Louisiana paid out $497 million in improper unemployment checks over the last three years, close to half of all claims that were filed, according to The White House.
Vice President Joe Biden released the figures Tuesday in announcing the administration efforts to crack down on government fraud, waste and abuse.
The federal numbers, however, failed to take in improvements that the state has made over the last year, in part, correcting a computer glitch that added to the problems, said Curt Eysink, executive director of the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
The U.S. Department of Labor reported that Louisiana had the highest percentage of improper employment payments at 43.6 percent or almost half of all claims filed.
The state has been making progress, Eysink said, reducing that figure to about 22 percent, or one in five.
“We’re not where we want to be clearly,” Eysink said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
