Ohioans dispute pandemic fraud crackdown
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
It's been over three years since Kevin Williams received pandemic relief that kept him stable after his Columbus ride-hailing job came to a sudden standstill.
- So he was shocked when Ohio labeled him a fraud last week and asked for all that money to be returned, plus interest.
Why it matters: This marks the latest frustration for claimants of unemployment programs that were slow to deliver help, suffered from technical glitches and were chronically understaffed.
- Williams describes feeling overwhelmed and confused by the sudden fraud notice — and it appears he's not alone.
Flashback: Congress created the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program in early 2020 as part of the federal CARES Act to offer emergency relief for those who didn't qualify for traditional unemployment benefits, such as gig workers.
Yes, but: Online application portals made the program vulnerable to identity fraud.
- Ohio doled out $1 billion in fraudulent PUA claims, the state reported last November, along with billions more in overpayments to legitimate recipients.
- Working with banks and law enforcement, Ohio had recovered about $185 million at the time of the report.
The latest: The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services recently sent 180,000 letters to online benefit accounts flagged for lacking proper ID, a spokesperson confirmed to Axios.
- That marks the final batch of claims classified as fraudulent.
Zoom in: The notice sent to Williams, which he shared with Axios, alleges he "committed fraudulent misrepresentation" by not filling out a required ID form.
- Williams claims he never received such a form.
- The agency also alleges to have "independent evidence to determine that this application was fraudulently filed," but did not provide further details.
- It demands he pay back nearly $23,000 in benefits and interest penalties, with the option of negotiating a monthly repayment plan.
What they're saying: Williams called receiving the notice "terrifying."
- "I panicked. I was like, 'What the hell?' … A lot of people in hard times [thought] we were getting some help to stay afloat and instead now, you know, we're getting f—ed again for reasons that we don't even know."
The other side: ODJFS encourages those who believe their claim is legitimate to file an online appeal within a 21-day allotted window.
- Verifying their identity would "more than likely" solve the issue, the spokesperson tells us.