Update on the Office of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman (July 26, 2024)

Summary

Letter dated July 26, 2024, from Demetrios J. Melis, Commissioner, to the Governor and committee chairs, with the subject Update on the Office of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman. It states that the 2024-2025 Budget requires a quarterly report on the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman. The letter says the re-imagined Customer Escalation Team is now in place, with an online contact form for legislators and a separate website form for customers. It states that fifteen advocates and two supervisors were selected for a seven-week training program that began the week of July 15, and that a long-time VEC employee became Chief Customer Advocate effective July 10.

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Full text

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


                                                    July 26, 2024


           TO:       The Honorable Glenn Youngkin
                     Governor, Commonwealth of Virginia
                     P.O. Box 1475
                     Richmond, Virginia, 23218

                     The Honorable R. Creigh Deeds            The Honorable Jeion A. Ward
                     Chair, Senate Commerce and Labor         Chair, House Labor and Commerce
                     Senate of Virginia                       Virginia House of Delegates
                     P.O. Box 396                             P.O. Box 7310
                     Richmond, Virginia 23218                 Hampton, Virginia 23666

                     The Honorable Adam Ebbin
                     Chair, Commission on Unemployment Compensation
                     Senate of Virginia
                     P.O. Box 396
                     Richmond, Virginia 23218

           FROM: Demetrios J. Melis, Commissioner

           RE:       Update on the Office of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman

           Dear Governor, Chairmen, and Madam Chair:

           Per the 2024-2025 Budget of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virgina Employment
           Commission is required to provide a quarterly report to update the General Assembly on the
           Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman, to the Governor, House Labor and Commerce
           Committee, the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, and the Commission on
           Unemployment Compensation. This letter serves to meet that requirement.

           With VEC’s efforts to always improve and provide better service to our customers, which
           includes both claimants and employers, the re-imagined Customer Escalation Team is now in
           place. The agency has created two new paths of referral for customer inquiries to streamline
           the methods of referral and communication with the VEC. The first path is for escalated claims
           coming from legislators, executive branch employees, and stakeholders. VEC has provided a link

     (866) 832-2363                                                                  VRC/TDD VA Relay 711
     E-Mail: CustomerService@vec.virginia.gov                              Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
Page 2



to an online contact form to these groups. The contact form will be completed by the referring
party and the matter will be assigned directly to Escalation Specialists. The second path is for
customers, which includes both claimants and employers. A link to a separate online contact
form is now on the VEC website and can be provided to customers upon request. The website
contact form will provide an easier way for customers to connect with us and receive effective
assistance. All requests will be reviewed and assigned for response in the order that they are
received. With this centralized approach to inquiries, we aim to ensure all inquiries are
promptly assigned to a member of our escalation team which will facilitate a faster and more
streamlined approach to resolution. Information regarding these two new paths of contact has
been communicated to all Virginia legislators and they have been provided a link to directly
access the legislative contact form.

With the reorganization of the Customer Advocates into a Specialized Escalation Team fifteen
advocates and two supervisors have been selected to undergo a seven-week training program.
The training kicked off at the VEC Customer Contact Center in Vansant, VA during the week of
July 15. This specialized team, equipped with advanced expertise and higher-level decision-
making authority, will be cross-trained to provide first-call assistance, leverage technology
effectively, and promptly resolve constituent inquiries. They will have the ability to be more
responsive to customers facing barriers and to assist during periods of high claim volumes. By
expanding team knowledge and skills and utilizing our technology to centralize all escalations,
we will be able to deliver more consistent and efficient outcomes.

Effective July 10, a long-time VEC employee has assumed the role of Chief Customer Advocate.
He has significant unemployment insurance experience, serving approximately 20 years as a UI
Deputy, a local office manager, and as the main point of contact for stakeholders and labor
unions. His wealth of knowledge will be highly beneficial in providing assistance regarding all
areas of unemployment compensation. As the Chief Customer Advocate, he understands the
necessity to remaining impartial, not providing legal advice, educating claimants, employers,
Unions, Legal Aid, and Legislators to ensure due process is afforded to all.

The Chief Customer Advocate will work to ensure all efforts keep the customer as the focus and
foundation of communications from the Virginia Employment Commission. Additionally, the
Chief Customer Advocate will collaborate with the Director of Communications and the Plain
Language Project team to continue to enhance public knowledge of Virginia’s unemployment
insurance program, the appeals process, and in providing timely escalated assistance. The VEC
continues to be actively engaged in education and outreach efforts, having distributed
educational materials in both English and Spanish that provide foundational knowledge about
Virginia’s Unemployment Insurance program and comprehensive instructions for filing claims
online. These materials are available through the Virginia Works Offices, at community events,
and through partnerships with local libraries, social services, and community groups.
Complementing this effort, the VEC is continued to actively share educational and informational
materials on its multiple social media platforms. We believe these changes have and will
continue to significantly enhance our customers’ experience and ensure Virginians receive the
support they need.
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Please do not hesitate to contact me at demetrios.melis@vec.virginia.gov or 804-786-3001 with
any questions.


                                                  Sincerely,



                                                  Demetrios J. Melis
                                                  Commissioner


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