COLUMBUS (WCMH) — Of the more than 115,000 unemployment claims filed in Ohio during the last week, nearly 20,000 were flagged for potential fraud.  

The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services reports a total of 115,174 initial unemployment claims in the week ending March 13.  The total number of initial jobless claims filed in Ohio over the last 52 weeks is 3,028,950, which was more than the combined total of those filed from 2014-2019.

Ohioans filed 322,063 continued jobless claims last week, which was 454,239 fewer than the peak last year. That includes both traditional unemployment claims and claims for extended benefits.

The ODJFS also says 192,532 Ohioans received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) last week.

Over the last 52 weeks, ODJFS has distributed over $9 billion in unemployment compensation payments to over 973,000 Ohioans, and over $9.8 billion in PUA payments to over 999,000 Ohioans.