The Department of Labor announced Monday that it will conduct a targeted review of Minnesota's Unemployment Insurance program amid concerns that fraud uncovered in other state benefits programs could extend to unemployment payments.
"I am appalled at what we are hearing about potential fraud coming from numerous benefits programs in Minnesota," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer wrote in a statement.
"If there has been any related abuse of our UI systems, it will not be tolerated, and I trust our specialized strike team to get to the bottom of this and report their findings directly to me."
In a letter to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, the department said recent findings of fraud, waste, and abuse in multiple state-administered programs have raised questions about the integrity of Minnesota's benefits system.
Programs cited include the Federal Child Nutrition Program, the Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention Autism Program, and the Housing Stability Services Program.
"Our mission to protect American workers remains unchanged, and I will not allow malicious actors to destroy the integrity of this trusted program," Chavez-DeRemer's statement concluded.
The Employment and Training Administration's Chicago regional office has notified the state of the upcoming review and requested key documents to support the investigation. The strike team will include staff from both national and regional ETA offices.
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