RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) has resumed its recovery of unemployment overpayments after the agency was allowed to pause the effort to process backlogged benefit claims and waivers.
According to the VEC, benefits a person was not entitled to under Virginia code but received anyway are considered overpayments.
The agency was given the authority to temporarily suspend outside collections until July 1 by the Virginia General Assembly “to allow for the ongoing processing of claims and waivers,” the VEC said in a release.
VEC added that people with a pending overpayment waiver or appeal won’t be referred to billing and collections until all alternative options are pursued.
Those who do owe money but have not entered a repayment plan will be referred to collections, according to the agency. Customers should receive an “overpayment billing statement” with instructions on how to make payments.
“The VEC, in partnership with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, will continue to work with law enforcement to prosecute and pursue recovery of fraudulent claims,” the agency’s release said. “For eligible customers who did not commit fraud, but were overpaid through no fault of their own, the VEC has approved 23,310 overpayment waivers and waived over $80 million in payments.”
Anyone with questions about their billing statement should reach out to the VEC’s Benefit Payment Unit at 804-786-8593.
