Georgia tells company's workers to repay jobless benefits Georgia's Department of Labor is seeking $28G repayment

 

The Georgia Department of Labor is demanding the repayment of unemployment benefits from current and former employees of an Atlanta restaurant group, saying the employer made mistakes in filing unemployment claims.

WXIA-TV reports that the state labor agency is seeking nearly $28,000 from Kacey Carelson, one of the former employees of Rocket Farm Restaurants. The Atlanta company, led by chef Ford Fry, runs 11 restaurants across metro Atlanta, including four Superica restaurants.

restaurant

In this Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, file photo, a man looks at his phone next to stools taped off to prevent diners from sitting on them in Los Angeles.  (AP Photo/Jae C.Hong, File)

"That’s half my year’s salary," Carelson said. "I can’t live if I pay that back. I’m a little taken aback by the whole situation."

JOBLESS CLAIMS TICK UP TO 207,000 BUT REMAIN NEAR HALF-CENTURY LOW

Department spokesperson Kersha Cartwright said that errors such as misspellings, incorrect Social Security numbers or incorrect wages could lead to unintentional fraud, trigging an overpayment of benefits. She did not say how much money the Labor Department requested from the Rocket Farm Restaurants employees or what mistake led to the overpayment of benefits. Cartwright said unintentional fraud does not happen often.

"We’re in charge of managing state and federal funds," Cartwright said. "So if there were funds that went to the wrong person, we’re required to recoup those."

diners

Diners eat al fresco due to COVID-19 concerns in the West Village, Friday, June 26, 2020, in New York.  (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

The department required employers to file unemployment claims at the start of the pandemic, seeking to speed benefit payments and keep employees on payrolls.

She said the department is working with the company and employees. She said employees could file a waiver to possibly have the debt forgiven.

OMICRON DEALS MAJOR BLOW TO 'STRUGGLING' RESTAURANT INDUSTRY: NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE

Carelson, now working with another restaurant group, said she has filed several appeals and sent in her waiver, has yet to receive a response. She also said Rocket Farm is struggling to communicate with former workers.

"It’s intimidating, it’s nerve-wracking. The amount of nights I’ve lost sleep, panicked about how I’m going to pay this back," Carelson said. "What if they garnish wages like they say. Am I going to jail for fraud?"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

James Corden mocks Jada Pinkett Smith with 'We Don't Talk About Jada' parody

James Corden mocked Jada Pinkett Smith in a skit for "The Late Late Show" days after Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. The skit began with Corden and other show members discussing how to cover the 94th Academy Awards . While most of the members wanted to focus on big moments - such as "CODA" winning best picture - some thought the focus should be on the joke about Pinkett Smith that led to Smith slapping Rock in the face. "Or we could talk about the thing that everyone is talking about," one guy said. "No, you saw what happened. We have to talk about something else," Corden said.  
Read more

Off-duty correction officer shoots 2 armed robbers in the Bronx after date allegedly sets him up

  The robbers allegedly lured the correction officer, who's in his 20s, with the promise of a date with 21-year-old Diamond Sanchez at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, the sources said. The pair were sitting in a car on East 183rd Street and Tiebout Avenue in Fordham Heights when the two alleged armed robbers, Christian Santana, 22 and Leonel Cuevas, 26, approached the vehicle, sources said. One of the two men pulled out a gun and demanded the correction officer give up his belongings. The officer, who was armed as well, opened fire from inside the car, sources said. The correction officer, who police have not identified, let out multiple shots, hitting Cuevas several times in the chest and Santana in the stomach. Both men were taken to St. Barnabas Hospital with Cuevas in critical condition and Santana in stable condition. At the scene, one of the alleged robbers dropped a gun which Santana attempted to hide, police sources said.
Read more