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Completing 2014 UI benefit accuracy data

Summary ETA set procedures and deadlines for state agencies to complete and verify 2014 Benefit Accuracy Measurement cases before federal publication of improper payment data. The letter also describes the comment period and includes sample paid and denied claims reports. ETA now lists this period-specific advisory as Canceled.
Document
Federal guidance
Agency
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Document number
UIPL No. 20-14
Date issued
July 29, 2014
Status
Withdrawn
ETA's advisory listing marks this letter Canceled as of 2026-10-24; its PDF prints an expiration date of December 31, 2014.
Status last verified October 24, 2026

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This document has been withdrawn
ETA's advisory listing marks this letter Canceled as of 2026-10-24; its PDF prints an expiration date of December 31, 2014. It no longer reflects the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.
CLASSIFICATION
  EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION                  UI
              ADVISORY SYSTEM                             CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
         U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR                         OUI/DPM
            Washington, D.C. 20210                        DATE
                                                          July 29, 2014


ADVISORY:         UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 20-14

TO:               STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

FROM:             PORTIA WU /s/
                  Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:          Procedures for the Completion and Publication of Unemployment
                  Insurance (UI) Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Data for
                  Improper Payment Information Act (IPIA) Reporting Year 2014

1. Purpose. To provide State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) guidelines and key dates for the
   completion of IPIA 2014 UI BAM paid and denied claims sample cases and the publication
   of IPIA 2014 BAM data.

2. References.
   • 31 U.S.C. 3515 - Financial statements of agencies;
   • Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (31 U.S.C. 3321 note);
   • 20 CFR Part 602;
   • ET [Employment and Training] Handbook No. 395, 5th Edition, Revisions to the State
      Operations Handbook for the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefit Accuracy
      Measurement (BAM) Program (BAM State Operations Handbook);
   • Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) No. 19-96, Procedures for Release of
      Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) (formerly Benefits
      Quality Control Data for Calendar Year (CY) 1995 (BQC)); and
   • UIPL No. 25-13, Procedures for the Completion and Publication of Unemployment
      Insurance (UI) Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Data for Improper Payment
      Information Act (IPIA) Reporting Year 2013.

3. Background. Under 20 CFR 602.21(g), the U.S. Department of Labor’s (Department)
   Employment Training Administration (ETA) releases the BAM program calendar year results
   each year. The Department will continue the release of annual results on its Web site:
   www.dol.gov/dol/maps/map-ipia.htm and the associated data page
   www.dol.gov/dol/maps/data.htm.

   Historically, the BAM calendar year release has included an analytical report or a detailed
   analysis of the calendar year results. As part of this process, ETA announced the publication

 RESCISSIONS                                             EXPIRATION DATE
 None                                                    December 31, 2014

   cycle with the issuance of a UIPL, which provided dates for case completion, verification of
   data contained in the national database, and an explanation of data footnotes. This UIPL
   continues that practice. However, with this issuance, ETA establishes a new analytical report
   year to align it with the annual financial reporting requirement found in the IPIA.

4. Completion of IPIA 2014 BAM Cases. The IPIA requires that by no later than March 1st of
   every year, the head of each covered executive Federal agency prepare and submit to the
   Congress and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget an audited financial
   statement for the preceding fiscal year, covering all accounts and associated activities of each
   office, bureau, and activity of the agency (31 U.S.C. 3515). The IPIA requires the materials
   accompanying the annual financial statement to include improper payment estimates for the
   unemployment compensation program (31 U.S.C. 3321 note).

   To accomplish this mandate and provide a detailed explanation of improper payments, ETA
   establishes the IPIA reporting year for the BAM program, which includes payment accuracy
   estimates for the period July through June of the following year (batch range YYYY27
   through (YYYY+1) 26).

   For IPIA 2014 reporting purposes, the end of the year is June 30, 2014. Therefore, all
   published BAM data will be based on IPIA 2014 BAM paid and denied claims cases on
   which the BAM supervisor has signed off by the date of record, which is the close of business
   (COB) October 28, 2014. IPIA 2014 will include batch range 201327 through 201426, which
   covers the period June 30, 2013, through June 28, 2014.

