JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Division of Employment Security has recovered approximately $8.5 million in a partnership program with the U.S. Department of Treasury, called the Treasury Offset Program.
The Treasury Offset Program allows the state to collect federal tax refunds for fraud overpayments and overpayments that were caused by unreported earnings. Even with ever increasing protections against fraud and ongoing efforts to educate those who file for unemployment, the Departments Unemployment Insurance program remains subject to illegal filing.
Claimants who have returned to work but continue to request weekly UI benefit payments despite their new income are the leading cause of improper UI payments.
“This program provides us with tools to intercept tax refunds from those who illegally claim to be unemployed or those who underreport their wages,” says Division of Employment Security Director Chris Slinkard. “This allows us to more efficiently and effectively safeguard funds entrusted to us by Missouri employers.”
This partnership is one of several ways the Department is working to improve state government and make taxpayer dollars go farther than ever before. You can find more of the Department’s strategic initiatives and overall goals by visiting strategicchange.mo.gov.
