Florida became the pandemic poster child for unemployment systems that were not providing benefits because they were designed to fail. DeSantis promised to fix it. But instead he has pushed anti-fraud measures that are blocking eligible claimants from receiving benefits. (Thread) 
DeSantis gained some credibility when he said that the UI system designed by Rick Scott had "pointless roadblocks" that he promised to fix. But he did not follow through with any investigation. 2/ palmbeachpost.com/story/news/pol…
Governor DeSantis doubled down on stopping fraud rather than helping people as the primary goal of the unemployment system.
See this report from @lmower3
sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl…
See this report from @lmower3
sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl…
Fraud in any public benefit system is a legitimate concern. It is also a popular excuse to stop eligible people from getting benefits. And that is what has happened with Florida's UI system. sun-sentinel.com/coronavirus/fl…
One good way to understand the values of an administrative system is how it treats human error, e.g. a name misspelling, or forgetting a middle initial. A system that turns such minor errors into excuses to promptly deny claims is a system designed to exclude and not to help.
If an administrative system misclassifies errors as fraud, as Florida's UI has done, it reveals an effort to rationalize a broken system by misrepresenting how it enables a popular value. Florida's system is not designed, in fact, to minimize fraud but to prevent paying claims.
"Call center workers said they wondered why people who seemed to most need the benefits weren’t allowed to receive them."
One predictable effect of administrative burdens is the human capital Catch-22: those who most need help struggle most with the barriers imposed upon them.
One predictable effect of administrative burdens is the human capital Catch-22: those who most need help struggle most with the barriers imposed upon them.
To recap:
*Rick Scott designed a FL UI system that pays $ to about 1 in 10 jobless, worst rate in the country
*Ron DeSantis acknowledges the system is full of administrative burdens
*DeSantis OKs system continuing to find ways to exclude people, under pretext of reducing fraud
*Rick Scott designed a FL UI system that pays $ to about 1 in 10 jobless, worst rate in the country
*Ron DeSantis acknowledges the system is full of administrative burdens
*DeSantis OKs system continuing to find ways to exclude people, under pretext of reducing fraud
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