
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau)– More than 1.5 million Ohioans – nearly 13 percent of the state’s population – have received some sort of unemployment assistance since the pandemic began last spring. And some of those people could still be receiving benefits. Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Director Kim Hall says 853,000 Ohioans have… Read More
Ohio Valley Economic Outlook Grim As COVID Aid Programs End
WHITESBURG, Ky. (OVR) — With hundreds of thousands across the Ohio Valley struggling to make ends meet, a suite of coronavirus aid packages, including rent and utility relief funding, eviction moratoriums, and expanded unemployment benefits, is set to expire at the end of December. The consequences could be far-reaching. Poverty rates have soared as some federal programs,… Read More
12 Million To Lose Jobless Benefits The Day After Christmas Unless Congress Acts
By: Chris Arnold | NPR
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If Congress doesn’t compromise and pass another relief bill, a new study finds a staggering number of Americans will lose a critical financial lifeline as the pandemic worsens.
‘I’m Still Unemployed’: Millions In Dire Situation As Savings Start To Run Out
By: Scott Horsley | NPR
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Many unemployed Americans have been tapping into their savings to pay bills. But those savings are going fast, and hopes for a new round of pandemic relief before the election are fading.
Changes Being Made To Make Filing For Unemployment Easier
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Since the pandemic began in March, Ohio paid 821,000 regular unemployment claims and 608,000 for federally funded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to people who don’t normally qualify for jobless benefits. At times, filers have experienced frustration over not being able to file or get questions answered. But leaders of the state agency that handles unemployment says… Read More
Auditor Will Look Into Unemployment Application Process Under New Law
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A new law that sends $650 million in federal CARES Act money to Ohio communities to help with pandemic-related costs also includes a potential overhaul for the process to apply for unemployment benefits. The law requires Auditor Keith Faber to review and make recommendations on the efficiency of the unemployment… Read More
Pandemic Has Many Turning To Legal Aid Lawyers For Help
By: David Forster
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ATHENS, Ohio (WOUB) — Three weeks ago, Jason walked out of a Marietta courtroom under orders to move out of his home. He, his wife and two children were being evicted. (WOUB is not using Jason’s last name to protect his privacy) Jason had been laid off from his job at an auto dealership in… Read More
Ohio COVID-19 Deaths Spike, State Launches Effort to Help Unemployed
By: Sarah Taylor | WKSU
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKSU) — Cuyahoga County has the highest unemployment rate in the state at 12.9%. That statistic has led the state to pilot a new program there to help connect people to training and available jobs. Called Ohio to Work, the program has been developed by the state’s JobsOhio agency, which its director J.B…. Read More
Thousands Must Repay Unemployment Overpayments
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio’s human services agency says thousands of Ohioans who received unemployment benefits during the pandemic have been told they were overpaid. Bret Crow is a spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. He says 6% of the nearly 800,000 Ohioans paid unemployment benefits have been alerted of the… Read More
Thousands Of Unemployment Claims Released From Fraud Probe, But Many More Still Held
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — The state of Ohio has released for payment around a fifth of the quarter of a million claims for non-traditional unemployment assistance that it was holding back as it checked them for fraud. But some of the real people caught up in that investigation found it was yet another… Read More
Ohio Accepts Plan For $300 In Federal Unemployment Aid
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gov. Mike DeWine has accepted a White House proposal for Ohio unemployment claimants to receive $300 in weekly unemployment compensation assistance with no state money involved. Dan Tierney is a spokesman for the state’s Republican governor. Tierney says states received two options for unemployment funding late Sunday. One provides claimants with… Read More
State Investigating A Quarter Of A Million In Jobless Claims For Fraud
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Payments to more than a quarter of a million non-traditional unemployment cases in Ohio are being halted and are under investigation. The state says most are part of a scam that’s resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent payments in other states. Ohio Job and Family Services… Read More
State Unemployment Agencies Could Take Months To Adapt To WH Proposal, Memos Show
By: Kelsey Snell | NPR, Tamara Keith | NPR
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The National Association of State Workforce Agencies tells lawmakers on Capitol Hill that it would take most states 8-20 weeks to move to a modified system of awarding benefits.
The End Of $600 Unemployment Benefits Will Hit Millions Of Households And The Economy
By: Scott Horsley | NPR
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Millions of Americans who lost jobs during the pandemic are in danger of having their incomes cut for a second time. The sudden halt in payments would be felt in households and throughout the economy.
Some Unemployment Will Be Extended In Ohio
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — An extra 20 weeks of unemployment compensation will be made available to eligible Ohioans once they have exhausted their other benefits. Bret Crow with Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says the state’s unemployment is high enough that some Ohioans will be able to get an extension. “This… Read More
Advocates Call For Unemployment Compensation System Reform
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — A collection of health and human services advocates are urging state leaders to immediately work on revamping the unemployment compensation system in order to avoid another backlog in the future. The groups, which include the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and Policy Matters Ohio are calling on… Read More
1.5 Million File For Unemployment, But Continuing Claims Decrease Slightly
By: Avie Schneider | NPR
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Another 1.5 million people file for unemployment benefits for the first time, but the number who are continuing to seek the payments continues to decline as workers return to their jobs.