Floridians face overpayment notices to return unemployment benefits

Florida's Department of Economic Opportunity is trying to claw back billions in non-fraudulent unemployment benefits that were distributed in the first 18 months of the pandemic. Thousands of people in Florida have received stern letters warning them that they could be sent to collections if they don't reimburse the state. The overpayment notices are now reaching Floridians after the expiration of the federal benefits last month. This also reflects the continuous chaos and confusion hampering the state’s jobless agency. Some notices for overpayment were sent out after the deadline for recipients to appeal them. In addition to this, the state's hotlines go unanswered and do not return calls. Appealing these letters could take months for the recipients. 

The overpayments are a headache for the state as well as the Department of Economic Opportunity has suspended referring the cases to collections through the end of 2022. Emilie Oglesby, the department's spokesperson said in a statement, "The Department recognizes the highly frustrating issues overpayments cause, and we are actively working to alleviate the challenges being experienced by claimants." The exact amount the state sent in overpayments is still unknown and the department has not disclosed how many people have been overpaid. The state auditors found out earlier this year that the department's data was in a mess that it could not calculate how much it had spent on unemployment benefits. 

Source: Miami Herald