Computer Glitch Sends Double Unemployment Checks to 1,250 South Carolinians

A computer glitch Sunday at the South Carolina Employment Security Commission sent 1,250 people two unemployment benefits checks this week. Now, the agency is scrambling to notify all of the recipients that they need to mail or bring back one of the checks to a local Workforce Center. If they cash both checks, they won’t receive a check next week.

Clark Newsom, spokesman for the agency, says the problem started during a printing run of tens of thousands of checks Sunday. “Some of the checks, it looked like they had a problem with their address so they were supposed to be kicked out of the system. Unfortunately, they did not get kicked out of the system. We were printing on two different printers and the printer accidentally printed about 1,250 checks that were duplicated,“ he says.

The checks were mailed Monday, so recipients got them Tuesday or Wednesday.

Hope Deter was at the local unemployment office Wednesday to see about getting her benefits extended. She had heard about the duplicate checks, but says if she had not, “I would’ve thought, because I’m going to try to get some more unemployment now to extend my weeks, and I probably would have thought they messed up and gave me two checks at the end.“ She says she wouldn’t have cashed both checks, though, until she confirmed with the Employment Security Commission that she could.

Newsom says the agency is calling and sending letters to everyone who got duplicate checks, but they’re getting calls from some who had already cashed both. Those who did will not get a check next week.

Tyrone Thomas was at the office because he moved and has not received his checks at all the last few weeks, so he can sympathize with those who will find themselves without a check next week.

“Once you set yourself to a schedule to manage bills on a weekly basis, and if you get two that week, you may overspend, you know, just because you have the extra money,“ he says. “And then the following week, something can come up and you may not have that money. Now you’re in a rut.“

The Employment Security Commission is asking anyone who received duplicate checks and hasn’t been contacted yet by the agency to call (803)737-2499.

The agency won’t release the total value of the 1,250 checks, but the average weekly benefit is $240, meaning the total is around $300,000.