More Than One-Third Of Louisiana Unemployment Payments Are "Improper"

Louisiana tops the nation's list of "improper" payments for unemployment insurance with a 3-year rate of 38.67%. Of course, this is the "improper" payments they know about (as only 29.7% of overpayments have been recovered). A stunning 28% of Louisanans who claimed benefits did so even after returning to work. However, while the Louisiana data points are bad, they are not alone. As the chart below shows... 16 states have "improper" payment rates of over 14%. One wonders why the world doesn't trust the US so much anymore?

The data below - from the Department of Labor [5], is from estimates based on results of State Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) survey (random audits) of paid and denied claims in three major UI programs: State UI, Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees, and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service Members.

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