Private sector invited to fix Ohio jobless claims issues

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine planned Thursday to announce plans for private sector involvement in the state’s troubled jobless claims program, a system battered by a flood of pandemic-related requests.

Over the past 45 weeks, the state’s Human Services’ agency has distributed more than $8 billion in unemployment compensation payments to more than 908,000 Ohioans. But the system has also been plagued by delays and complaints from people on the phone for hours, unable to get help.

The Department of Job and Family Services is also fighting a flood of fraudulent claims. Last week, the Republican governor said he’d had enough and would bring in private sector experts.

“It is abundantly clear the state government cannot fix this the way I want it fixed,” DeWine said on Jan. 28, without providing details.

The union representing human services workers opposes the move and blames private contractors hired during the pandemic for overpayments and fraudulent claims. That in turn led to more work for state employees, the union said.

“The slow-down of unemployment claims rests squarely on the shoulders of these private vendors,” said Chris Mabe, president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association.

The state said Thursday that initial claims for unemployment dipped slightly last week. But continued jobless claims, continued a more accurate sign of the economy’s strength, ticked up.

A group of Ohio’s business leaders also said it’s up to them to take a leading role in making sure the state’s residents get one of the coronavirus vaccines.

Members of the Ohio Business Roundtable, a nonprofit organization of chief executive officers from Ohio’s large companies, said Thursday that they will not only help workers get vaccinated but also assure them and the public that the shots are safe.

American Electric Power is looking at offering incentives and time off for its 17,000 employees who get vaccinated, said Nicholas Akins, the Columbus-based company’s president and CEO.

Mary Miller, co-owner of JANCOA Janitorial Services in Cincinnati, said employers need to build trust with their workers and help them understand that the vaccines are safe and effective.

“People are looking for answers, but they’re not looking in the right way,” she said.