Move unemployment insurance validation and tax applications to UIRS

CLASSIFICATION
   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION                 Unemployment Insurance
               ADVISORY SYSTEM                            CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR                        OUI/DPM
             Washington, D.C. 20210                       DATE
                                                          July 17, 2024


ADVISORY:       UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 15-24

TO:             STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

FROM:           JOSÉ JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
                Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:        Permanent Transition of Data Validation (DV) and Tax Performance System
                (TPS) Applications from the Unemployment Insurance Database Management
                System (UIDBMS) to the Unemployment Insurance Reporting System (UIRS)

1. Purpose. To provide State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) with advance notice of the
   upcoming permanent transition of the DV and TPS applications from UIDBMS to UIRS;
   instructions to submit DV and TPS data to UIRS; and the decommissioning of the DV and
   TPS applications in UIDBMS effective August 15, 2024.

2. Action Requested. The Department of Labor’s (Department’s) Employment and Training
   Administration (ETA) requests that Administrators of State Workforce Agencies (SWAs)
   provide the information in this Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) to the
   appropriate state UI program and information technology (IT) staff to follow instructions
   related to the submission of DV and TPS data to UIRS beginning July 15, 2024.

3. Summary and Background.

   a. Summary – Following extensive testing with state, regional, and national users, effective
      July 15, 2024, all states must transmit their DV and TPS data to the UIRS. The
      Department will no longer support the DV and TPS applications in UIDBMS after
      August 15, 2024.

   b. Background – Training and Employment Notice No. 26-23, Unemployment Insurance
      (UI) Reporting System, issued on April 19, 2024, announced the Department’s project to
      modernize UIDBMS (a server-based reporting system) to UIRS (a cloud-based reporting
      system). For additional information, refer to the webinar conducted on April 22, 2024.
      A recording is available at
      https://ui.workforcegps.org/resources/2024/06/10/19/45/Unemployment_Insurance_Repo
      rting_System. Note that state staff must create an account with the UI Community of
      Practice within WorkforceGPS to view the content.

       This is a multi-year project, throughout which the Department will deploy UIRS
       applications in a progressive rollout by program or function to all states. The Department
       will continue to engage with state, regional, and national users through meetings,

  RESCISSIONS                                              EXPIRATION DATE
  None                                                     Continuing

       webinars, and user acceptance testing to ensure the functionality and desired user
       experience are achieved.

4. Guidance.

   a. DV and TPS Data Transition. Effective July 15, 2024, all states must transmit their DV
      and TPS data to the UIRS in accordance with the established reporting deadlines in the
      associated program handbooks, ET Handbook No. 361 Data Validation, and ET
      Handbook No. 407 Tax Performance System. UIRS accepts all file formats that states
      are currently transmitting to UIDBMS (e.g., .txt, .csv). Instructions and rules of behavior
      for setting an account for the UIRS are available online on Workforce GPS. Users must
      establish a Login.gov account to access the cloud-based environment for DV and TPS on
      the UIRS (see UIRS Training, section b).

       The Department completed development and testing of the DV and TPS applications in
       UIRS, as well as state data migration. This included discovery and production planning
       sessions with stakeholder collaboration, as well as multiple rounds of user acceptance
       testing, and a final pilot test with participation from more than 15 states. Based on
       feedback received during this testing period, the Department does not anticipate changes
       to preparation and transmission of the DV and TPS data from the states to UIRS.

   b. UIRS Training. Training materials and user guides regarding DV and TPS applications
      are located in the WorkforceGPS, UI Community of Practice:
      https://ui.workforcegps.org/resources/2024/06/10/19/45/Unemployment_Insurance_Repo
      rting_System.

   c. Important Dates. These dates apply specifically to the DV and TPS applications. States
      will continue to submit all other ETA reports via the UIDBMS at this time, and any
      future changes will be appropriately announced to the UI system.

       •   July 15, 2024: The UIRS production environment for DV and TPS is available for all
           states. States must use the UIRS DV and TPS applications for data transmissions
           immediately on this date, and discontinue using UIDBMS for these applications.

       •   August 15, 2024: The Department will no longer support the DV and TPS
           applications in UIDBMS.


5. Inquiries. Please direct inquiries to the appropriate ETA Regional Office.

6. References.

   •   Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) No. 03-21, Replacement of Information
       Technology Hardware supporting the State Unemployment Insurance Data Base
       Management System (UIDBMS), issued October 29, 2020,
       https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/unemployment-insurance-program-letter-no-
       03-21;



   •   UIPL No. 11-18, Change 2, Extension of the Employment and Training Administration
       (ETA) 9177 Report (Pre-Implementation Planning Checklist Report Version 1) for State
       Unemployment Insurance (UI) Information Technology (IT) Modernization Projects,
       issued February 2, 2024, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/uipl-11-18-change-
       2.
   •   Training and Employment Notice No. 26-23, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reporting
       System, issued April 19, 2024, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/ten-26-23;
   •   ET Handbook No. 361, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Data Validation Handbook,
       Benefits (October 2022);
   •   ET Handbook No. 361, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Data Validation Handbook, Tax
       (October 2022); and
   •   ET Handbook No. 407, Tax Performance System Handbook 4th Edition, issued February
       2010.

7. Attachment. None.