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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

Jobless Benefit Overpayments

Overpaid unemployment benefits top $14 billion, By Annalyn Censky, July 9, 2012, CNNMoney.com: “Don’t spend that unemployment check too fast. The government might ask you to pay it back. Overpayments are a rampant problem in the unemployment insurance system. The federal government and states overpaid an estimated $14 billion in benefits in fiscal 2011, or roughly 11% of all the jobless benefits paid out, according to reports from the U.S. Labor Department. Of the states, Indiana was the worst offender, making more improper payments than it did correct ones. Now, the U.S. Department of Labor and the states are in the midst of a massive effort to try to recoup some of their lost funds and avoid future overpayments…”