bill beckham assistant executive director sc department of ... · bill beckham –assistant...
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Bill Beckham – Assistant Executive DirectorSC Department of Employment and Workforce
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Reduce improper payments going out the door
Recover improper payments already made
Detect/Prevent errors and fraud
Coordinate efforts across divisional lines and with other state agencies
Refine/Revise/Improve
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Business Process Review
In-depth project to look at all aspects of Overpayments and Recoveries
Cross-functional teams created to determine best ways to implement agreed-upon recommendations
33rd UI National Issues Conference
No strategic plan to address improper payment issues – too many chokepoints
Lack of standards for claimant communications/messaging
De-centralized collections process
Limited success with current legal fraud prosecution process
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Estimated $77.2 million in outstanding overpayments – June 30, 2013
If not corrected, write-offs will peak in 2020, with a total of $21.7 million in that year
A major priority for new Agency leadership relating to integrity of the UI Trust Fund
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Return rate from Employer Wage Audit Notices <55%
Large backlog of cases referred to Office of General Counsel
Reductions in funding as data volumes grow
Clock is ticking on collections efforts Excessive number of manual processes Lack of skills in certain positions Legacy mainframe system –
Complex/Difficult to modify
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Reallocated resources to enhance audit, detection, and prosecution
Redesigned workflow to reduce handoffs and duplication
Implemented new Collection and Recovery process – lowered $$ threshhold
Standardized claimant and employer communications
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Centralized cash collections and moved to UI Tax Collections Unit
Re-prioritized Information Systems projects to focus on critical needs
Developed new legal fraud prosecution process and reduced backlog
Identified KPIs for Executive Dashboard
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Re-branded BPC as FIRE – Fraud, Investigations, Recovery, and Enforcement
Created new job descriptions for every position in department
Moved unit to Division of Organizational Integrity
Recently hired new FIRE Unit manager with investigative and financial expertise
Developed daily reporting to Agency leadership
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Involuntary wage-withholding begins when we learn claimants return to work
Implementing a prisoner cross-match solution Partnering with SC Lottery Commission Developing an online payment portal for
claimants – Credit/Debit/eChecks Reviewing the feasibility of using a skip trace
provider Re-prioritizing cases to focus on higher dollars
and time limitations Working with Training Department to develop
new training for FIRE staff in every position
33rd UI National Issues Conference
Greater integrity in the process benefits everyone
We are what we measure
Change can be painful
Success is dependent upon teamwork and communications
This is not an “overnight” fix
We can and will get even better
33rd UI National Issues Conference
