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News Release
US Department of Labor awards more than $191 million for unemployment insurance program integrity and technology infrastructure systems
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced awards totaling $191.5 million to 40 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico for unemployment insurance program integrity and technology infrastructure systems. The grants are intended to accelerate actions to reduce UI improper payment rates; provide an opportunity for modernizing UI tax and benefits systems; and enable the design of technology-based tools to prevent, detect and recover improper UI payments. Colorado, North Dakota, Wyoming and Arizona will receive a combined $72 million award for technology infrastructure systems.
"I was pleased to join Vice President Biden today in announcing efforts to reduce government waste, fraud and abuse," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "We owe it to the American people, especially those who rely on unemployment insurance as a safety net, to be responsible stewards. This funding will help ensure state UI programs have integrity and run efficiently."
In order to qualify for program integrity funding, states must have implemented or committed to implement all of the core integrity activities. Awards support activities to address worker misclassification; implement technology-based prevention, detection and collection activities; implement the State Information Data Exchange System for earnings/wage verification, as well as monetary and potential employer charges; implement subscription fees for SIDES; contract staff support for benefit payment control activities; implement the federal Treasury Offset Program; and implement automation efforts that result in overall performance and system improvements.
In order to qualify for technology infrastructure consortium project funding, all members of state consortia had to commit to implementing the full range of core integrity activities. These funds will be used to modify and/or develop one of the core UI benefits or tax and benefit system designs; design additional core UI tax and/or benefit systems using open source components that are exportable to other states; and implement technology-based tools designed to prevent, detect or collect/recover improper UI payments.
Editor's note: A complete list of funds awarded follows this release.
Fiscal Year 2011 Awards Unemployment Insurance
Summary
Funding Category | Amount |
Program integrity | $63,474,747 |
Technology infrastructure consortium projects | $128,000,000 |
| Total = $191,474,747 | |
Program integrity awards
State | Amount |
Alabama | $1,177,782 |
Arizona | $976,396 |
Colorado | $233,458 |
Delaware | $698,769 |
District of Columbia | $2,233,854 |
Florida | $2,310,791 |
Georgia | $1,439,976 |
Idaho | $2,279,112 |
Illinois | $2,699,667 |
Iowa | $1,444,570 |
Kansas | $1,077,706 |
Kentucky | $1,649,886 |
Louisiana | $2,397,750 |
Maine | $1,941,000 |
Maryland | $1,585,801 |
Massachusetts | $2,353,081 |
Michigan | $618,400 |
Mississippi | $1,999,000 |
Missouri | $1,403,000 |
Nevada | $2,150,000 |
New Hampshire | $198,040 |
New Jersey | $1,650,000 |
New Mexico | $2,499,029 |
New York | $2,100,000 |
North Dakota | $198,324 |
Ohio | $2,102,382 |
Oklahoma | $1,723,967 |
Oregon | $1,274,464 |
Pennsylvania | $1,254,977 |
Puerto Rico | $1,959,416 |
Rhode Island | $1,155,696 |
South Carolina | $1,993,051 |
South Dakota | $1,507,116 |
Tennessee | $1,551,365 |
Texas | $1,172,918 |
Utah | $1,048,030 |
Vermont | $2,246,844 |
Virginia | $2,400,000 |
West Virginia | $1,318,593 |
Wisconsin | $1,450,536 |
| Total = $63,474,747 | |
Technology infrastructure consortium project awards
Consortium | Amount |
Arizona, Colorado, North Dakota and Wyoming (lead) | $72,000,000 |
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee (lead) | $50,000,000 |
Maryland, West Virginia and Vermont (lead) | $6,000,000 |
| Total = $128,000,000 | |