State auditor slams Labor Department’s UI payout tracking

DENVER — The Colorado Office of the State Auditor chided the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment this week, saying that the agency’s accounting controls were inadequate to keep tabs on the historic demand on the unemployment insurance program due to the pandemic.

In its annual audit of statewide agencies, the state auditor’s office issued a rare “disclaimer of opinion” rating, meaning its staff could not say with certainty if CDLE’s estimate of about $2.1 billion in overpayments during fiscal year 2020 from the unemployment insurance system is or isn’t materially misstated.

Colorado’s 2020 fiscal year ended on June 30, 2020.

Specifically,…