Dupage Policy Journal

During the pandemic, several state and federal programs offered monetary assistance to the unemployed, but now several of them have received notices from the Illinois Department of Employment Security demanding as much as $20,000 in some cases be returned.

"Residents who received unemployment help during the pandemic are now being told they owe thousands of dollars back," Illinois Rep. Jim Durkin posted on Faceook. "Struggling Illinois families should not be on the hook for the administration's mistakes. The Governor and IDES need to resolve these ongoing issues with the unemployment system immediately."

Earlier this year, lawmakers had stated that if someone has received the overpayment letters, he or she can make an appeal for a waiver, according to ABC7, and if that appeal is granted, their debt  would be forgiven.

"Struggling Illinois families should not be on the hook for the administration's mistakes, Rep. Jim Durkin said. | Illinois General Assembly

"I, like many people, was hit hard, and I can't take another hit like that," Lavinia Redmond told the station.

Redmond worked as a bus driver for Chicago Public Schools, and her life changed for the worse when she was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's incredibly frustrating, it's very stressful," John Sweeney, who was laid off from an educational non-profit, told ABC7.

Initially, both Sweeney and Redmond had applied for the monetary benefits, and they had qualified. But after a few months, they both got those letters demanding money back without explanation.

IDES is in charge of collecting all the overpayments. IDES representatives have said that the waiver program is not currently running and that they have no news as to when it will be implemented. According to ABC7, it will send letters to those who wish to dispute the payback as soon as the waiver program is available.