Mo. says prisoners wrongly got jobless benefits

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri labor department says it has discovered several people who received unemployment benefits while in prison.

The labor department says the discovery came less than a month after it started a new process in which it runs the names of unemployment benefit recipients against a list of state inmates. Prisoners are not eligible for jobless benefits because they are not available to work.

The agency says it initially found one prisoner who had filed for jobless benefits. That person was denied because he admitted quitting his job. The department then ran a retroactive check and found an additional 10 inmates who had filed for unemployment benefits, including seven who had received money and now owe the state about $14,000.

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wyriontair 1 year, 6 months ago

Who in the world designated these individuals benefits? Obviously supervisors are not doing their jobs and should be fired.

tonto_goldberg 1 year, 6 months ago

Please read lulu's comment below. It would appear that those supervisors figured out how to catch the thieves - after the normal first line of defense failed. It's a constant game between the crooks and the agency. The crooks come up with new ways to steal all the time, so the agency has to come up with new ways to catch them.

lulu 1 year, 6 months ago

When a person files for unemployment a letter is sent to the employer. They employer has a window of time which they can respond and dispute that claim. Obviously, the employer didn't dispute the claim.

With the new process, this will no longer be a problem.

JCsleeper 1 year, 6 months ago

They ought to put 'em prison.

wow 1 year, 6 months ago

I don't think the Department of Labor or the Department of Corrections staff are purposly at fault on this. At least not all of the good folks at these agencies; however there has to someone helping incarcerated prisoners get paid benefits from the state. These convicts are in prison and in most cases have no computer access, let alone access to the forms needed to file for unemployment. So, just as in other situations there has to be someone helping them obtain such access. How else can you explain them getting the forms on the inside of secured facility? How else can you explain getting access to computers. However it's being done, let's not forget....the people who just got caught stealing unemployment benefits are convicted criminals who have nothing better to do than think of ways to beat the system. These people are not incarcerated for being nice....and history has told just how manipulative they can be. I would not be surprised to be reading about some innocent Joe or Jane who got caught up in helping a few of these thieves.

lulu 1 year, 6 months ago

Every 4 weeks a person on unemployment must check in at a local Career Center. It is most likely someone is posing at the incarcerated person. When a person does their in-person reporting at the Career Center, they go to the computer and get into the site they need to be and put their information (or that of the inmate's).

Thank goodness...that isn't going to happen again!

JCLifer 1 year, 6 months ago

Don't they check IDs at the Career Center?

spelchek 1 year, 6 months ago

"Government, if you don't like the problems we create, just wait until you see our solutions."

wow 1 year, 6 months ago

JC LIfer...no they don't check ID's at the Career Center, not in this case. Besides even if/when a person did/does show an ID card. When they are using a computer, unless that person needs help, many times that person is left alone. So checking an ID is mute. Regretfully, whoever devised and carried out this little "get over scheme" did a recon to see when and how they could get over on the system and for a while they got over. Now measures are implemented to prevent that. Thing is, these criminals will keep trying to find ways to commit crimes...that's why they are referred to as criminals.

puncho33 1 year, 5 months ago

how is that possible??

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