The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-07-27
Additional Million To Be
Paid Ohio Unemployed

Addltlonul Million 10 Be
Paid Ohio Unemployed
Columbus, O.-Payment of an ad-
ditional million dollars will be made
to Ohio unemployment insurance bene-
ficiaries as result of an opinion of
Attorney General Thomas ]. Herbert,
an official Bureau of Unemployment
Compensation release asserted today.
This money will go to approximate
ly 10000 out of 10000 Ohioans who
were iobless and were found eligible
for benefits between January 1 and
February %, Administrator H. C. At
kinson declared. More than two months
will be required to gear up the ma
chinery for this additional payment.
Authority for the administrator to
pay out the additional sum, as a re-
suit Of a change in the benefit form
ula, was conveyed in the transfer of
power from the former Unemployment
Compensation Commission to the ad-
ministrator-h Bureau now oper-
ating, the Attorney Generals opinion
held.
The problem of redetermining Janu-
ary and February claimants benefits
was raised when the formula for de-
termining average weekly wages and
the weekly benefit amount was
changed by the old Commission on
February %.
The Franklin County Common Pleas
Court held that the former formula
was not adequate as "rule of univer-
sal application" Thereupon new
method of computing weekly wages
and benefits was instituted. The Com
mission ordered all claims in process
up to February % predetermined under
the new method.
Under what was known as old Rule
Three, the weekly wage of worker
was figured by averaging his earn
ings over a years period. Under the
new Rule Three, effort is made to as
certain "full-time weekly wage" for
the worker, with an average taken
when there is no recognized "full-time
week" established for him, The new
rule also restricts the formula to a
|three-months' period, as compared
with a full years base embraced by
the old rule.
These actions were taken on the
last official day of business for the
|old Commission, thrusting the highly
complicated task into the lap Of the
succeeding Bureau organization, Ad-
|ministrator Atkinson pointed out.
The Administrator said as result
Iof the Attorney Generals opinion, the
Social Security Board has been asked
for a special grant of funds to per-
nit the employment of $50 people for
la period of ten weeks. Approval has
been indicated, Administrator Atkin-
son said.
Three-fourths of Ohio's January
February group of benefciaries, it is
estimated, will receive an additional
sum, estimated to average two dollars
ia week per check received. Twenty
five per cent may be found to have
been overpaid on the average of two
dollars per week, when figured on the
new formula, it was said. Prevailing
opinion at the bureau is that the only
way this money might eventually be
recovered would be to charge the over
paid sum against any future benefits
to be drawn by the claimant found
to have been overpaid. The legal re-
quirements are being studied.
Adjustment checks will be mailed to
insured workers only after all redeter-
limitations have been made, the Ad
|ministrator said. This is because the
entire payment machinery of the Bu-
reau will have to be stopped at an ar
Ibitrarily fixed date, and all redeter-
limitations made as of that date.
The Attorney General found that it
will be necessary for the Bureau first
ito notify both the claimant and the
last employer whose account will be
charged, of the predetermined benefit,
allowing ten days for protest before
the adjusted payment is made to bene-
lticiaries.
Since the average of weekly benefit
payments made under the old formula
was approximately ten dollars, Bureau
officials said that the average weekly
benefit rate for those who get an in
creased amount will be raised thereby
to approximately twelve dollars. The
average of overpayment in the twenty
five per cent of the cases where that
will be shown, it is believed from pre-
iiminary studies, will approximate a
two dollar weekly average.