UI Integrity / Improper Payments Joint Federal/State Task Force

1. UI Integrity / Improper PaymentsJoint Federal/State Task Force October 28, 2011

2. Areas of National Focus: Benefit Year Earnings (BYE): Root Causes Identified: Agency Causes Internet certification process Insufficient Staff for Benefit Payment Control Wage cross match program outdated Claimant Causes Failure to report earning accurately Weeks paid v/s weeks earned Failure to report disqualifying income Employer Causes Failure to report new hires timely 2

3. Areas of National Focus: Benefit Year Earnings (BYE): Planned action(s) to address Redesign Internet certification process, clarifying logic and expanding certification questions Obtain additional Staff for BPC Redesign wage cross-match to current quarter Improve Claimant education Employer outreach program 3

4. Areas of National Focus: Benefit Year Earnings (BYE): Principal milestones Application changes: 11-1-11 BPC Staff: temporary help October 14, 2011/permanent as positions are made available Employer outreach: Spring 2012 Claimant education and wage cross-match: TBD 4

5. Areas of National Focus: Separations (SEPs): Root Causes Identified: Agency Causes Attrition/New Staff Policy issues/changes Lack of program feedback Workload and funding impeded ability for periodic refresher training Claimant Causes Hidden separations Incorrect reason for separations Fraudulent activity Employer Causes Failure to respond Quality of response Timeliness of response 5

6. Areas of National Focus: Separations (SEPs): Planned action(s) to address Implement SIDES Adjudication training Improve BAM/BTQ reporting to management Conduct informal mini BTQ reviews in adjudication unit Employer outreach program Principal milestones Modification to existing U.I. Benefits systems – March 2012 Adjudication training – 4th Quarter 2011 BAM/BTQ management reporting – 4th Quarter 2011 Mini BTQs – 1st Quarter 2012 Employer Outreach – Spring 2012 6

7. Areas of National Focus: • Work Search Issues: Not an issue in Tennessee: • Claimants are required to make a reasonable effort to secure work using their customary methods. However, Tennessee Law does not require this work search to be documented. 7

8. State-Specific Issues • Issue 1:Job Service Registration Root cause(s) identified: • Agency cause • Data was lost and common business rules were not adequate between our UI main frame and eCMATS • Planned action(s) to address issue • Fix computer interface problem and insure data standards and common business rules are enforced. 8

9. State-Specific Issues • Issue 1:Job Service Registration • Principle milestones • Manual error correction and processing of data transmittal error records between UI and Job service data bases – June 20,2011 • Development of common business rules and data standards across interfacing systems. – March 2012 • Rewrite of interface between UI mainframe and case management systems – April 1, 2012 9

10. State-Specific Issues • Issue 2:Dependent Benefits Root cause(s) identified: • Agency cause • Information requested from claimant was not clear • Planned action(s) to address issue • Rewrite dependent benefits claims process and logic • Principle milestones • Rewrite of dependent benefits claims Process – November 18, 2011. 10

11. Everybody Owns Integrity • Strategies to Support Owning UI Integrity: • Encourage every staff member to understand how their jobs connect to UI Integrity (1st Quarter 2012) • Staff meetings • Emails • Electronic Newsletters • Develop processes that encourage staff to recommend solutions to address UI Improper payments (TBD). • Emails • Website 11

12. Everybody Owns Integrity • Strategies to Support Owning UI Integrity: • Continual review of improper payments issues by UI Integrity Cross Functional Task Force • Increased notification of BAM findings (12-31-11) • Mini informal BTQ reviews within adjudication unit (1st Quarter 2012) • Reporting of internal QA’s and mini BTQ results (TBD) 12

13. Communications • Communications Strategies: • To claimants • Add new, more robust language in the redesign of an internet certification process to stress the importance of reporting earnings. (11-1-11) • Create/secure claimant “information corner” that can be accessed electronically to improve communications and improve claimant education (TBD). • To employers • Employer outreach program – utilizing employer contact organizations, UI programs and various mailings to remind employers the importance of reporting new hires and responding to agency requests (Spring 2012) • Implementation of SIDES (March 2012) 13

14. Communications • Communications Strategies: • To state UI staff • Develop a process for reporting integrity reviews and design a portal for employees to access UI information (TBD) • Adjudication training (4th Quarter 2011) • Create tutorials for adjudicators (TBD) • Emails and electronic newsletters (1st Quarter 2012) • Staff meetings (1st Quarter 2012) • To the public • Use media and messaging campaigns • To state leaders (Governor, state legislature, etc.) • Use of Legislative Liaison • Commissioner 14

15. Oh, and…You Gotta See This! Killer App: Partners in Success: “Integrity Matters” Summary: Description of Issue Centralized access for UI Education and Training Description of Solution Intranet Portal Anticipated Results Agency-wide awareness of program knowledge, obligations and success! 15

16. Summary and Q&A “Integrity: Own It!” • Questions? • State Contact for follow-up: Richard D. McHone: Richard.McHone@tn.gov Phone: 615/253-5217