MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A new report says the state Department of Workforce Development overpaid nearly $168 million in unemployment benefits during the three years that ended June 30. The Legislative Audit Bureau released findings Tuesday that show the agency identified 681,400 overpayments totaling $167.9 million from fiscal year 2011-12 through fiscal year 2013-14. The audit attributed about 85 percent of the overpayments to people who unintentionally provided the agency incorrect information and 9.5 percent of the overpayments to people who intentionally misled the agency. Auditors also found that DWD hasn’t been clearly reporting how much in overpayments it has recovered. A March 2014 DWD report noted that the agency recovered $24 million in overpayments resulting from intentional misrepresentations in 2013 even though most of the money had been recouped in previous years.
