Illinois Auditor General reports on $5B improperly paid by the state
CHICAGO (CBS) -- it's an investigation nearly two years in the making, and now we know more about how your tax dollars were wasted on Illinois unemployment benefits.
The Illinois Auditor General released his report Wednesday. It found more than $5 billion was improperly paid.
Among those receiving benefits: 481 dead people who got $6 million and about 3,500 inmates who received more than $40 million.
The report dings the Illinois Department of Employment Security for its call center, describing hundreds of people who had to call more than 1,000 times to get through.
And, for taking an average of 445 days to reissue payments to people who had their benefits stolen, that's more than a year.
Another cost to taxpayers: Eight contracts to implement the pandemic benefits program, staff the call center, and prevent fraud.
The initial cost of $33.5 million ballooned to more than $226 million by January of this year. Finally, the report cites outstanding issues and provides recommendations, including to:
*Implement additional fraud prevention tools.
*Track people who reported stolen benefits and help them recover their money faster.
*Develop a recession plan designed to handle a similar crush of calls and claims in the future.