A new team of fact finders will be tasked with supporting state Labor Department officials in investigating unemployment claims stamped with issues.
The announcement came during a weekly news briefing held by Gov. Phil Scott Tuesday morning. Labor Commissioner Michael Harrington briefly spoke during a Q&A session about the status of unemployment claims stuck in the adjudication process.
The fact-finders are intended to expedite the adjudication process, aiding the work of "the upwards of 12 to 15" adjudicators currently staffed by the Labor Department, Harrington said.
The fact-finders will reach out to employers to gather additional information needed to make a determination on flagged claims. Once that is done, Harrington said, they will compile that information into a packet that adjudicators can easily review, thereby enabling them to make quicker determination on claims.
"We're kind of trying to divide and conquer on this, but it does take a knowledgeable person to be able to make an eligibility determination on a claim," Harrington said.
The Free Press reached out to the Labor Department for more information on the fact-finding team, including how many people will be assigned to the team and further details on their responsibilities. That information will be provided as we learn more.
Vermonters continue to face ongoing adjudication process
If an unemployment claim creates an issue, a claimant's file is sent to an adjudicator and a notice will be sent indicating when a fact-finding interview must be set up. During the adjudication or fact-finding process, claimants cannot receive benefits, but they are still able to file weekly claims while they remain unemployed.
That process, Harrington stated, requires back and forth communication between the Labor Department and the employer to determine what might be wrong with an individual's claim.
"The reason a claim goes into adjudication is because the department has made an initial determination that that person is ineligible for benefits unless we can gather additional information that sheds light on their circumstance," said Harrington.
The labor commissioner added that as many as 1,500 to 2,000 claims in a week can end up in adjudication due to a variety of reasons, including "the way someone filled out their application". The complexity of the issue, however, can oftentimes determine how quickly an issue is resolved, ranging from within several days to multiple weeks.
While the adjudication process has been ongoing, Harrington stated that the department has improved its customer service efforts.
"They do now receive an email when they go into adjudication, they receive an email when they are assigned an adjudicator and moving through the process, so we have also tried to step up our communication to individuals going into the process."
This story will be updated.
Contact Ethan Bakuli at (802) 556-1804 or ebakuli@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BakuliEthan.
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