Update on the Office of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman, 3rd Quarter, FY 2025

Summary

This October 1, 2025 letter from Commissioner Demetrios Melis of the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) to the Governor and legislative chairs is an update on the Office of the Unemployment Compensation Ombudsman for the 3rd Quarter, FY 2025. It states that in the third quarter of 2025 the Escalation Team received 8,403 cases and closed 8,237 cases, contacting customers within 47.1 hours on average and closing cases within 3.7 days. It states that over 75% of those customers contacted the VEC through the customer contact form on the new VEC website. Challenges in filing the initial or weekly claims formed the majority (26%) of escalated cases, followed by payment issues (18%) and specific claim issues (16%).

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Full text

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


                                                  October 1, 2025


           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 – 3rd Quarter,
                     FY 2025

           Dear Governor, Chairmen, and Madam Chair:

           Per the Appropriation Act – Chapter 2, Item 356 I. (Special Session I, 2024) of the
           Commonwealth of Virginia, the Virgina Employment Commission (VEC) 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.

           Specialized Escalation Team:




     (804) 786-3001                                                                VRC/TDD VA Relay 711
     www.vec.virginia.gov                                                Equal Opportunity Employer/Program
Page 2



The Ombudsman duties are carried out by VEC’s Chief Customer Advocate. In the third quarter
of 2025, the Chief Customer Advocate continued to serve Virginians in need of unemployment
assistance. The Chief Customer Advocate is supported by VEC’s Escalation Team that includes
up to 12-15 employees, overseen by two supervisors. The goal of the Escalation Team has been
to provide specialized assistance, within 48 hours, to customers facing challenges navigating the
VEC systems, as well as cases forwarded to them by other VEC units and legislative offices.

In the third quarter of 2025, the Escalation Team received 8,403 cases and closed 8,237 cases.
On average, the Escalation Team was successful in contacting customers within 47.1 hours and
closing cases within 3.7 days. Over 75% of those customers contacted the VEC through the
customer contact form on the new VEC website, highlighting VEC’s progress in expanding direct
lines of communication with those whom we serve. This online form and collaboration with the
Escalation Team have helped reduce the waiting times for those who need to contact VEC by
phone.

Additionally, the Chief Customer Advocate pays close attention to the case escalation trends.
Challenges in filing the initial or weekly claims formed the majority (26%) of cases that needed
to be escalated in the third quarter of 2025, followed by payment issues (18%) and specific
claim issues (16%). Continued data analysis over time will help the Chief Customer Advocate
identify any operational inefficiencies and propose potential solutions.

The Office of Communications:

The Office of Communications is an important resource that the Chief Customer Advocate
continues to rely on to expand VEC’s reach. In March 2025, to support individuals impacted by
the federal workforce transition, VEC’s Communications Director attended a phone bank and
evening news segment on NBC12 to answer Virginians’ questions. The Communications
Director also leveraged earned media and social media to educate the public about
Unemployment Insurance. Additionally, a dedicated resource page for former federal workers
was added to the VEC website.

Outreach and Stakeholder Engagements:

The Chief Customer Advocate conducts approximately 23 meetings with attorneys every month
and replies to over 250 emails from employers every quarter. Similarly, the Chief Customer
Advocate responded to several mass layoffs in Southwest Virginia through regular
communication with Human Resource representatives of the impacted companies. This direct
involvement helped route hundreds of calls away from the contact center and provided
concierge support to those separated employees. Moreover, during his outreach visits, the
Chief Customer Advocate observed technological challenges in Southwest Virginia that many
claimants were facing, an opportunity which the Chief Customer Advocate utilized to educate
those claimants about VEC’s upgraded digital processes.
Page 3



In conclusion, I am very pleased with the momentum we are seeing in our service
improvements, education and outreach efforts, and the positive and collaborative partnerships
we have with other interested stakeholders. I look forward to providing updates on our future
progress. Please do not hesitate to contact me at demetrios.melis@vec.virginia.gov with any
questions or feedback.



                                                  Sincerely,



                                                  Demetrios J. Melis
                                                  Commissioner


Attachment: Escalation Cases by Submission Source in Quarter 3, 2025
Page 4




    Escalation                                 Avg. 1st      Avg. Case
                    Cases
   Submission                 Cases Closed   Contact Time   Turnaround
                   Received
     Source                                    (Hours)      Time (Days)


 Agency/Internal    1,434        1,393          41.71           3.8


  Customer Web
                    6,408        6,330          50.93           3.4
      Form


   Governor’s
                     259          236           16.92           8.4
     Office


    Legislator       302          278           17.05           6.2

         Total      8,403        8,237          47.09           3.7


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