10/18/2007: "State Cracking Down On Unemployment Fraud"

For those collecting unemployment benefits, the State is warning them they “better look for work or you may have to pay back the money.”

the Employment Security Department states that in the first nine months of 2007 they have conducted more than 39,000 interviews of 32,281 people who were collecting unemployment to make sure that they were looking for new jobs.

And to make their job a bit easier to find those who are not playing by the rules, they have set up a way to report unemployment-insurance fraud by calling 866-266-1987 (then press 2), or by logging onto https://fortress.wa.gov/esd/uia/uiinquiry/reptmisrep.htm to file a report.

While most who were checked were looking for work as required, some 3,033 were not. Collectively, they must repay more than $3.3 million that they were not eligible to receive.

"Most people receiving unemployment benefits want to find a new job, and they are out there looking," said Lee. "In those rare cases where someone is breaking the rules, we want to hear about it."

"Unemployment benefits are intended to be a temporary safety net to help people pay their bills between jobs," said Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee. "We want to make sure people get the benefits they deserve, but they also need to hold up their end of the bargain by actively trying to find a new job."

State law requires most unemployment claimants to contact at least three employers each week to inquire about job opportunities and to track where they apply. They also must accept any suitable job offer.

When called in by the Employment Security Department, they must report the employers they’ve contacted. Employment Security then calls a sample number of businesses to verify that the person really applied for the jobs listed.

Agency officials never know what they might learn when they call the employers, according to Lee. In one case, staff called a dental office, and the person being checked on answered the phone – sure proof that she had applied for, and gotten, the job.

In another case, staff learned that an applicant had been offered a job but asked the employer to hold her pay until her unemployment ran out, then to pay her in a lump sum. The employer thought the request was highly unethical and rescinded the job offer. The claimant is now being investigated for unemployment fraud.