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State of Alaska > DOLWD > Employment
Security > Unemployment
Insurance
Benefit Payment Control Unit (BPC)
Benefit Payment Control (BPC) is federally mandated to protect the Unemployment
Insurance Trust Fund by preventing, discouraging, detecting, investigating,
and recovering unemployment insurance benefit overpayments. BPC consists
of two units, Fraud Investigations and Audit & Recovery.
The Audit and Recovery Unit (A&R) conducts quarterly wage cross-match
audits of UI claims and handles all collection activities to recover overpaid
unemployment insurance benefits. A&R process payments that come in
each day and reconciles overpayment accounts; fields calls from individuals
regarding overpayments, and assists employers with questions on the wage
earnings audits sent to employers each calendar quarter. The A&R unit
maintains all records for BPC.
What is an overpayment?
An overpayment is the receipt of more UI benefit money or credit than
the individual is eligible to receive. Some common causes of overpayments
are: decisions made by claims representatives or claim auditors regarding
an existing UI claim; removal of dependent allowance; corrected deductible
income; monetary decisions from wage corrections; and appeal decisions.
What is “benefit offset”?
If an overpayment has been established for an ongoing claim, current and
future benefit payments will be used to offset the overpayment. (This
includes any weeks recalculated that yield entitlement.) The individual
is notified of this offset by a letter or check stub message. Usually,
benefits cannot be used to offset penalty amounts due (if any), only overpayment
of UI benefits.
When benefits are paid incorrectly, is it always
due to fraud?
No. A person can receive excessive benefits due to employer reporting
error or oversight.
What is an audit summary?
An audit summary is a weekly comparison of wage information reported by
employer(s). Since it is the basis for many fraud determinations, it is
very important that the information on the summary is accurate. The summary
is included with notification letters to the employer and individual to
provide opportunity to review all documents used as a basis for the comparison.
What is a Notice of Overpayment Liability and what
should I do if I receive one?
When an overpayment is established or redetermined, our system automatically
generates a dated Determination of Liability and Overpayment Summary which
is mailed to you. It is important to review this document completely and
contact Audit and Recovery at 1-888-810-6789 if you have any questions.
It is also important to remember that you have 30 days from the date of
the mailing to appeal the Notice of Liability. The reverse side of the
Notice explains repayment, waiver and appeal provisions.
How will I know the balance of my overpayment?
Monthly statements are sent to all individuals with an overpayment balance.
After the account is paid in full, one more statement is sent showing
that the overpayment account has a zero balance.
How do I make payments on my overpayment?
You can repay overpayments by sending a check or money order to:
DOLWD/Employment Security Division
Audit & Recovery, BPC
PO Box 115505
Juneau, Alaska 99811
You may also make in-person payments in the Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks
offices. Please contact the office before making an in-person payment.
Is it possible to make monthly payments?
Audit & Recovery makes every effort to try to accommodate someone
who is willing to make regular payments. A representative will send you
an Agreement to Reimburse that spells out the terms of the agreement and
gives you a record of how you have agreed to repay the debt. This form
must be signed, notarized and returned to the Audit & Recovery Unit.
Can I assign my PFD to repay my overpayment?
Voluntary assignment of all or part of your PFD is a practical repayment
option. Contact Audit & Recovery at 1-888-810-6789 to get more information.
A specialist will send you an Assignment of Rights to return.
Can I request a Waiver of my Overpayment Liability?
You have 30 days from the date the liability notice was mailed to you
to request a waiver. Upon request, an application will be sent to you
for completion. A specialist will review the application and issue a determination
allowing or denying the waiver request.
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