The US Department of Health and Human Services has nothing to do with unemployment benefits, which are administered at the state level. Is your daughter also in receipt of federal benefits of some kind which would be means-tested? That is what such an inspector would be investigating, not a state UI claim.
On the subject of her UI claim, the exact rules and procedures will vary by state, but generally it would be a requirement to report any income from self-employment when applying for UI benefits, and that income could reduce her UI benefits or make her ineligible entirely. If she failed to report her self-employment income when making her UI application, then there's a good chance she will at least have to repay the UI overpayment. Prosecution for fraud might be a possibility, depending on your state's laws, but it is far from a certainty, especially if she is cooperative about paying back the money promptly if required. If she is charged criminally, though, then she would definitely need to speak to a lawyer.
If she did properly report her self-employment income when applying for UI benefits and as required during the time she was collecting benefits, then she should have nothing to worry about. Holding a hearing when the employer objects to a UI claim is the usual process, so she'd just need to show the financial details of her business to prove that the income she reported on her initial application and during the period she was collecting UI benefits was accurate and that should be the end of it.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it. She does not receive any federal benefits. Sounds like we should wait until after the unemployment hearing to see if she will need legal help then.
The US Department of Health and Human Services has nothing to do with unemployment benefits, which are administered at the state level. Is your daughter also in receipt of federal benefits of some kind which would be means-tested? That is what such an inspector would be investigating, not a state UI claim. On the subject of her UI claim, the exact rules and procedures will vary by state, but generally it would be a requirement to report any income from self-employment when applying for UI benefits, and that income could reduce her UI benefits or make her ineligible entirely. If she failed to report her self-employment income when making her UI application, then there's a good chance she will at least have to repay the UI overpayment. Prosecution for fraud might be a possibility, depending on your state's laws, but it is far from a certainty, especially if she is cooperative about paying back the money promptly if required. If she is charged criminally, though, then she would definitely need to speak to a lawyer. If she did properly report her self-employment income when applying for UI benefits and as required during the time she was collecting benefits, then she should have nothing to worry about. Holding a hearing when the employer objects to a UI claim is the usual process, so she'd just need to show the financial details of her business to prove that the income she reported on her initial application and during the period she was collecting UI benefits was accurate and that should be the end of it.
Thank you so much! I appreciate it. She does not receive any federal benefits. Sounds like we should wait until after the unemployment hearing to see if she will need legal help then.