Reports
Search for reports and investigative results.
Showing 1 - 10 of 20 results
Department of Labor OIG
COVID-19: Recovery of Millions in Pandemic-Related UI Overpayments Improperly Waived, Including Fraud
The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) was responsible for oversight of CARES Act UI programs. Based on concerns that states may have unintentionally waived the recovery of ineligible overpayments, including fraud, DOL OIG performed an audit to determine if ETA’s guidance and oversight ensure states only waived the recovery of eligible overpayments? DOL OIG found ETA’s guidance and oversight did not ensure states only waived the recovery of eligible overpayments for the three key pandemic-related UI programs from March 27, 2020, to June 30, 2023. ETA did not detect that Michigan and...
Department of Labor OIG
COVID-19 Minimally Affected the Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program Amid Weaknesses in Eligibility Validation Practices January 22, 2026
The Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG) program provides federal funding to help eligible veterans and spouses overcome employment barriers through job training and career services. Although the program reportedly met or exceeded its employment goals during the COVID-19 pandemic, an audit found that 30% of reviewed participant files lacked proper eligibility documentation, raising concerns about the accuracy of reported results. In one state, reporting errors raised questions about participant eligibility and up to $8.4 million in potentially unsupported federal spending, leading to three...
Department of Labor OIG
ETA Needs to Improve Its Oversight of States' Efforts to Identify UI Fraud Using Federal Prisoners' Social Security Numbers
A federal investigation found that $267.3 million in unemployment benefits may have been improperly paid through claims using federal prisoners’ Social Security numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Auditors found that the U.S. Department of Labor failed to properly oversee state investigations, track fraudulent payments, and ensure states had access to tools that could detect fraud. Of the $684,475 in benefits reviewed across 10 state workforce agencies, $135,642 was confirmed as fraudulent, raising concerns that additional fraud went undetected due to weak oversight, staffing shortages, and...
Department of Labor OIG
ETA Did Not Ensure ARPA Grants Demonstrated Improvements in Access to Unemployment Benefits
DOL OIG was concerned about ETA’s ability to deploy ARPA grant funding. Therefore, DOL OIG performed an audit to determine: To what extent did ETA administer these grants in accordance with ARPA and DOL’s objectives for UI access, and are grant recipients on target to achieve performance outcomes? OIG found ETA did not ensure the grants demonstrated improvements in access to UI benefits nor were they awarded in a way that would maximize impact of the funding. ETA did not ensure states reported complete and accurate outcome metrics and status updates in quarterly progress reports. Finally, ETA...