SIDES employer messaging toolkit

CLASSIFICATION
   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION                Unemployment Insurance
               ADVISORY SYSTEM                           CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
                                                         OUI
          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
                                                         DATE
             Washington, D.C. 20210
                                                         May 9, 2012

ADVISORY:         UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 17-12

TO:               STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

FROM:             JANE OATES /s/
                  Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:          Unemployment Insurance (UI) State Information Data Exchange System
                  (SIDES) Messaging and Communications Toolkit Availability

1. Purpose. To provide information on the availability of a UI SIDES Messaging and
   Communications Toolkit (Toolkit) containing products and tools designed for use by state UI
   agencies to communicate with employers and third-party administrators (TPAs) about the
   offerings and benefits of SIDES and SIDES E-Response.

2. References.
   • Improper Payment Information Act of 2002 (IPIA; P.L. No. 107-300, 31 U.S.C. 3321
      note);
   • Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (IPERA; P.L. No. 111-204, 31
      U.S.C. 3301 note);
   • Executive Order (E.O.) 13520, Reducing Improper Payments (November 20, 2009);
   • Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) No. 19-11, National Effort to Reduce
      Improper Payments in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program; and
   • UIPL No. 26-11, Unemployment Insurance (UI) Supplemental Funding Opportunity for
      Program Integrity and Performance and System Improvements.

3. Background. On November 20, 2009, President Obama signed E.O. 13520, Reducing
   Improper Payments. It emphasized the need to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in federally
   administered programs while protecting access to these programs by their intended
   beneficiaries. Subsequently, the IPIA, as amended by IPERA, required Federal agencies to
   review their programs and program activities annually, identify programs and areas that may
   be susceptible to significant overpayments, and develop and implement corrective action
   plans for any “high-risk” programs. The UI program is a “high-risk” program. Under
   IPERA, an agency which reports an improper payment rate of 10 percent or higher for a
   program it administers will be determined to be out of compliance and will trigger oversight
   by Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of the Inspector
   General.

   On June 10, 2011, the Department of Labor (Department) issued UIPL No. 19-11, National
   Effort to Reduce Improper Payments in the UI Program, to notify stakeholders that UI

 RESCISSIONS                                            EXPIRATION DATE
 None                                                   Continuing

   integrity is a top priority and provide a strategic plan to reduce the rate of UI improper
   payments. One strategy the UIPL indicated the Department would undertake as part of this
   plan was the development of outreach and marketing tools for states to use with businesses
   and TPAs to promote their participation in SIDES.

   In UIPL No. 26-11, the Department also announced a supplemental funding opportunity to
   help states develop their own state-specific strategies to reduce the improper payment rate.
   As a condition of eligibility, that funding opportunity required states to implement a
   messaging campaign targeted at UI claimants and employers, including specific messaging to
   improve employers’ awareness of their responsibility to respond to state requests for
   separation information and/or earnings/wage verifications. The UIPL indicated that sample
   materials for this messaging campaign and recommended uses would be provided by the
   Department.

4. Toolkit Resources. Created through a grant from the Department to the Information
   Technology Support Center (ITSC), the Toolkit serves as a resource to state unemployment
   agencies to support their employer outreach campaign with information and resources about
   the offerings and benefits of SIDES. The nine message products included in the Toolkit may
   be used as provided or customized by states to ensure consistency with established programs,
   styles and procedures. The Toolkit also provides state agencies with specific
   recommendations to augment their existing employer communication strategies, recognizing
   that differences exist between state processes, terminology, and regulations.

   Resources in the Toolkit include:

   •   Message products state agencies may customize as necessary, such as fact sheets,
       frequently asked questions, and newsletter content.

   •   Examples of employer outreach strategies to raise awareness and understanding among
       employers and TPAs about the benefits of SIDES and SIDES E-Response, such as
       enlisting program “ambassadors,” establishing calendar milestones, and targeting state-
       specific industries and employers.

   •   Suggested messages to be displayed on state Web sites.

   •   Sample text for social media messages for Facebook and Twitter accounts.

   •   Customizable PowerPoint presentation on SIDES for use in meetings with business
       associations or other employer representative groups.

   The Toolkit is posted to the members-only section of the ITSC Web site (www.itsc.org), the
   UI SIDES Web site (info.uisides.org), the UI Community of Practice (ui.workforce3one.org),
   and the UI Payment Integrity home page (www.oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/improp_pay.asp).

5. Action Requested. State administrators are requested to:

       a) Distribute this information throughout the UI community and to interested
          stakeholders; and
       b) Within the context of the state’s strategic plan to address UI improper payments,
          identify strategies to use and adapt resources from this toolkit as part of the state’s
          employer messaging campaign.

6. Inquiries. Questions should be directed to the appropriate Regional Office.