State Auditor Says Potentially $1.1 Billion in Unemployment Fraud Claims, Employment Security Department Disputes Findings
The State Auditor's Office released a review of the Employment Security Department who potentially lost more than $1 billion due to fraud in 2020.
In a statement, State Auditor Pat McCarthy said, "There are fraud prevention techniques Washington’s program could have used to lessen the impact of these schemes, but the agency’s resources also were overcome by circumstances truly beyond its control."
They list $647 million in known fraud payouts, and $461 million in questionable payouts.
The ESD is disputing the numbers saying that of the questionable payments found by the audit, most have been discovered to legitimate and the information is incorrect.
The two agencies' websites and statements on the matter contain links more detail and documentation.