   Changes to the state’s database after the date of record can result in inconsistencies with the
   Department’s database. SWAs must not reopen any IPIA 2014 BAM cases after October 28,
   2014, until they have reviewed the BAM data transmitted to them by the Department and
   have confirmed that these data agree with the BAM paid and DCA data produced by the
   state’s database.

5. Transmittal of Data and Comment Period. The ETA National Office will produce and
   transmit to each state by November 11, 2014, paid and denied claims accuracy data for that
   state, based on the IPIA 2014 BAM cases as of October 28, 2014. SWAs are encouraged to
   run the BAM Paid Claims Annual Report, Denied Claims Error Rates Report, and Improper
   Denials Rates Report software and to compare the results with the rates and report footnotes
   the Department transmits to them for comment before publication. IPIA 2014 will include
   batch range 201327 through 201426.

   Before October 28, 2014, the Department will transmit a footnote lookup table for the IPIA
   2014 BAM Paid Claims Annual Report, Denied Claims Error Rates Report, and Improper
   Denials Rates Report. Samples of these reports, report definitions, and report footnotes are
   available in Attachments 1 and 2.

   By November 25, 2014, SWAs should report any discrepancies or submit questions
   concerning the BAM paid and denied claims data and footnotes to ETA’s National Office,


                                                2

   with a copy to the appropriate ETA Regional Administrator. Please send comments to Ross
   Miller by e-mail: [email protected], fax: (202) 693-3975, or mail:

   Mr. Ross Miller
   U. S. Department of Labor
   ETA / Office of Unemployment Insurance
   200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room S-4519
   Washington, D.C. 20210

   National Office and Regional Office staff will address and reconcile issues raised by the
   states by December 9, 2014.

   In December 2014, the Department will present an informational webinar on the IPIA 2014
   BAM Annual Report. The webinar will examine the BAM procedures, process, various
   estimates derived from the data, and performance measures. The Department will distribute
   the webinar invitation by e-mail.

6. Federal Publication of BAM Data. The Department will publish the IPIA 2014 BAM
   analytical report on the ETA Web site: http://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/index.asp.

   If a SWA fails to follow the BAM methodology for sample selection, data collection, or case
   completion timeliness, as prescribed in ET Handbook No. 395, to such an extent that the data
   are not reliable, the Department will publish an explanation of the major deficiencies, in lieu
   of BAM data, for that state. SWAs will be required to address these deficiencies through the
   State Quality Service Plan process.

   Although UIPL No. 19-96 announced the elimination of the requirement in 20 CFR
   602.21(g) that states release BAM data publicly, states may choose to release their BAM data
   to the public independent of the Federal release.

7. Key Dates. The following key dates are the latest dates for completing the task or action:

   06/30/14 - This date represents the end of the IPIA reporting year and includes batches
              201327 through 201426. By this date, states must have selected the minimum
              number of valid cases to meet annual sample allocation requirements (i.e., 480 or
              360 paid claim cases and 150 of each of the three types of denied claims). States
              must complete at least 98 percent of the valid sample cases sampled in IPIA 2014
              within 120 days of this date (i.e., October 28, 2014).

   10/14/14 - SWAs submit requests for waivers of BAM paid and denied claims timeliness
              requirements, along with supporting documentation, to the appropriate ETA
              Regional Administrator.

   10/21/14 - Regional offices respond to states on the disposition of state requests for waivers
              of BAM timeliness requirements.


                                                3

   10/22/14 - The National Office electronically transmits the footnote lookup table for the
              BAM paid and denied claims software to each state's Unemployment Insurance
              Database System (Sun Server).

   10/28/14 - Each SWA checks its UI database to ensure that: 1) the BAM supervisor has
              signed off all BAM paid and denied claims cases, which investigators have
              completed; and 2) reopened cases have been updated and data errors are corrected
              by this date. Cases closed by supervisors after October 28, 2014, will not be
              included in the Paid Claims Accuracy Annual Report or the Denied Claim
              Accuracy Error Rates and Improper Denials Rates Reports. SWAs must not
              reopen any IPIA 2014 cases after October 28, 2014, until they have reviewed the
              BAM data transmitted by the National Office and verified the data against their
              state database or reconciled any differences with the Department.

   11/11/14 - The National Office transmits the IPIA 2014 BAM data to the State
              Administrators.

