(AP) -- RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - North Carolina's unemployment benefits agency says it has a plan to prevent tens of thousands of jobless people from having to return $28 million in overpayments received by mistake.
The Employment Security Commission announced late Thursday the plan affecting 38,000 people after meetings with Gov. Beverly Perdue.
The commission said it would work with the U.S. Department of Labor to pay back the overpayments that were given out because of administrative errors between January and May.
U.S. labor officials also would review the claims on an accelerated schedule the state hopes will prevent the unemployed from having to return the money.
Commission Chairwoman Lynn Holmes apologized for the problem and said she could have done a better job communicating about the errors.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(Copyright ©2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
