State of Kentucky Hires Ernst & Young to Help With Backlogged Unemployment Claims

Beshear said that the company would be able to help resolve claims from March, April, and May by the end of this month.

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(Frankfort, Ky.) – Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear announced yesterday that the state has hired national accounting firm Ernst and Young to help deal with the backlog of unemployment benefits claims.

“This contract is going to help us get caught up,” said Gov. Beshear. “This is our best chance in the short term to help as many people out there as we can.”

According to Gov Beshear, the company previously helped Colorado deal with its unemployment backlog and will bring in 300 experienced workers to help deal with more than 56,000 unresolved claims.

Ernst and Young are being paid $7.4 million. Beshear said it would cost the state $30 million in a year to hire the same number of employees to handle unemployment claims, with four to six months needed for training.

Beshear said that the company would be able to help resolve claims from March, April, and May by the end of this month.