Monroe Review

Sen. Joseph Bellino has criticized Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's leadership after a recent audit by Michigan's nonpartisan Office of the Auditor General revealed that the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA) made approximately $245.1 million in improper payments between January 2020 and October 2022. The payments were made to various individuals, including dead people, prisoners, individuals in long-term care facilities, UIA contractors, department employees, and individuals outside the typical working age range.

Bellino, a Republican from Monroe, expressed his disappointment in the governor's handling of the situation, stating, "It's a failure of leadership, and to say that Gov. Whitmer and her administration have been wasteful with Michigan tax dollars would be a drastic understatement." He further criticized the governor for spending the state's multibillion-dollar surplus recklessly while doing little to address fraudulent spending.

Highlighting the consequences of this mismanagement, Bellino emphasized the need to rectify the situation in order to attract new businesses and create jobs in the state. He expressed his readiness to work on a bipartisan basis to fix the UIA system and provide support to unemployed workers while helping them find employment.

The OAG's audit uncovered several alarming findings. The UIA paid $35.6 million to incarcerated inmates, nearly $20 million to deceased individuals, $5.5 million to department employees, and almost $178 million in unemployment aid to individuals who were unlikely to be eligible for such benefits due to their age. Shockingly, over $90 million was disbursed to teenagers younger than 15 years old.

Furthermore, the audit revealed that the UIA failed to identify a significant number of imposter claims and did not make efforts to recover many improper payments and penalties. The agency continued to issue payments even after it became known that the recipients were deceased or incarcerated, without evaluating the appropriateness of such payments.

This recent audit marks the fifth and final examination conducted by the OAG regarding fraud, delays, and mispayments within the UIA during the pandemic. The audit was conducted in response to a request made by the Senate in 2020.

The findings of this audit highlight the urgent need for stronger leadership and oversight within the UIA. It is imperative that the state government takes immediate action to rectify the mismanagement and ensure that taxpayer dollars are used appropriately.

Click this link to access more information: https://www.senatorjosephbellino.com/bellino-uia-audit-shows-failure-of-leadership/