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June 18, 2024

Answering Key Questions About Unemployment Insurance Reforms

Chairman LaHood, Ranking Member Davis, and members of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony on potential improvements to the nation’s unemployment insurance (UI)…

June 17, 2024

Fixing the Roof on Sunny Days—and Other Lessons in Administering Unemployment Benefits

A recent hearing of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare confirmed that the financing of the nation’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system is enormously complicated. Even the…

April 29, 2024

New “Scorecard” Report Promotes Better Use of Data to Prevent Unemployment Fraud

Criminals inflicted unprecedented fraud on taxpayer benefits during the pandemic, and some of the most abused programs were those that provided temporary federal unemployment benefits. As we documented in a…

April 29, 2024

Measuring What Matters: Context and Recommendations to Improve Reporting on Unemployment Insurance

Key Points This report explores the unemployment insurance system’s current data and performance management practices, including features designed to inform policymakers and the public about deficiencies in the administration of…

February 29, 2024

Recalling Pandemic Lessons on “Self-Certifying” Eligibility

Sometimes what is left unmentioned can be far more important than what is said. A good example is obscure guidance issued last week by the US Department of Labor (DOL) encouraging workforce…

January 29, 2024

Pandemic Unemployment Fraud in Context: Causes, Costs, and Solutions

Key Points The nation’s unemployment benefits system, which was significantly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic, suffered unprecedented losses to fraud and improper payments.  Official—and still partial—estimates of improper payments approach…

November 20, 2023

The Next Time States Are “Swimming in Money” Make Them Repay Their Federal Loans

The pandemic was full of firsts, including the first time states received hundreds of billions of federal dollars they could use to shore up their depleted state unemployment insurance (UI) programs. The…

September 29, 2023

Solutions to Reduce Government Improper Payments Involving Unemployment Benefits

Overview The coronavirus pandemic tested the nation’s unemployment benefits system more than any prior recession. Not only did far more individuals file claims for weekly benefits than ever before, but…

September 23, 2023

Did Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Increase Unemployment? Evidence from Early State-level Expirations

Abstract During the 2021 pandemic year, the generosity of Unemployment Insurance benefits was expanded (Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation [FPUC]) and eligibility for benefits was broadened (Pandemic Unemployment Assistance [PUA]). These…

September 5, 2023

Audit Finds California Continues to Mismanage Unemployment Benefits

A scathing report released by the California State Auditor on August 24 finds that the state’s Economic Development Department (EDD) continues to mismanage the unemployment insurance (UI) program, resulting in “a substantial…