13 Investigates helps viewer get unemployment benefits after weeks without deposits

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — The sheer volume of fraudulent unemployment claims in Colorado is slowing payments for people who legitimately need the state's support, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

Cassandra Martin has gone eight weeks without assistance and is preparing to sell her family’s vehicle to get by. 

“My credit cards are maxed out,” said Martin. “I have nothing now. We have car payments. We have a home loan payment we have to make. We are not going to be able to do that next month.”

Martin had a third phone call scheduled with CDLE in two weeks to try to get a resolution once again. But unsure her family could make it that long without a payment, Martin came to 13 Investigates for help.

The state said some claims show fraudulent patterns that may be holding payment from the associated account. A fraud team manually investigates whether or not a claim is fraudulent. Several other issues could also flag payments, including earnings verification, out-of-state wages, and eligibility issues.

“We understand how frustrating this experience can be. We are implementing automated review and release processes and adding staff for manual reviews to release holds.

That said, we are still seeing a steady and consistent level of suspicious activity and must be aggressive with our fraud detection and prevention tactics. We are doing everything we can to ensure legitimate claimants are able to access benefits during this difficult time of financial hardship, while also upholding our fiduciary responsibility to protect the integrity of Colorado’s unemployment program.”

Spokesperson, Colorado Department of Labor and Employment

Less than one hour after contacting CDLE, 13 Investigates was able to get Martin’s payment scheduled for Saturday.