A Virginia resident's pro bono attorney just called the Virginia Employment Commission a radically dysfunctional agency.
According to reports, Hugh O'Donnell's client, Ernest Ray, worked for a company in Virginia for 26 years. He left the physically demanding job in 2016 after the plant closed down.
Following his lengthy service, Ray received $9,000 in unemployment benefits. However, the Virginia Employment Commission has been trying to take the entire amount back from the former employee, which forced Ray to file a lawsuit against the agency.
"Like the teacher who doesn't like children and the librarian who doesn't like books, this is an agency that doesn't like the people that it's supposed to serve," O' Donnell said via CBS News.
Ernest Ray struggles to survive amid filing lawsuit
Ray, who was born deaf, was one of the best employees at Bristol Compressors. He was responsible for making complicated machinery. During his shift, he wore complete gear to protect him from possible injuries.
During his last year at work, Ray received $36,000. His salary reportedly qualified him for $378 a week for 24 weeks of unemployment benefit.
For the first couple of months, the former employee didn't have a hard time getting his weekly benefits. But after they ran out in May 2019, staff told Ray to keep reporting his work-search details, which he complied with except for an entire week when he became sick.
When Ray returned to file his work-search details after he recovered, the agency told him that he could no longer qualify for the unemployment benefits because he was no longer fit to work. The agency also told Ray that he received $9,000 in unemployment benefits by mistake, so he must return the money to the state. The former employee currently survives with the help of his Social Security disability benefits.
Rep. Gov. Glenn Youngkin vows to overhaul Virginia Employment Commission
According to reports, several others have complained about the Virginia Employment Commission, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, because more individuals suddenly needed help. The agency also lagged in setting up specific benefit programs, and their information technology modernization project is eight years behind schedule.
Virginia Labor Secretary Megan Healy, who oversees the agency, acknowledged that more work needs to overhaul the group.
Republican Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin also vowed to overhaul the agency once his term starts, according to 6 News Richmond.
But despite the issues with unemployment benefits in Virginia, reports revealed that the state is recovering amid the pandemic.
Virginia's unemployment rate at an all-time low since pandemic
According to Shore Daily News, the unemployment rate in the state dropped 3.6 percent last month. Gov. Ralph Northam also released a statement saying that Virginia's economy is making great strides after reporting its lowest unemployment rate since the pandemic began.
Healy also said that Virginia's economy is as dynamic as ever. She also praised employers and employees for working together for the state's economic recovery and stressed that locals should be proud of their progress. However, there are still some residents of Virginia who are struggling due to unemployment today, just like Ray.
Related Article: Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Refuses To Disclose Her Vaccination Status But Encourages Residents To Get The Jab, Causing Uproar Among Netizens
