By Steven Allen Adams, The Journal
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia lawmakers learned Sunday how much unemployment compensation was fraudulently paid during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.
The Legislature’s Post Audit Committee met Sunday on the first day of December legislative interim meetings before the start of the 2021 legislative session in January.
The committee received a special report from the Legislature’s Performance Evaluation and Research Division looking at WorkForce West Virginia unemployment claims data during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the report, WorkForce West Virginia paid about $83 million in fraudulent unemployment claims during calendar year 2020 due to the overwhelming numbers of claims the agency processed. While the vast majority of the $83 million was federal funds, $800,000 of unemployment claims were paid out of the state’s unemployment trust fund and are lost…
