Employees who have retired are typically not eligible for unemployment benefits because they voluntarily left their employment and do not meet the requirements of being able and available for work. It is possible that recent retirees have filed for unemployment benefits because they were eligible from another employer or they were not aware that they wouldn’t qualify.
Given the rapid rise in fraud cases, it is our recommendation that you reach out to these former employees to see if they initiated the claim for benefits. If they did not, it should be reported to Thomas & Company and the state as a potential fraud claim.