INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – A small business owner who faces a $ 10,000 bill for an alleged overpayment of pandemic benefits has not heard what she was hoping to hear from officials in the ‘State finally addressing the issues on Friday morning that we have been raising for weeks.
We first spoke to Lynn Moreau, owner of The Eyelash Place, almost two weeks ago. We spoke again on Saturday after the long-awaited press conference by the Ministry of Workforce Development.
Moreau said she didn’t want to miss it, but disputes their comments, especially when DWD Commissioner Fred Payne said: “We are not being too heavy on individuals.”
Pandemic unemployment assistance payments have been a lifeline for Moreau due to a business that came to a screeching halt during the pandemic.
It now fights state action.
Since we first interviewed her, she now realizes that while the state demands 23 payments of $ 449, for a total of $ 10,317, her bank statements clearly show that she receives a weekly deposit of $ 386. dollars, for a total difference of 1,449 dollars. She also believes she did not receive the first payment in January.
“They are obviously wrong or doing something wrong,†Moreau said. “I’m in shock. I can’t believe they can send $ 10,000 bills to people who haven’t even received 10,000.”
That’s part of the reason she really wanted to see Friday’s press conference as officials spoke to Hoosiers like her.
Payne said: “Each of these cases will be dealt with on a factual basis.”
Moreau agrees.
“Are they? That would be great,†she said. “They really should.â€
Instead, Moreau is now waiting to be notified of his hearing before a judge.
When she reviewed the four-page overpayment waiver form, which includes detailed sections on assets as well as expenses, she was not encouraged.
“I feel like I could apply for a job with the FBI, they want to know so much. It shouldn’t be, â€Moreau said.
She now fears that she missed the hearing notice.
She was very disappointed that officials in Indiana had not waived non-fraudulent overpayments like other states, which we reported on Tuesday.
Payne said the department had stopped prosecuting people who had filed a waiver to appeal.
“If there is one person who has received an overpayment and has provided us with a waiver or appealed, we have stopped any type of attempt,†Payne said.
“It shouldn’t be on us,†says Moreau. “It should be up to them to do the right thing, to make it easy.”
The Workforce Development Department declined to provide further comment on Saturday evening.
