From State Senstor Jason Plummer:

Pritzker Administration Still Mum on Unemployment Fraud Numbers

Illinoisans still do not know how much the state paid out in fraudulent unemployment assistance claims during the pandemic. The Pritzker Administration has yet to release any totals and isn’t offering a timeline for when the data will be made available.

A recent report from the Illinois Auditor General indicated that the $155 million in potentially improper payments were made during just the first few weeks of the pandemic.

According to a recent article from “The Center Square,” United States Department of Labor data indicate that the state’s fraud rate was 8.4 percent of a total of $5.1 billion paid, indicating that the total over the covered time period was in the range of $430 million.

Senator Jason Plummer said it is extremely disappointing that fraud was apparently so rampant in the Pritzker Administration’s unemployment system. He added that it is unacceptable that the Pritzker Administration is still refusing to release accurate data on the extent of COVID-related unemployment fraud.

In September, Republican lawmakers helped push through resolutions directing the Illinois Auditor General to perform full audits of the state’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Business Interruption Grant (BIG) programs.