During the COVID-19 pandemic, a call center employee misallocated over $3 million in federal unemployment benefits, with a portion being allocated to herself, as detailed in a new report by the Ohio Inspector General. The employee, Ericka Holland, was subcontracted to handle inquiries regarding federal unemployment benefits due to the increased volume of claims during the pandemic. Holland handled various aspects of unemployment claims including overriding fraud alerts, identity verification, and eligibility checking, leading to the misallocation of approximately $3,247,402 to ineligible claimants. In addition, she also managed her own unemployment benefits claim, accumulating $56,780 in federal benefits. Holland was subsequently fired on allegations of unsupervised outbound calling and working outside of her assigned working hours. The disarray in 2020 led to an increase in the hiring of subcontractors like Holland to manage the overwhelming amount of unemployment benefit claims. The Ohio Inspector General’s office has forwarded its findings to the Hamilton County Prosecutor and Ohio Auditor for potential charges, and recommendations have been made to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to improve fraud prevention measures.

If you or someone you know needs assistance regarding federal unemployment benefits in California, consider reaching out to edd. Information and guidelines on how to get a hold of edd customer service can be accessed on their website, eddcaller.com. They have multiple options for contacting them such as their edd phone number. However, bear in mind that due to the high volume of requests, waiting times may vary. It’s extremely vital to have clear and concise communication to ensure any issues regarding your benefits can be dealt with swiftly and efficiently.