Missouri Labor officials have announced that they’re starting a process for Missourians who received unemployment overpayments to apply for a potential waiver. The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations emphasizes that this involves non-fraud FEDERAL unemployment overpayments. St. Louis Democratic State Representative Peter Merideth has been urging DOLIR to waive the federal portion:
State Labor Department spokeswoman Maura Browning tells Missourinet that 47,000 Missourians may be eligible to apply, with unemployment overpayments totaling 151-million dollars. Browning says state law does not authorize a waiver of recovery for state unemployment benefit overpayments.
Under the emergency rule, the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations would have to confirm that the overpayment was not the result of fraud. St. Louis Democratic State Representative Peter Merideth has been urging DOLIR to take action:
Representative Merideth spoke to Capitol reporters at the recent special session in Jefferson City. Federal rules do not override state law that prohibits waiving state unemployment overpayments, according to Browning.
