§383-44 Recovery of benefits paid. (a) Any individual who has received any amount as benefits under this chapter to which the individual was not entitled shall be liable for the amount unless the overpayment was received without fault on the part of the recipient and its recovery would be against equity and good conscience. Notice of redetermination in these cases shall specify that the individual is liable to repay to the fund the amount of overpaid benefits, the basis of the overpayment, and the week or weeks for which the benefits were overpaid.
(b) Determinations or redeterminations dated on or after October 1, 2013, that an individual has been overpaid benefits under any state or federal unemployment compensation program and is disqualified under section 383-30(5) shall include a penalty assessment amount equal to fifteen per cent of the overpaid amount. Penalty assessments collected under this section shall be deposited in the unemployment compensation fund.
(c) The individual liable, in the discretion of the department, shall repay the overpaid amount and the penalty assessment amount to the department for the fund or have the overpaid amount only deducted from any future benefits payable to the individual under this chapter within two years after the date of mailing of the notice of redetermination or the final decision on an appeal from the redetermination. Effective April 1, 2013, the overpaid benefits amount and the penalty assessment amount, costs, and administrative fees may be deducted from federal income tax refunds.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the department, by agreement with another state or the United States as provided under section 303(g) of the Social Security Act, may recover any overpayment of benefits paid to any individual under the laws of this State or of another state or under an unemployment benefit program of the United States. Any overpayments subject to this subsection may be deducted from any future benefits payable to the individual under the laws of this State or of another state or under an unemployment program of the United States. The penalty assessment amount shall not be subject to recovery by deduction from future benefits payable.
(e) In any case in which under this section an individual is liable to repay any amount to the department, the overpaid benefits amount, the penalty assessment amount, costs, and administrative fees shall be collectible without interest by civil action in the name of the State by the attorney general. [L 1939, c 219, §15; RL 1945, §4292; am L 1953, c 22, §1(3); am L 1955, c 51, §1(5); RL 1955, §93-43; am L 1959, c 232, §1; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §27; HRS §383-44; gen ch 1985; am L 1993, c 176, §1; am L 2013, c 3, §3]