DIRECTIVE	:	UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 09-94
TO	:	ALL STATE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY AGENCIES
FROM	:	MARY ANN WYRSCH Director Unemployment Insurance Service
SUBJECT	:	National Meeting for Unemployment Insurance Appeals Management Staff

1. Purpose. To provide preliminary information on the Unemployment Insurance Service's National Meeting for Unemployment Insurance Appeals Management Staff and on the Annual Conference of the National Association of Unemployment Insurance Appellate Boards (NAUIAB). Both of these meetings will be in Detroit, Michigan during the week beginning June 5, 1994.

2. Agenda. Current plans are for the UIS National Appeals Management meeting to begin at mid-day on Wednesday, June 8, 1994 and end at mid-day on Friday, June 10, 1994. Tentative agenda topics include the following:

   UIS plans for the future and their effect on the appellate process;

   Delivery of high quality, prompt and cost-effective hearings and decisions;

   Automation in the appellate process accompanied by demonstrations of State systems;

   Federal-State Partnership;

   Administrative Financing;

   Performance standards, DLAs and reporting requirements; and

   Workshops on case intake, case tracking, scheduling, record keeping, decision preparation and distribution, information to the parties and the public, personnel management issues, and workload management.

   The Annual Conference of NAUIAB will begin on Monday morning, June 6, 1994 and end at mid-day on Wednesday, June 8, 1994. Its tentative agenda topics include the following:

   The future relevancy of unemployment insurance;

   Ethics;

   Hearing officer independence vs. supervisory responsibility;

   Intolerable working conditions, good cause to quit issues, and employer vs. employee;

   Family issues for unemployment insurance;

   Sexual Harassment;

   Customer service and unemployment insurance;

   Michigan Advocacy Program;

   Workshops on the Social Security Appeals Council, procedural issues, drug testing, tax issues, training on a shoestring, retirement incentives, hearing officer bias, high profile cases; and

   Caucuses for Chief ALJs, Board Chairs, Board Members, and Board Counsel and Staff.

3. Participants. The agenda for the National Meeting for Unemployment Insurance Appeals Management Staff is being designed for the managers of the lower and higher authority appeals units and the chief appeals clerks and/or appeals support staff supervisors of the lower and higher authority appeals units. The goal is to have an agenda of topics which will provide forums for the management and support staff audiences to exchange their ideas and experiences in managing the high level of appeals workloads that have occurred in recent years.

   The Annual Conference of NAUIAB will be of interest to unemployment insurance appellate boards and commission members, chief hearing officers responsible for lower authority appellate adjudications, and the chief counsel and chief executive officers of the various higher authority boards and commissions.

4. Meeting Particulars. Specific information about hotel accommodations, the final agenda, and related matters will be provided in an Unemployment Insurance Program Letter which will be published at a later date.

5. Action Required. SESA Administrators are requested to provide this information to the appropriate SESA personnel and appellate board members and staff and to provide their Regional Office with a preliminary list of SESA staff who will be attending the meetings by February 1, 1994.

6. Inquiries. Direct inquiries to your Regional Office.