Several members from the Georgia Congressional delegation and the state’s U.S. Senators are calling for an investigation into the Georgia Department of Labor.
U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock joined members of Georgia’s Congressional delegation this week in seeking answers as to why it is taking so long for Georgia families to receive the unemployment benefits.
The Georgia Department of Labor has maintained position, saying the agency has a 95% payment rate for eligible claimants. Specifically, on February 18, 2021, the Georgia Department of Labor said the agency had ‘paid over 450,000 Georgians last week more than $265 million in unemployment insurance (UI) benefits totaling almost $18.5 billion since March 21 of 2020.’
But last month, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported roughly 180,000 Georgians were still waiting on their applications to be reviewed, and the 400,000 currently receiving the benefits experienced months of delays and frustration. The elected officials say hundreds of thousands of Georgians remain out of work through no fault of their own because of the pandemic.
Now, U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, and Representatives Carolyn Bourdeaux (GA-07), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), David Scott (GA-14), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Lucy McBath (GA-06), and Nikema Williams (GA-05) want Larry Turner, Acting Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Labor, to review the reported delays and perform an audit.
“[M]embers of the Georgia General Assembly have contacted our offices about the ongoing issues, citing a ‘lack of transparency, discrepancies in data reported in press releases and on the website, and violations of federal statutes requiring timely payment of Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits,’” wrote the Members. “The breakdowns in the system are so egregious that we are requesting that your office perform a true audit of the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) Unemployment Insurance claims processing and payment system.”
You can read the complete letter below.
