Unemployment benefits are set to expire in about two weeks for millions of people still out of work because of coronavirus. That’s why lawmakers in Washington are rushing to get a nearly $2 trillion stimulus package on President Joe Biden’s desk soon.
But in California, state officials have a big reason to be worried about another huge influx of cash for the unemployed. The agency that manages unemployment claims, the Employment Development Department, has been plagued with at least $11 billion worth of fraud since the pandemic started. Officials are still working out some of the big problems that left the state vulnerable to fraudsters.