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Kansans report child support unemployment deduction error

Child support deduction.png
Posted at 5:44 PM, Jun 11, 2020
and last updated 2020-06-11 18:44:41-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansans tell 41 Action News they don't believe the Department of Labor fixed a coding error earlier this week.

41 Action News first reported about the glitch Tuesday.

The department announced a coding error that affected about 8,000 claimants. It showed either a child support deduction or addition on their claim status pages.

Unemployment Insurance Director Laurel Searles told 41 Action News Tuesday that the error should not affect actual payments.

However, several Kansans reported the child support deduction errors that showed up on their claim status pages were taken out of their payments.

Hays resident Shawn Kennedy said he typically gets $41 taken out of his unemployment payments for child support, but the $291 deduction that mistakenly showed up on his claim status page Tuesday was taken out of his payment.

"I was just shocked because they've taken out the same amount every week since forever," Kennedy said.

Kennedy isn't alone. Other Kansans sent 41 Action News screenshots of deductions being taken out of their payments.

Kennedy said he's not sure what to do since calling the department never seems to help.

"You get virtually no information from unemployment," Kennedy said. "It's an ordeal."

As he waits for an explanation, Kennedy said he continues to lose faith in the department that holds so much of his livelihood in its hands.

"I trust the Kansas government very little right now," Kennedy said.

41 Action News reporter Emma James reached out to the Kansas Department of Labor about this, but she had not heard back late Thursday afternoon.