Unemployment Insurance | Simon&Co., LLC

CAMI Publishes Updated Report on the Results of UI Staffing Flexibility

Simon&Co. — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 15:18:21 +0000

The Center for Accountability, Modernization and Innovation (CAMI) has published an updated report from Simon&Co. urging the enactment of permanent staffing flexibility, at states’ option, during surges in unemployment insurance (UI) claimants. These flexibilities were provided in Section 2106 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act – also known as the CARES Act – which was enacted on March 18, 2020.

This past December, CAMI published Simon&Co. research on the early results from states that used the flexibilities to hire contractors in order to support overwhelmed UI programs. Published as two reports, the surveys detail some of the specific work of the contractors as well as the accomplishments in terms of improved service to UI claimants.

The two December reports may be viewed here:

UI-Staffing-Flexibility-–-State-Results Download

Further-Results-from-the-Unemployment-Insurance-UI-CARES-Act-Staffing-Flexibility-CAMI-1 Download

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Of the 10 States with the Highest Share of Unemployed Workers Receiving Benefits, 8 are Using Staffing Flexibility Provided by the CARES Act

Simon&Co. — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 20:12:43 +0000

In a recent New York Times article on problems with the American unemployment system, Eduardo Porter highlighted how “the system gives states incentives to scale back coverage,” resulting in most unemployed workers receiving no benefits at all. According to the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, New Jersey and Massachusetts were the only two states where more than 50 percent of unemployed workers received UI benefits.

Of the 10 states with the highest share of unemployed workers receiving benefits, 8 are using the new, temporary flexibilities provided to states for the hiring of contractors as part of the CARES Act (Section 2106). This staffing flexibility was created in order to support UI eligibility determinations as historic numbers of workers have flooded their state agencies since the onset of the pandemic. Simon&Co. is pushing for Congress to extend UI staffing flexibility, which is currently set to expire on March 14.

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CAMI Publishes Two Simon&Co Research Papers on the New UI Staffing Flexibility

Simon&Co. — Mon, 07 Dec 2020 21:58:39 +0000

The Center for Accountability, Modernization and Innovation (CAMI) has published Simon&Co. research on the early results from states that have used new, temporary flexibilities to hire contractors in order to support overwhelmed unemployment insurance (UI) programs. These flexibilities were provided in Section 2106 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, which was enacted on March 18, 2020.

Large numbers of states, led by both Democratic and Republican governors, have opted to use the flexibility; the first survey found 37 states plus the District of Columbia. The association of all 50 state workforce agencies, the National Association of State Workforce Agencies, reports there are 41 states using the flexibility. Both surveys detail some of the specific work of the contractors as well as the accomplishments in terms of improved service to UI claimants.

The two reports may be viewed here:

Unemployment-Insurance-Early-Results Download

Further-Results-from-the-Unemployment-Insurance-UI-CARES-Act-Staffing-Flexibility-CAMI Download

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