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Virginia Employment Commission Quarterly Report: Outstanding Adjudications, Ombudsman (October 1, 2023)

Summary

Letter dated October 1, 2023 from Virginia Employment Commission Commissioner Demetrios J. Melis to Glenn Youngkin, Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia and the chairs of House Commerce and Energy, Senate Commerce and Labor, and the Commission on Unemployment Compensation. It gives the quarterly update required by the 2023-2024 Budget and refers to the July 1, 2023, report on claims with issues established in 2020 or 2021. In the Ombudsman (Chief Customer Advocate) section it states that Customer Advocates in Virginia Career Works Centers completed an initial round of 11 partner meetings and that 96 percent of survey respondents reported the presentation was helpful and informative. It also states that advocates have attended 22 events and meetings since August.

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“Virginia Employment Commission Quarterly Report: Outstanding Adjudications, Ombudsman (October 1, 2023).” Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2023-rd785-45038b4423/, SHA-256 627f003da6d52d65b4e35d48c98d8c55ecb5e570440da1eb594d563d7817ca33.

Full text

                               COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
                                     Virginia Employment Commission

Demetrios J. Melis                                                                                     Post Office Box 26441
Commissioner                                                                                       Richmond, VA 23261-6441


                                                    October 1, 2023


           The Honorable Glenn Youngkin                          The Honorable Kathy Byron
           Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia                    Chairwoman, House Commerce and Energy
           Patrick Henry Building                                Pocahontas Building
           1111 E. Broad Street                                  900 E. Main Street
           Richmond, Virginia 23219                              Richmond, Virginia 23219

           The Honorable Richard Saslaw                          The Honorable Adam Ebbin
           Chairman, Senate Commerce and Labor                   Chairman, Commission on Unemployment
           Senate of Virginia                                    Compensation
           P.O. Box 396                                          Senate of Virginia
           Richmond, Virginia 23218                              P.O. Box 396
                                                                 Richmond, Virginia 23218

           Dear Governor, Chairmen and Madame Chair:

           Per the 2023-2024 Budget of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virginia Employment
           Commission is required to provide a quarterly report on the plan to resolve outstanding
           adjudications with issues established in 2020 and 2021 and update on the Unemployment
           Compensation Ombudsman to the Governor, House Commerce and Energy Committee, the
           Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, and the Commission on Unemployment
           Compensation. This letter serves to meet that requirement.

           Resolving Outstanding Adjudications+ All Issues on Claims from 2020/2021

           The VEC is tasked with developing a plan regarding the specific actions and timeline to resolve
           outstanding adjudications and issues established on claims from 2020 and 2021. The VEC has
           set its priorities and developed its strategic direction to transform the agency to be the "Best in
           Class" example of an employment security agency in the country.

           As was stated in the July 1, 2023, report, in potential fraud and adjudication, there are no
           claims with issues established in 2020 or 2021.

           There is not a need to hire additional staff to resolve claims.

     804-786-3001                                                                        YRC/TDD VA Relay 711
     www.vec.virginia.gov                                                      Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
Page 2
October l, 2023




Ombudsman (Chief Customer Advocate) Project

The Chief Customer Advocate position was created in 2022 to support individuals and groups who are
underserved or disadvantaged and address the availability of and access to UI programs and services.
The position is supported by Customer Advocates who work in Virginia Career Works Centers
throughout the Commonwealth.

Following training in June, the Customer Advocates completed an initial round of 11 partner meetings.
Feedback from meeting participants who completed the surveys was overwhelmingly positive, with 96
percent of respondents reporting the presentation was helpful and informative. Suggestions for future
topics will be used in upcoming partner meetings taking place in October and November.

To further increase program participation with employers, partners and stakeholders, Customer
Advocates are attending community outreach events and meetings in their regions. Advocates have
attended 22 events and meetings since August and continue to seek opportunities to introduce
themselves in their communities and provide unemployment insurance education and assistance.
Customer Advocates continue to serve as the referral point for members of the General Assembly within
the regions they serve, in addition to their primary focus of working with customers who have barriers
to services.

The Customer Advisory Council (CAC) held their third meeting in September. The CAC consists of
representatives from local and state organizations that advocate on behalf of underserved populations.
The CAC provides guidance and feedback to the Chief Customer Advocate and team on the effectiveness
of the VEC' s outreach efforts and areas where those efforts could be improved.

The Chief Customer Advocate also provides educational information and assistance to persons seeking
assistance in appeals and other matters related to unemployment compensation. In addition, the Chief
Customer Advocate contributes as a key leader on our Plain language Project team to ensure all efforts
keep the customer as the focus and foundation of communications from the Virginia Employment
Commission. In September, the Virginia Commonwealth University Performance Management (PMG),
hosted focus groups for advocacy organizations to provide feedback on UI services. Unemployment
Insurance customer feedback surveys were also launched by PMG to customers who applied for
unemployment insurance in 2023 regarding their customer service experience.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at demetrios.melis@vec.virginia.gov or 804.786.3001 with any
questions.
                                           Sincerely,



                                           Demetrios "Mitch" Melis

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