October 14, 2011 State Presentation: Massachusetts

 Benefit Year Earnings (BYE): Root Causes Identified:  Agency Causes  Failure to stop payments when UI receives a Report of Hire cross-match hit.  Failure to run SDNH daily.  Failure to stop payments when UI has a Return to Work date.  Failure to inform/educate claimant on reporting rights/responsibilities.  Claimant Causes  Incorrect and/or failure to report earnings during the Benefit Year.  Employer Causes  Delay in Protest information from Employers. 2

 Benefit Year Earnings (BYE):  Planned actions to address:  Stop payments when UI learns a claimant may have returned to work  - Automatic “Congratulations” Letter  - Return to Work Automatic Stop Policy  - SDNH & NDNH Cross-match Hits Stop Payments  Allow Employers to protest charges immediately upon receipt of charge statement and set up stop payment issue on the claim.  Principal milestones:  Automatic “Congratulations” Letter: 4 th Quarter 2011  Return to Work Automatic Stop Policy: 2 nd Quarter 2012  SDNH & NDNH Cross-match Hits Stop Payments: 2 nd Quarter 2012  Employer Charge Statement Immediate Protest: 2 nd Quarter

 Separations (SEPs): Root Causes Identified:  Agency Causes  Failure to maintain on going training as a reminder of the importance of gathering accurate separation information  Failure to immediately request employment information when there is a change in employment status during the Benefit Year  Claimant Causes  Withhold pertinent separation information  Employer Causes  Failure to provide timely separation information 4

 Separations:  Planned action(s) to address:  SIDES Implementation  Training of UI Staff  - Adjuster Timeliness and Quality  - Interviewing Techniques  Immediately request Employment information if there is a change in status during the Benefit Year  Principal milestones:  SIDES: Start 1 st Quarter 2012; End 3 rd Quarter 2012  Adjuster Timeliness and Quality: 4 th Quarter 2011 & Ongoing  Interviewing Skills: 4 th Quarter 2011 & Ongoing  Immediate request of Employment information if there is a change in status during the Benefit Year: 2 nd Quarter

 Base Period Wage Issues Root cause(s) identified:  Agency Causes  Monetary Determinations made before sufficient wage information is available  Employer Causes  Inaccurate Reporting or Modifying of Wages  Not Reporting Quarterly Wage information timely  Agency/Employer/Claimant  All Employment not included in claim (Self Employment/1099)  Improper filing of combined wage/interstate claims 6

7  Base Period Wage Issues  Planned action(s) to address issue  Mandate that all 1099 and “Self-Employment” wages be subject to a determination of the employer/employee relationship.  Obtain missing Quarterly Wage data when the claimant’s length of employment is greater than 2 quarters.  Immediate generation of letters to employers and claimants when an initial claim is filed and there are incomplete base period wages reported.  Investigate Discrepancy between modified wages submitted by Employers and TPAs.  Automatic notice to Employers with information of potential penalties for failure to provide Quarterly Wage information.  Upgrade the ICON hub connection to the WIC2 screen.  Principle milestones  1099/Self Employment Mandate Due: 1 st Quarter 2012  Obtain missing Quarterly Wage Due: 1 st Quarter 2012  Immediate Requests for Base Period Wages Due: 2 nd Quarter 2012  Policy for Investigating QW and New Wage Discrepancy Due: 2 nd Quarter 2012  Automatic Letters to Employers requesting QW Information Due: 4 th Quarter 2011  ICON hub connection to WIC2 screen Due: 3 rd Quarter 2012

 Strategies to Support Owning UI Integrity:  Create “Everyone Owns Integrity” campaign  Incorporate Ownership of Integrity in all trainings to UI Staff  Incorporate Ownership of Integrity message into scripted/non scripted interaction  Continue Improper Payment Task Force  Schedule semi-monthly meetings to monitor progress and initiate new key strategies and action steps 8

 Communications Strategies: 9 Improve Claimant’s awareness of their responsibility to report any work, earnings, separation information while claiming benefits. Improve employer’s awareness of their responsibility to respond to a request for separation information, earnings, wage information, and to notify DUA of any change of employment status. ClaimantsEmployers Website Print/TV/Radio Campaign Incorporate Messages into Online System Develop Message on Social Media Deliver Messages in Print Form Presence at Job Fairs Solutions

“Integrity: Own It!”  Questions?  State Contact for follow-up: Nancy Hartnett: Phone: