For the past year, modernization teams at the Department of Labor (DOL) have been helping states identify opportunities to automate rote, non-discretionary, manual tasks, with the goal of helping them speed up the time that it takes to process claims. This post provides more context on Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and potential use cases in unemployment insurance.
The GAO placed the UI system on its High Risk List in June 2022, leading the DOL to develop a transformation plan detailing activities and strategies for building a resilient UI system capable of responding effectively to future economic challenges.
In the Fall of 2022, the USDOL Office of Unemployment Insurance Modernization (OUIM) consulted with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to provide hands-on support with IT modernization and customer experience strategy. Primary discussions focused on making informed product, service, and business decisions based on qualitative and quantitative data— how might IDES leverage existing data streams to identify the most pressing technology issues in their unemployment insurance system, and how might IDES act upon this information in a timely and impactful manner?
This report outlines the U.S. Department of Labor’s comprehensive action plan to strengthen the unemployment insurance (UI) system by addressing chronic underfunding and proposing legislative reforms to support long-term modernization and resilience.
This resource provides guidance and best practices for the weekly or bi-weekly certification process that claimants must complete to maintain eligibility for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
This section of the Building Resilience plan outlines strategies to expand access to unemployment insurance (UI) for underserved populations and improve benefit adequacy through system reform, outreach, and data-driven equity efforts.
This document, submitted in response to Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities, summarizes key aspects of DOL’s principles and approach to advancing equity. One of the five areas outlined includes administering and improving the federal-state Unemployment Insurance systems.
This section of the Department of Labor’s Building Resilience plan focuses on improving customer experience across unemployment insurance (UI) systems by promoting timely, accessible, and equitable service delivery for all claimants.
These principles and best practices for AI developers and employers to center the well-being of workers in the development and deployment of AI in the workplace and to value workers as the essential resources they are.
This section of the Building Resilience plan outlines strategies to improve the long-term solvency and sustainability of state unemployment insurance (UI) trust funds through better funding practices and legislative reform.
This research used observational research with unemployment insurance (UI) claimants to identify pain points in the application process and inform customer experience improvements.
