State Rep. Matt Hall, of Marshall, today issued the following statement after a data discrepancy emerged in new information reported by the state’s Unemployment Insurance Agency. Hall received a letter from UIA Director Steve Gray on Thursday detailing certain key information related to unemployment claims:

“It took me a month to get an updated number from UIA on how many people statewide have still not received any payment for their unemployment claim. In less than 24 hours, UIA has provided two vastly different numbers.

“This inconsistency speaks to what the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic has looked into and what people who have been frustrated with the state’s unemployment system have told us for weeks: that UIA does not have a firm grasp on the severity of this issue.

“People have been unable to provide for themselves and their families while their claims remain unfulfilled. They are not able to pay bills or put food on the table because they have not gotten the payments they need and deserve after being put out of work. Even with the new numbers UIA came up with today, the total amount of people who have not received any payment is still up from the last available total our committee received on May 21 from Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity Director Jeff Donofrio. An increase to this total with a month to address the problem does not paint a better picture.

“I look forward to speaking with UIA Director Steve Gray this coming Wednesday on these recent inconsistencies and developing a smarter approach to get people the money they are owed.”