Three southern Illinois republican lawmakers are calling for immediate hearings after a recent audit of the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
Representatives Patrick Windhorst, Dave Severin and Paul Jacobs say the audit revealed more than half of pandemic-related unemployment assistance paid out by the the Illinois Department of Employment Security was paid out fraudulently.
Windhorst says he was shocked at the size and scope of the fraud.
"We had some indication there was going to be a fairly significant amount of fraud because a number of constituents we heard from had received notification that they were awarded benefits they had not applied for. But, the fact it reached about 50% of the total amount that was given out by the state shows how widespread it was."
Windhorst says the audit found out of a total of $3.6 billion in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance funds paid out between July 2020 and June 2021, nearly $1.9 billion was tied to fraud.
Considering the scope of the audit's findings, he believes the request for hearings will be bi-partisan.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the newest audit may not show the full scope of pandemic-related fraud in Illinois.
Under another federally funded program that boosted claim checks, the state paid out an additional $3.8 billion.
