October 14, 2011

State Presentation:

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Benefit Year Earnings (BYE): Root Causes Identified:

Agency Causes Obtaining sufficient documentation. Lack of standard operating procedures. Adequate training for staff.

Claimant Causes Disclosing earnings and new employment. Understanding how to report earnings.

Employer Causes Responding to request for wage information. Providing adequate information in a timely manner.

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Benefit Year Earnings (BYE):

Planned action(s) to address: Implementing the recommended Operating Procedures for the NDNH cross-match.

Improve Claimant knowledge of the Benefits Rights and Responsibilities. Review and update DOES Website to include language regarding Fraud and

Improper Payments. Principal milestones:

Implementing the recommended Operating Procedures for the NDNH cross-match.

Improve Claimant knowledge of the Benefits Rights and Responsibilities. Review and update DOES Website to include language regarding Fraud and

Improper Payments.

Separations (SEPs): Root Causes Identified:

Agency Causes Retrieving Employer Information in a timely manner. Claims Examiners do not properly follow SWA procedures

affecting their ability to make an accurate determination. Claimant Causes

Claimant fails to respond to agency request for information. Providing inadequate information. Providing adequate information after the determination due

date. Employer Causes

Failure to respond to the request for separation information

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Separations (SEPs):

Planned action(s) to address: Develop a training program that addresses timeliness quantity, and quality

of claims examiner decisions. Provide continuous training to the OUC staff utilizing all available

resources. Improve claimants’ understanding of work search requirements as a

condition of eligibility for benefits; and Improve employers’ awareness of their responsibility to respond to state

requests for separation information and/or earnings/wage verifications. Implement SIDES Separation Module. Hire Management Analyst to assist with business processes.

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Separations (SEPs): Principal milestones:

Improved timeliness reduction in number of incorrect separation determinations resulting in a decrease of the improper payment rate.

Improved response from employers. Reduction in postage cost. Earlier detection of claimant errors on separation issues. Reduction in labor intensive manual tasks associate with the

current process. Receipt of complete separation information.

Work Search Issues: Root Causes Identified:

Agency Causes Agency does not require claimant to add job contact information

during there weekly claim for benefits. Claimant Causes

Claimant inadequate job contact information.

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Work Search Issues :

Planned action(s) to address:

Change weekly claim application to include job contacts.

Principal milestones: Full Implementation by July 2012.

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Issue 1: Improve Claimants’ Knowledge of BRI

Root cause(s) identified: Claimant state that they did not receive the BRI.

SWA currently does not require claimants to acknowledge receipt of BRI.

Planned action(s) to address issue Improve methods by which the claimant receives the Benefits Rights and

Responsibilities Handbook. Change initial claim process to include an entrance interview will test the

claimant’s knowledge of the BRI, and requiring that all claimants acknowledge receipt of the BRI.

Principle milestones Testing January 2012.

Full Implementation by July 2012.

Strategies to Support Owning UI Integrity: Analyze jurisdiction specific root causes of improper

payments. To reduce and Eliminate improper payments.

Select and organize Integrity Task Force members. Collective problem-solving body to address and eliminate

improper payments. Educate all parties that are impacted by improper payments. Review policies and procedures that may contribute to the

overpayment root causes.

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Strategies to Support Owning UI Integrity (Cont’d): Develop processes ….etc.

That allow staff to identify areas of improper payments

Whereby employers can have more directinvolvement in their unemployment accounts

To allow claimants to obtain compliance information to lead to improved wage reporting

Maintain management oversight…etc. To ensure that the Cross Functional Task Force remains on

task and implements its goals Through which Agency goals continue to be implemented .

Communications Strategies:

To claimants Reach out to claimant using new forms of media such as

social networks, texting, email, as well as traditional media Such as video & print ads

Update and improve website to allow for more relevant and efficient information dissemination

Educate claimants regarding UI compliance, including how and when to report wages.

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Communications Strategies (Cont’d): To employers

Update and improve website to allow for more relevant and efficient information dissemination

Educate employers regarding UI compliance, including how to classify their employees as well as improving separation information sharing.

Encourage employers to utilize electronic methods of reporting and maintaining their UI accounts.

Communications Strategies (Cont’d): :

To state UI staff Raise awareness agency-wide that integrity is everyone’s

responsibility. Provide means by which staff can assist in the reduction and elimination of improper payments

Provide training for Adjudication Staff to sharpen skills necessary to render decisions consistent with law and facts, thus leading to a reduced number of improper payments to claimants

Developing training materials and informational guides for staff use to assist with the adjudication process.

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Communications Strategies (Cont’d): To the public

Through a multi-media campaign, expose the true impact of improper payments.

To District leaders (Mayor, City Council, etc.) Communicate the true impact of improper payments and the

how legislative support can facilitate reduction and elimination of improper payments.

Questionable Employment Tax Practices Detection and Education

Update the Employer Handbook Define worker/employee misclassification;

Outline rules governing the employer/employee relationship

Update the UI Tax Website Include an online version of the Employer Handbook

Link to IRS website and forms

Update the UI Tax System Include parameters of new Effective Audit Measure

Work with IRS to implement data sharing programs

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Implementation Complete necessary agreements with IRS

Create database of delinquent debtors (DOESFMS)

Institute a TOP data matching & recovery process

Develop internal processes for agency debtor updates

Expected Results Increase in total overpayments collected ($2 million est.)

Higher rate of delinquent debt collections

Improved establishment vs. collection ratio

Dramatic postage savings ($1 million est.)

Continued Trust Fund solvency

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Killer App: Description of Issue:

Filing for unemployment benefits is a major responsibility, one most claimants undertake without actually knowing the ins and outs of the process. For that reason, the Department of Employment Services is looking at revamping the claims process to include an entrance counseling that will cover the Claimant’s Rights and Responsibilities (BRI). This initiative is modeled after the federal government student loan program, which requires entrance counseling for any undergraduate student who is taking out a Direct Loan, and has not previously taken out federal student loans.

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Killer App (Cont’d): Description of Solution:

The entrance counseling will be used to advise claimants on their rights and responsibilities as a recipient of unemployment benefits.

Claimants will be able to meet their entrance counseling requirements by taking the tutorial highlighting important aspects of the BRI when they initially file a claim for benefits.

Once they complete the tutorial they will be given a 5 question quiz focused on weekly reporting requirements.

Killer App (Cont’d): Anticipated results:

Improving the Benefits Rights and Responsibilities process will ensure that 100% of new claimants are educated on the guidelines that govern their receipt of UI benefits.

This will reduce the number of claimants who have under-reported earnings due to a lack of understanding of the weekly filing requirements.

This proposal will assist the Agency meet its two year goal of reducing improper payments.

Killer App (Cont’d): Cost / Benefit explanation:

Based on 2010 BAM Annual Report numbers 71% of dollars overpaid were due to claimant errors, this equaled $9,744,104.00 in improper payments.

Modifications to the existing software, which will incorporate the entrance interview will cost $90,000.00.

The District expects that there will be a decrease in improper payment by 35% or $3,410,437.00 during the first year of implementation.

“Integrity: Own It!”

Questions?

State Contact for follow-up:Rhonda Cowie: rhonda.cowie@dc.gov

Phone: 202/698-6624

Or

Andrew Rogers: andrew.rogers@dc.gov

Phone: 202/671-1676

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