Business Group Blames State Agency For Unemployment Fund Going Broke

A business lobby group is offering some ideas as to why Missouri’s unemployment compensation fund is going broke, but the state agency that administers the fund rejects the business group’s findings. Associate Industries of Missouri – AIM – claims federal dollars have been and still are available for Missouri to bolster its near empty unemployment compensation fund. But AIM’s President Gary Marble says the State Division of Employment Security has not asked for the money. The Division’s Cynthia Quetsch says that’s not quite the case. She says that money was only available for cross-matching, to ensure people with jobs are not receiving benefits. In addition to its claim that the state has not gone after every federal dollar available to it, AIM re-states its contention unemployment benefits are being paid to Missourians who are not entitled to those benefits.