Fraud Still a Problem with Unemployment Program

$7.7 billion in improper payments in 2013

As Congress debates extending long-term unemployment benefits for some 1.3 million Americans, lost in the heated rhetoric  are some very important numbers for taxpayers.

The state and federal unemployment insurance system has helped a lot of people in need, but it's also allowed some ineligible recipients to fraudulently help themselves to the pocketbooks of businesses and taxpayers. States recorded some $7.7 billion dollars in improper unemployment insurance payments in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.