[Louisiana] Just received 90-Day PoE Notice threatening overpayment, but I've already won my overpayment appeals...?

[fafaparola]

Yesterday in my email I received a 90-Day Proof of Employment Notice (informing me that I have 90 days to provide proof of employment for the time before I applied for unemployment benefits). It says failure to provide proof of employment for this time period may result in the money I had received being considered an overpayment.

I wasn't employed at all for the year in question (right before COVID), but I was definitely up front about this when I applied for benefits when COVID hit. I received unemployment for awhile and then later was told it was all an overpayment: they wanted me to pay back 100% of it. I appealed it and my reasoning was basically "Hey I was honest when I signed up, I didn't claim to have been working the previous year. I just heard everyone unemployed during COVID could get help so I decided to sign up and see if I could get some help."

This reasoning was good enough for me to win my appeals and all my overpayments (it was split into several of them, totaling like $5,000-6,000 IIRC) to be changed to $0 overpaid. But now I receive this email saying if I don't send proof of employment it'll be overpayment all over again.

Will I be okay though, since I've already gone through the appeal process? It's definitely a form letter type thing I received, so I'm hoping this just wasn't supposed to be sent to those who have already won appeals but I'm still very nervous as this would wreck me financially.

I emailed them asking pretty much this same question but idk how long it will take to hear back (their contact page says 2-3 days but I also know UE offices are often backed up).

 

[dmaxie61]

@fafaparola Quite surprised you won an appeal when you weren't job-attached right before Covid.

There are many like you but who have overpayments not forgiven.

I'd still be twitchy in your situation as it is an outlier for sure

 

[fafaparola]

@dmaxie61 Definitely feeling twitchy lol. And I feel like I've had a great victory ripped right out of my hands, after like 7 months of thinking it was done with.

 

[shicomi]

@dmaxie61 Did you get PUA or regular unemployment? You probably weren’t entitled to either but what’s important right now is that you said you won your appeal. Were you granted an overpayment waiver? You will need that document when you contact them.

 

[dmaxie61]

@shicomi yeah, don't think this one is over yet.

 

[fafaparola]

@shicomi It was PUA and yeah I still have the mail that I got about all the overpayments being changed to $0.

I gotta call them, they emailed me back saying they couldn't find my account based on the info I provided (email, phone number, last 4 of SSN), which is weird.

 

[patdee]

@fafaparola It might just be a mistake, you already won an appeal so you should be ok but definitely keep emailing/calling til you get a straight answer about you need to do.

Most states were forgiving any Covid overpayments that weren't fraud, but due to a mistake of their own. This is probably why you won the appeal.

 

[fafaparola]

@patdee Yeah I feel like that's definitely how it should be, that it shouldn't be on the person unless they lied while applying for it. I'll for sure contact them again, probably by phone, if I don't hear back from them by the end of December.

And if they do switch it back to overpayment again hopefully I can just appeal it again. It just hella sucks having to worry about it all over again, especially given how great the relief was when I won the appeal. It's almost cruel at this point.

 

[petty88]

@fafaparola A person shouldn't have to have been attached to a job before COVID-19. This was bullshit imo. Everyone should have been entitled to free cash that is being thrown around due to special reasons. Just because someone had a small job in 2019 should entitle them to make tens of thousands of dollars, COVID-19 should. The states asking to prove employment should be ashamed of themselves. It was a special time when individuals got special privileges just for being employed during a certain period. The whole thing is not right and is not a fair market.

 

[catholic4jesus]

@fafaparola What did you submit when you got the notice letter I’m in the same boat

 

[fafaparola]

@catholic4jesus Nothing yet, I emailed them and they emailed me back saying they couldn't find my account and that I should call them. I'm just really nervous haha, but I've got to force myself to call them and hopefully just say hey I already went through the appeal process.

 

[catholic4jesus]

@fafaparola Well the good news is they’re only after anything from after December 27,2020 according to the FAQ on their website

 

[fafaparola]

@catholic4jesus Oh, that could be good news. I'll have to check my paperwork and see how much of my benefits that accounts for.

 

[lilstar]

@fafaparola I got a similar letter in Louisiana it says I have 90 days to provide proof of employment including check stubs idk what to do