ATLANTA — An Atlanta police officer told Channel 2 Action News the state of Georgia has ordered him to pay back more than $15K in unemployment benefits, even though he never spent a dollar and did not apply for them in the first place.
For nearly three years, Bobby Golden and his wife Takisha have desperately tried to return thousands of dollars to the state Department of Labor. He was mistakenly signed up for unemployment benefits after losing his extra job working security at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the pandemic.
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“When we no longer had football games or events to be there for security, we were no longer employed, so they lumped us into the employees who were no longer working there,” Golden told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden. “Even though we were still working 40 hours per week with APD, Mercedes still filed for us.”
“We knew he wasn’t eligible for these benefits,” added his wife, Takisha Golden. “We cut up the card and notified the Department of Labor.”
Despite numerous emails and phone calls to the state, the money kept on coming.
“It’s frustrating,” she added. “I just keep thinking about all of those families in need.”
Golden said they reached out to the DOL and confirmed that the funds had been returned in 2021 and there was no transaction history because the card was never used.
In April, Golden says he received a letter from the state, claiming that he owes them $15,063, including $487 in interest.
Another letter shared with Channel 2 Action News claimed that if he failed to pay back the state, he could be subject to a 15% penalty and criminal charges.
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Channel 2 Action News reached out to the DOL and a spokesperson sent us the following statement:
“Due to strict UI confidentially requirements, we are unable to provide detailed information regarding this specific individual’s overpayment case.”
Channel 2 Action News was also sent a number of questions about the process:
What should you do if you’re being asked to repay unemployment benefits that you did not use?
Any UI benefits you have received that you are not eligible for should be returned to the GDOL. If the overpayment was not your fault and is not deemed a fraud overpayment, you may request a waiver. Select Overpayment and Waiver Request Information on the GDOL webpage for more details. Additionally, you may return funds online by visiting Repayment of Overpaid Benefits when an overpayment has been established. If an overpayment has not been established and the payments were deposited to a Way2Go debit card, you may authorize GDOL to retrieve these funds by completing an online application at https://www.dol.state.ga.us/public/uiben/claimantservices/debitCardReturn or mail a check or money order to the GDOL Overpayment Unit P O Box 3433 Atlanta, GA 30302. Be sure to identify the name of the individual for which payment is being made.
Does the DOL know how much money was overpaid to Georgians during the pandemic?
The Department continues to make a diligent and concerted effort to prevent and detect overpayments and fraud, investigate and establish overpayments, impose fraud penalties, and pursue recovery of the funds when determined to have been paid improperly. These are ongoing activities that will continue. The established overpayments and recovery efforts are reported to the federal government on a quarterly basis.
Does the DOL know why this is happening? Technology issue?
Common causes of Georgia UI program overpayments include, but are not limited to:
- An appeal reversal of benefits previously awarded, and the claimant is now disqualified.
- The claimant or employer failed to report the correct amount of gross earnings when certifying for weekly benefits.
- The claimant and/or an employer failed to disclose that the claimant received vacation or severance payment(s) or other deductible or disqualifying income.
- The claimant failed to notify the agency that he or she did not meet the eligibility requirements for being able, available, and actively seeking employment.
- The claimant failed to report when he or she returned to work and continued to collect unemployment.
Anything else you want to say about the situation?
Unemployment Insurance (UI) fraud is a crime that affects everyone. Individuals who believe they are a victim of identity theft, and their personal information was used without authorization to file for and receive unemployment benefits should visit the GDOL homepage and select the “UI Fraud is a Crime” link to see important information and instructions on reporting these crimes.
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