SC Employment Security Never Evaluated Director; Senators Say Change Coming

Columbia, S.C. - Just as the South Carolina Senate is preparing to begin debate on a bill to reform the state Employment Security Commission, there's another revelation of what lawmakers call mismanagement: the agency never did an annual evaluation of its director.

According to the Associated Press, most state workers and at least 61 agency heads have their performance appraised, and some other agencies evaluate their leaders even if it's not required.

Employment Security Commission Chairman Billy McLeod says a director would have been let go if he wasn't meeting standards. Executive director Ted Halley retired in August after six years running the agency.

The state Senate expects to start debate this week on a bill to reform the agency. News Channel 7 took to state senators the concerns of a lot of viewers who have contacted us because they haven't received their unemployment benefits.

One man lost his job when the company he worked for went out of business. He got unemployment benefits, but then had to re-apply after a year so they would continue. After more than 8 weeks, though, he's still not receiving his benefits. He says it's especially troubling since he had already been checked out and approved before, so it shouldn't take much effort to approve his claim. Yet he's in danger of losing his house and car since he doesn't have any money coming in. He's looking for work every day.

Interim director Sam Foster says claims are backing up because of the sheer volume of them, coupled with changing programs and requirements from Washington. The state has record high unemployment, so the Employment Security Commission has to process tens of thousands of additional claims.

But Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, says he doesn't think it's a problem of the agency not having enough employees to process claims quickly. "I think it's a question of how they handle the claims, the procedure that they follow. My information is they really don't have a written procedure for how they handle a claim," he says. "I know of one lady that had to wait 4 weeks before she even got her interview, so I can only tell you we've had enough and reform is coming."

As for what people who don't have the money to buy food for their families because they're not getting their benefits checks, Sen. Greg Ryberg, R-Aiken, says, "Relief is on the way and hopefully we get to it today, at the very latest tomorrow. We need to move the bill forward."

He says anyone having trouble getting his claim processed and delaying his checks should contact his state senator for help.