States ask people to return mistaken pandemic relief payments. Is it fair?

Crystal Farrington learned early on that hard work was her only option. Her parents, blue-collar workers raising nine children, took whatever odd jobs they could find. By the time she turned 15, she did the same, first at Burger King and later in retail and hotels. 

Now, a single mother in her mid-20s caring for a 7-year-old daughter, money is tight for Ms. Farrington. But she’s always managed to make ends meet. 

So when she woke up one morning in January to a message that she owed the state of North Carolina $15,056, her heart sank.

The “notice of overpayment,” as it’s called, explained that the pandemic unemployment benefits she’d received for six months in 2020 had been a mistake – and needed to be returned.

Ms. Farrington is one of millions of Americans who have received similar notices during the pandemic, demanding sums reaching $350 million. In larger states the numbers are higher: California had sent 1.4 million overpayment notices by November of 2021.