DIRECTIVE	:	UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 28-99
TO	:	ALL STATE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY AGENCIES
FROM	:	GRACE A. KILBANE Director Unemployment Insurance Service
SUBJECT	:	Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) Process for the Decennial Census

1. Purpose. To provide a separate Federal identification code for the Bureau of the Census and solicit State cooperation in handling the large influx of claimants expected as a result of the decennial census.

2. Background. Beginning in 1998 and running through 2002, the Bureau of the Census will hire temporary employees to work on the decennial census. Over half a million employees will be hired and released. All temporary individuals hired by the Bureau for services performed in connection with the decennial census are covered for UCFE purposes.

   In 1998, the States of South Carolina, Wisconsin, and California served as dress rehearsal sites for the 2000 census. In 1999, 500 local census offices will open. During the summer and extending to late fall of 1999, 45,000 employees will be hired and released as part of three tests: the late pre-list, the pre-canvas, and the advanced postal check.

   During the 2000 decennial itself, nation-wide hiring will peak at 400,000 with over 300,000 employees being released in the months of May, June, and July 2000. Employment in individual States will run from a low of 1,000 to a high of 46,000.

3. Federal Identification Code Number. The Department of Labor has assigned a separate Federal identification code number, 910, for the Bureau's temporary decennial workers. The Bureau of the Census has established a separate address for the decennial census UCFE claims process. The address is:

   CENSUS-UCFE #910
   C/O The Frick Company
   P.O. Box 66945
   St. Louis, MO 63166-6945

   The code will be effective for the ETA 191 reports beginning with March 31, 1999. The Department has deactivated Federal identification code number 909, which will no longer be used for any reporting purposes. State agencies should continue to charge UCFE benefits for permanent employees at the Bureau of Census to code 450.

   New Procedures. Representatives from the Department and the Bureau of the Census are discussing strategies for handling a potential large influx of claimants. The Frick Company has agreed to notify the State agency when there will be a mass layoff of Census workers in a particular State. The Department will provide the Frick Company with the appropriate contact person for each State agency.

4. Action Required. State agencies are requested to ensure that UCFE benefits paid to temporary census workers are properly charged to code 910.

5. Inquiries. Refer questions concerning this directive to the appropriate Regional Office.