A new report on Michigan’s Unemployment Insurance Agency says millions of taxpayer dollars are going to ineligible workers including prisoners, dead people, and those living in nursing homes.
The Michigan Auditor General says more than $245 million was paid to ineligible people and the agency isn’t trying to find those submitting bogus claims.
State Representative Mike Harris of Waterford agrees the system was overwhelmed during the pandemic, but says enough time has passed to make improvements.
“We’ve had a few years that have gone by now,” Harris said. “My background is in law enforcement. So, when you see fraudulent action and then you take no action, or very little action, or inappropriate action, I think that’s a huge failure in the system, and we’re failing the people by spending this money and not holding the fraudsters accountable.”
The UIA’s director says every pandemic-related issue raised by the Auditor General has either been solved or will be resolved as soon as possible. She says the department is designing and implementing a new computer system that will significantly ease process changes to address the issues.
