Yesterday the State Auditor's Office (SAO) released an audit that identified people who received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits while in jail (and thus likely ineligible for UI benefits). The audit covers the period of July 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014, and it looked at just eight jails (of 57). Still, it found 1,911 potential overpayments worth $655,736.

The Employment Security Department (ESD) administers the UI program. Its response to the audit (see page 12) notes that it has now investigated all the potential overpayments found by SAO. It found that, of the potential 1,911, 1,264 were actually overpayments (worth $420,363). About $100,000 has already been recovered.

Apparently overpayments to jailed individuals are difficult to suss out because ESD has limited access to the Jail Booking and Reporting System.

In 2014, the Legislature passed 2SSB 6312; section 105 of the bill allowed some agencies to access data (including Social Security numbers) about jailed individuals "for the purpose of research in the public interest" (see RCW 70.48.100). The agencies are the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, Department of Social and Health Services, Health Care Authority, State Auditor's Office, Caseload Forecast Council, Office of Financial Management, and higher education institutions.

The audit recommends that the state add ESD to that list, to make it easier for them to match UI and incarceration records.

Importantly, the audit notes that the UI program is a test case: "With simpler rules than other state programs, results from an audit of this program could indicate the need for additional analysis at other benefit programs in the state."