HUMAN RESOURCES
Jan Eckert , HR Director at Bucklin Tractor & Implement Co ., an agriculture and farm equipment dealership with locations across Kansas , recently received the third fraudulent unemployment claim among her company ’ s workforce of 200 since the onset of COVID-19 .
“ I know this is a problem in Kansas , and I understand the same is true in Oklahoma , as well ,” she said . “ I was especially concerned when I received notice of the first two in July . Both involved employees in one location . My first concern was an internal security breach , but in working with our IT ( Information Technology ) department , we could find nothing to indicate our security had been compromised . I also reached out to Paycom , whom we use for our HRIS ( Human Resource Information System ) and payroll functions .”
Eckert said the Kansas Department of Labor ( KDOL ) responded to the first two claims and stopped them . “ They also provided helpful information for me to share with the employees , who had apparently been impacted by identity theft ,” she said .
The most recent claim , filed August 20 , was for a former
employee who retired earlier this year “ after a long and successful career with the company ,” she said . Eckert reported it to KDOL after checking with the former worker , who denied filing it , she said .
HR ’ S RESPONSIBILITY Due to the surge in fraudulent unemployment claims , it is essential for HR to monitor and confirm the legitimacy of claims diligently , said Rebecca Harris , an attorney in the Boston office of Goulston & Storrs . “ Each state has its process for submitting and processing unemployment claims ,” she said .
Eckert said she monitors and responds to the claims her company receives . “ For employers who do not monitor claims as closely , a fraudulent claim could end up being successful ,” she said .
Harris added that , especially for larger employers that have instituted widespread layoffs and furloughs , insurance payments for fraudulent claims might end up being processed alongside those for legitimate claims . “ In such cases , employees only learn of the fraud when they receive a letter approving their claim for unemployment benefits –
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