Woman unemployed at start of pandemic learns she owes state $1200 in overpayments
ALBANY, NY (WRGB) — Our email inbox is full of messages from viewers who got the kind of notice, no one ever wants. They learned on Friday that they owe the New York State Department of Labor hundreds of dollars.
Jennifer Gorney got a notice that she owes the NYSDOL $1,200 in over payments. It took Gorney three months to actually get her unemployment during the economic shutdown back when the pandemic first hit because she could not get through to the NYSDOL to finalize her claim. Back when that happened, she says she and others got a random $600 payment, back then she thought that money was deposited to hold her over until her claim got processed. Now, Gorney says she learned that was actually part of the overpayment she is now being charged for, and as you can imagine, she is not happy with the NYSDOL. Especially because she is already back to work, and paid taxes on the unemployment dollars.
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Anne: Do you feel you should have to pay this money back?
Jennifer: Not at all, I mean it’s almost been a year of this. If it was going to happen it should’ve happened before we paid taxes, some of us had to wait 10-11 weeks for this money and now we have to pay it back?
Another problem, the NYSDOL's phone lines continue to be flooded with callers, who have questions about things like overpayments, but many can’t get through. Reporter Anne McCloy continues to get emails like this:
Email 1
“it's been over a month since my payments stopped. I still cannot get in touch with them.”
Email 2
“I have not had a call back, no one answers my calls”
Email 3
“I've literally called 55 times today and can’t get through to anyone..”
MORE: Continued frustration over jammed NYS unemployment phone lines, benefit year ending issues
As we reported on Friday, the NYSDOL will no longer answer Anne’s questions about its phone lines, directing her to FOIL the answers, a process that could take months.
Regarding overpayments, the NYSDOL says it notified people, who the agency says “through no fault of their own, may have been overpaid through the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC).”
NYSDOL says the federal government requires NYS to recover any overpaid funds, and tells us claimants who receive an email and letter have the option to file an appeal or a waiver that must be filed within 30 days of the date on the paper letter they will receive in the mail.
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The NYSDOL says, if New Yorkers file a waiver, benefits won't be reduced, if at all, until there has been a review and determination made.
And the NYSDOL says, individuals should not call the NYSDOL about the overpayments, but they should follow the instructions in the letter.
