Mass. Jobless Claims System Still Has Problems

A lawyer for people involved in unemployment disputes says the state's new unemployment claim system still has problems, and has sent letters to people that threaten to garnish their tax refunds to cover alleged overpayments.

Margaret Monsell, an attorney with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, said at a Statehouse hearing Thursday that claimants started receiving letters this month. They appear to have gone to people who had erroneously received bills from the state - sometimes for thousands of dollars - to recoup past unemployment payments.

The Boston Globe reports that neither she nor officials from the Department of Unemployment Assistance knew how many letters went out.

The system has been riddled with glitches since its July 1 launch, which came two years late and more than $6 million over budget.