COLUMBIA, S.C. — After weeks of anticipation, some folks are starting to get their much-anticipated Lost Wages Assistance unemployment checks.
But some have hit a snag with the money issued by the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.
"It took me three days to get it cashed," said an anonymous caller. "As soon as I got the check Saturday, I went to my bank, and they wouldn't take it. I tried to go to whoever I knew cashed checks on Saturday, and even the check cashing places wouldn't cash in my check."
We reached out to the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Their spokesperson sent a statement saying the following:
"We are working with our banking vendor, Bank of America, to help individuals cash and deposit checks around the state with several types of businesses, while continuing to identify fraudulent activity. However, we are encouraging people to cash checks with larger financial institutions, as some operations may not have the cash on hand to continue providing the check cashing services throughout the entire business day."
SCDEW's spokesperson also says more than 108,000 people have completed the ID verification and LWA certification process. SCDEW processed $175,000,000 in LWA payments as of September 28th. The State Department of Consumer Affairs says that large volume may be adding to the check cashing issue.
"The bank may not have that money on hand, and banks should tell you that they can't process it right now," explained Bailey Parker. "It doesn't make the check fake or fraudulent. It just means the bank can't deposit your check at that point."
If you have any questions about the validity of the checks, you're urged to call the SCDEW Office.