Auditor: MS Erred On $117M In Unemployment Benefits

The state of Mississippi erroneously paid out more than $117 million in unemployment benefits last year and during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, State Auditor Shad White said. Mississippi’s Department of Employment Security made payments to people who never actually lost a job, were already in jail and others who were ineligible to receive unemployment benefits, White’s office alleges. The finding matches those at other employment agencies in several states like California, where $11 billion in unemployment overpayments have been identified, he said.