The unemployment system is supposed to help workers make ends meet.

But it can also lead workers into serious debt.

Here’s how it happens (THREAD):
2/ If a unemployment agency accidentally pays you benefits that it later decides you are not eligible for, it can ask for the money back. It doesn’t matter if the money has long been spent, or if the mistake was the agency's fault.
3/ Unemployment agencies pursue workers with aggressive collection practices: they can file a lien on your property, or intercept your tax refunds. They can shut you off from collecting benefits again in the future.
4/ And because of the extra $600 boost to benefits this year, these overpayments can be extraordinarily high, running over $10,000.
5/ For the jobless Americans who depend on these benefits as their lifeline, finding out that they were never eligible for them to begin with is a devastating blow. Especially because most have long spent this money on housing, food, and rent.
6/ “The debt is worse than having never been paid at all,” said one worker who received unemployment benefits only to be told he owed the agency nearly $15,000 back.

Here’s the full story by @AvaKofman propublica.org/article/he-mad…
7/ To get our coverage sent straight to your inbox, sign up here: go.propublica.org/bigstory-social

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More from @propublica

23 Oct
Much discussion at #Debates2020 on oil industry & environment. Our Polluter's Paradise series looked at how the petrochemical industry impacted Louisiana, like this piece on how oil cos. avoided environmental accountability after 10.8M gallons spilled
propublica.org/article/how-oi…
Then there was this piece this about how the growing number of plants will increase concentrations of cancer-causing chemicals in predominantly poor & Black communities #Debates2020
propublica.org/article/welcom…
The 3 charts in this story illustrate this worsening of air quality in the area #Debates2020
propublica.org/article/why-lo…
Read 5 tweets
23 Oct
Trump boasted at #Debates2020 that his Opportunity Zone tax breaks helped Black Americans. We've reported numerous instances where they benefited wealthy Whites. In FL, wealthy GOP donors successfully lobbied for a break for a superyacht marina: propublica.org/article/supery…
But wait. There's more.
Like Cleveland Cavaliers owner & Quicken founder Dan Gilbert, whose company donated $750K to Trump's inaugural fund, scored opportunity zone status for wealthy parts of Detroit where he owns billions in property #Debates2020 propublica.org/article/how-a-…
Meanwhile, in Baltimore, Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank got a huge tax break — at the expense of the city's poorer neighborhoods — for a plot of land under a highway but near a development project he owns #Debates2020 propublica.org/article/trump-…
Read 4 tweets
21 Oct
When Pennsylvania voter Mindy Bence opened her mail-in ballot packet, there was a problem: Her return envelopes had arrived already sealed shut.

She worried. If she tried to use them, would her vote count? (THREAD)
2/ “I don't really know what I'm going to do,” Mindy told ProPublica.

After an hour on hold Monday, the board of elections told her to open the sealed envelopes, put her ballot inside and tape them shut.

When she asked a question, they hung up, she said.
3/ Mindy was concerned that if she follows the county’s advice, her ballot will look like it's been tampered with and could be rejected.

She was reluctant to request a new ballot in person.

“I'm disabled and immunocompromised. So that's what I wanted to avoid."
Read 12 tweets
18 Oct
Mail-in ballots can be rejected for many reasons. For the millions of Americans voting by mail for the first time, here's some advice from our journalists to make sure your vote counts (THREAD)
2/ Make sure you sign your ballot the same way you did when you got your license or registered to vote. Contact your local election office if you have concerns about the signature they have on file.
3/ Don’t put more than one ballot in the provided return envelope.

Made a mistake while filling out your ballot? Don't try to fix it with white-out or tape. Request a new one from your local election office.
Read 9 tweets
17 Oct
Since most of us can’t possibly track the never-ending barrage of 2020 election news, @ProPublica’s @electionland gathers the most important headlines in one place. Here are some highlights from the week that was. (THREAD)
2/ This week, @ProPublica and @guardian launched a joint project tracking mail-in ballot requests, returns and rejections in battleground states:
propublica.org/article/millio…
3/ Early voters saw high turnouts, but long waits, in multiple states. In Georgia, limited polling places and new machines added to the delays, per the @WashingtonPost:
washingtonpost.com/politics/georg…
Read 12 tweets
8 Oct
1/ The U.S. Justice Department has just charged Republican fundraiser Elliott Broidy with conspiring to act as an unregistered foreign agent

We’ve covered Broidy extensively over the years. Here’s what we know.
2/ It’s not Broidy’s first run-in with the law. Years ago, he was convicted of political corruption.

That didn’t stop Jeff Sessions from seeking his advice on staffing in 2017. (Broidy also made recommendations for other roles across the administration) propub.li/3jIuRir
3/ Yrs ago, Broidy was central to another scandal. He pleaded guilty to bribing NY State pension officials. (Before the plea was finalized, a judge allowed Broidy to change his plea from a felony to a misdemeanor.)

propub.li/3nvjqg1
Read 7 tweets

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