COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio was nearly the worst state in the nation at paying unemployed workers in a timely manner during the first year of the pandemic, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Inspector General Tuesday.
The report found just 43% of unemployed Ohio workers who filed claims between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 received their benefits within three weeks.
The report said only Florida and Hawaii paid fewer unemployed workers their benefits within three weeks of their claims being filed. Hawaii paid benefits to 30% of workers within the U.S. Department of Labor's recommended standard of time for processing unemployment claims. Florida paid 39% of workers within the same timeframe.
Only five smaller states exceeded the USDOL standard to pay 87% of new unemployment claims within 14-21 days during the first year of the pandemic. Minnesota paid 90% of its claims within three weeks, according to the report. Louisiana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Wyoming also exceeded the federal standard during the time period reviewed by the inspector general.
The federal findings mirror News 5 Investigators reporting during the pandemic on Ohio's antiquated unemployment system. The unprecedented number of new claims quickly overwhelmed the state's outdated system, leaving unemployed workers waiting weeks and months for help.
Ohio was in the process of replacing the system by next year. However, the work was put on hold a few weeks ago after two senior partners in a company hired to upgrade the state's system were charged with stealing trade secrets from their former employer and using the information to build their software program.
Watch our report during the pandemic below:
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