Chair of the House Oversight Committee, James Comer of Kentucky, wrote to the Commissioner of the New York State Department of Labor on Friday asking for all information and data relating to fraud in the state’s unemployment insurance.

The request comes a few weeks after Commissioner Roberta Reardon announced that her agency’s estimate regarding the amount of unemployment insurance lost to fraud was $4 billion, significantly lower than the estimate released in November by the Office of the State Comptroller, which was $11 billion.

In an interview with Capital Tonight, Reardon stated she couldn’t release the underlying data that informed DOL’s lower figure because it was protected information. 

Businesses around the state have railed against the fraud because it affects the amount of payroll tax they owe.  

UPDATE:  According to Peter Brancato, Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications at the NYSDOL, “The DOL is reviewing the (House) committee’s letter and request.”

2023 01 13 Ny Ui Fraud Letter to Ny Dol.final by Adam Penale on Scribd