D.C.'s Office of the Inspector General to Investigate Department of Employment Services

Dozens of laid-off D.C. workers testified to the Council on Wednesday about the ongoing problems at the Department of Employment Services. They named problems that claimants have been experiencing since last spring: miscommunication from DOES, difficulties with out-of-state wages, interruptions in payments whenever the agency needs to make system updates to comply with federal law.

The latest problem left countless claimants going without benefits for roughly one month, including Deb Witherspoon, a Capitol Hill resident who waited five weeks to receive money. This left many struggling to afford everyday necessities. DOES Director Unique Morris-Hughes told the press that eligible claimants would begin receiving payment starting April 20, but some weren’t paid until just recently. And a number of claimants are still owed back pay. In light of everything that’s transpired since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, D.C.’s Office of the Inspector General is now investigating the agency over its handling of unemployment insurance.

“It is difficult to sit here again and still see no significant changes at the operations of DOES,” said Zachary Hoffman, the executive vice president of the DC Bar and Restaurant Workers Alliance and a Ward 5 ANC Commissioner, during the oversight roundtable hosted by the Council’s labor committee.

Roughly an hour into the roundtable, At-Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman, who chairs the committee, announced that the Office of the Inspector General is going to conduct an audit of DOES. According to a letter sent to Morris-Hughes, the office will look into the “responsiveness” in processing claims; and the “controls over the accessibility, availability, and reliability” of the unemployment systems. The preliminary audit will begin around May 12.

Read more: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/516214/d-c-s-office-of-the-inspector-general-to-investigate-department-of-employment-services/