Latest news with #FederalPandemicUnemploymentCompensation
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DeWine administration sued over COVID unemployment funds
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A group of Ohioans and former Ohio Attorney General Mark Dann scored a major victory when a Franklin County judge ordered Gov. Mike DeWine to recoup $900 million he declined from the federal government for unemployment in 2021. A class-action lawsuit was filed against the governor on behalf of those who were receiving unemployment benefits during that time. Franklin County Judge Michael Holbrook ruled that DeWine turning away $900 million in federal unemployment benefits was against state law. Ohio State students create dating app with safety as top priority DeWine ended the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program 10 weeks early in 2021. That program paid out an additional $300 per week to Ohioans receiving unemployment benefits. More than 300,000 people were receiving benefits from the pandemic-fueled program. 'I couldn't make the rent,' one of the lawsuit's plaintiffs, Michelle Carr, said. 'I was unemployed. I went out looking for jobs throughout. You know, I live in a small town. There really ain't a whole, whole lot here.' 'We put all of our faith in him,' another plaintiff in the lawsuit, Justin Pertuset, said. 'And we feel like he let us down, and he still is. It's not about, you know, Republican, Democrat. It's just about doing the right thing.' Attorneys for the governor's office have filed an appeal to the ruling. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Judge rules Ohio must distribute $900M in pandemic-era benefits it previously passed on
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WJW) — A Franklin County judge has ordered the state to obtain and distribute $900 million in federally funded pandemic-era unemployment benefits that it previously refused in 2021. The U.S. Department of Labor's Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program offered an additional $300 per week to unemployed Ohioans between Dec. 27, 2020, and Sept. 6, 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. True Value distribution center in Westlake to close, 82 workers face layoffs They were available to anyone who was already receiving traditional unemployment benefits, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. But Gov. Mike DeWine stopped the temporary payments for Ohioans on June 26, 2021, claiming they were 'discouraging' residents from returning to work. Several other states also opted out of the program that month. Attorney Marc Dann, on behalf of Ohioans who were denied the payments, sued DeWine and ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder in July 2021 for the 'unwarranted decision' to prematurely cancel the benefits, despite them being federally funded, according to a Wednesday news release. The Franklin County Common Pleas Court in 2021 ruled against the plaintiffs, but the Tenth District Court of Appeals disagreed, ruling that DeWine had a 'clear legal duty' to keep the state in the program and secure the benefits for Ohioans, according to the Wednesday ruling. By the time the case reached the Ohio Supreme Court, the benefits had expired, and justices considered the case moot. The Franklin County court in 2024 allowed the plaintiffs to bring new, amended complaints. They also included a declaration from a DOL administrator, who made it clear that states that backed out of the supplemental unemployment program could rescind their terminations and go on to collect the benefits for their residents. List: The more than 500 JOANN stores expected to close amid second bankruptcy filing The judge ruled state officials violated state statute in prematurely terminating the benefits for Ohioans and ordered them to 'take all action necessary' to obtain and distribute the benefits to eligible Ohioans. 'The payments will both enable people still reeling from the effects of the pandemic to rebuild their lives and significantly boost the state's economy,' Dann is quoted in a Wednesday news release. 'We've never understood why the Governor would leave nearly a billion dollars sitting in an account in Washington, D.C. rather than allowing that money to flow into Ohio's […] cities, townships and villages where it will fuel sales for local businesses and generate tax revenue. Aside from being cruel, refusing funds made no sense from an economic standpoint. 'We've been assured the money is there, it's far past time for the state to ask for it on behalf of citizens who desperately need it.' Dann noted the county court's ruling could be appealed, but that the appellate court has already ruled against the state, and that a refusal would tee up another court battle. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Eligible Ohioans could receive thousands in COVID checks, if Gov. DeWine asks for the cash
Ohioans receiving weekly unemployment checks from federal COVID-19 relief funds during peak pandemic days could see those checks again, if the governor asks for the money. A Franklin County judge ordered Republican Gov. Mike DeWine's administration Wednesday to request available funds as part of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program to reinstate weekly payments he prematurely cut off in June of 2021. It's not yet clear when those payments could be in the pockets of Ohioans or when DeWine will ask for them, but the payments averaged $300 per week over a ten week period. The supplement checks were scheduled to go through the end of September of that year, per the federal government's program, and were issued in addition to state aid and at no cost to Ohio government, according to Marc Dann of DannLaw, who brought the case against the governor's office in 2021. But DeWine, along with several other Republican governors at the time, said they "didn't want it anymore." Judge Michael Holbrook in the Franklin County Common Pleas Court ruled that the DeWine administration violated Ohio law by ending the federal assistance program before its official termination. Holbrook ordered the governor to "take all action necessary" to reinstate those federal benefits and get them from the United States Department of Labor. Dann said his firm was alerted by the federal labor department a few months ago that the money is available, "all DeWine has to do is ask for them." More: Over $300,000 of COVID-19 unemployment benefits fraudulently released, Ohio probe finds A spokesperson for DeWine did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. "These are people who are going to immediately spend all this money to either pay their bills or to buy groceries. They'll be spending this money with Ohio businesses," Dann said. "There's just about $100 million that we could get for free from the federal government that will be injected into Ohio's economy instantly." "All he has to do is ask, so why he didn't do it without a judge telling him to is a fascinating question," Dann said. Samantha Hendrickson is The Dispatch's medical business and health care reporter. She can be reached at shendrickson@ This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How Ohio residents unemployed during COVID could receive payments
