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Maryland Department of Labor Has Paid Over $7.5 Billion in Unemployment Insurance Benefits

More Than 95% of Pending Claims Require Further Investigation
4% of Claims Flagged as Potentially Fraudulent Pending Review

BALTIMORE, MD (October 22, 2020) – The Maryland Department of Labor (Labor) today provided an update about the significant progress the department is continuing to make in the processing and payment of unemployment insurance claims during the coronavirus pandemic.

6.3% of Claims Pending, With Vast Majority Requiring Investigation

Of the 788,198 complete claims filed from March 9 to October 17, 738,293 (93.7%) have been processed with 622,091 (78.9%) receiving benefit payments and 116,202 (14.7%) being denied for not meeting state or federal program requirements. Of the claims that have already been denied, the large majority were denied because claimants had issues related to the separation from their most recent employer or were determined to be monetarily ineligible.

Approximately 47,700 (6.0%) claims are disputed and pending further investigation. These claims cannot be processed until they are investigated due to conflicting information provided by the claimant and the claimant’s previous employer. This leaves 2,205 (0.3%) of claims that are being evaluated for other issues.

Paid Over $7.5 Billion in State and Federal Benefits

From March 9 to October 17, Labor’s Division of Unemployment Insurance paid a total of $7,598,508,774 in state and federal unemployment insurance benefits to claimants. This total amount includes $3,625,488,582 in regular benefits, $3,761,029,842 in PUA benefits, $192,960,736 in PEUC benefits, and $19,029,614 in Extended Benefits.

Additional Fraudulent Claims Flagged

With aggressive security measures in place, Labor continues to investigate potentially fraudulent in-state and out-of-state claims. With over 83% of claims flagged and investigated being confirmed as fraudulent, it is critical that the department reviews and verifies documentation manually.*

  • Of the 104,553 out-of-state claims that have been identified as being potentially fraudulent, 95,530 (91.4%) have either not uploaded the verification documentation requested or their documentation has been reviewed and denied.
  • Of the 75,191 in-state claims that have been identified as potentially fraudulent, 53,988 (71.8%) have either not uploaded the verification documentation requested or their documentation has been reviewed and denied.
  • There are currently 7,255 (4.0% of all claims marked as potentially fraudulent) in-state and out-of-state potentially fraudulent claims pending manual review and verification by a team of specialists.

*Note that these numbers are subject to change as the department continues to flag potentially fraudulent claims. Labor continues to coordinate its investigation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

BEACON 2.0 Mobile App Downloaded by Over 169,000 Claimants

The BEACON 2.0 mobile app called “MD Unemployment for Claimants” is available to download for free from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. The mobile app allows claimants to easily file their weekly claim certifications, view and update claimant information, and more directly from their mobile device. Since launched on June 30, the mobile app has been downloaded by over 169,000 claimants.

Download the app in the iOS App Store. Download the app in the Google Play Store.