   11/25/14 - SWAs review BAM paid and denied claims accuracy data and footnotes, and
              report any discrepancies or submit questions about the BAM data or footnotes to
              the National Office (to the attention of Mr. Ross Miller, as discussed in Section 5
              of this guidance), with copies to the appropriate ETA Regional Administrator.

   12/09/14 - National and Regional Office staff address issues raised by the states and
              reconcile any differences between state and Department’s BAM data.

   12/19/14 - SWAs provide the name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the
              contact person(s) for public inquiries about BAM paid and denied claims data.
              SWA’s should send this information to the attention of Mr. Ross Miller at the
              address, e-mail address, or fax provided in Section 5 of this guidance, with copies
              to the appropriate ETA Regional Administrator.

   12/20/14 - During the month of December, the Department will present an informational
              webinar. The webinar will examine the BAM procedures, processes, various
              estimates derived from the data, and performance measures. The Department will
              distribute the webinar invitation by e-mail. The Department will repeat the
              webinar several times to accommodate participants’ schedules.

   3/31/15 - The Department publishes the IPIA 2014 BAM data on the ETA Web site:
             http://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/index.asp.

8. Action Requested. The Department requests that State Administrators:

   A. Provide copies of these guidelines to the appropriate staff;
   B. Send any request for a waiver of BAM timeliness requirements to the appropriate ETA
      Regional Administrator by COB October 14, 2014; and


                                                4

   C. Ensure that the National Office (attention: Mr. Ross Miller, as discussed in Section 5 of
      this guidance) and the appropriate ETA Regional Administrator are:

                    1. Notified by November 25, 2014, of any issues that require the reconciliation of
             differences between the state’s and the Department’s BAM data; and
                    2. Provided by December 19, 2014, with the name, address, telephone number, and
             e-mail address of the person(s) whom interested parties may contact with
             questions or inquiries about the state's BAM data.

10. Inquiries. Please direct questions to the appropriate Regional Office.

11. Attachments.

   Attachment 1 - Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Paid Claims Annual Report, Report
                  Definitions, and Report Footnotes
   Attachment 2 - Denied Claims Accuracy (DCA) Error Rates Report and Improper Denials
                  Rates Report, Report Definitions, and Report Footnotes




                                                5

Attachment 1 (official PDF: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/UIPL/2014/UIPL_20-14_Attachment_1_Acc.pdf)

ATTACHMENT 1

Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Paid Claims Annual Report, Report Definitions, and
Report Footnotes

                                 BENEFIT ACCURACY MEASUREMENT
                                     PAID CLAIMS ACCURACY
                                          ANNUAL REPORT

                                                  STATE: ZZ

                                        Batch Range: 201327 - 201426



    Total Dollars Paid in Population                                                           $221,830,728

    Sample Size                                                                                             383

                                                                 Percentage                95% Confidence
                                                                 Of Dollars                  Interval (+ / -)

    Proper Payments                                                   88.4%                                3.5%

    Overpayments                                                      11.6%                                3.5%

    Total                                                            100.0%

    Underpayments                                                      0.3%                                0.2%


    Percentages apply to less than a complete year of UI payments; the State did not pull a sample for 3
    week(s).

    The State completed 83.7% of the cases within 90 days.
    The QC program standard is 95% completed within 90 days.

    15.9% of the sample cases were not completed when this report was prepared. This exceeded the QC
    program requirement that no more than 2% of the cases for the year remain incomplete.




                                                      1-1

                            BENEFIT ACCURACY MEASUREMENT
                                 PAID CLAIMS ACCURACY
                             ANNUAL REPORT (Supplemental Data)
                                           STATE: ZZ

                                  Batch Range: 201327 - 201426


                   Responsibility for Overpayments (Percent of Dollars Overpaid)

Claimant Only                                                                      51.6

Agency Only                                                                        15.6

Claimant + Agency                                                                  10.6

Claimant + Employer                                                                10.5

Employer Only                                                                       8.6

Claimant + Employer + Agency                                                        2.1

Claimant + Other                                                                    1.7

Employer + Agency                                                                   1.0

Other Only                                                                          0.0

Employer + Other                                                                    0.0

Agency + Other                                                                      0.0

Claimant + Employer + Other                                                         0.0

Claimant + Agency + Other                                                           0.0

Employer + Agency + Other                                                           0.0

Claimant + Employer + Agency + Other                                                0.0

Responsibility Not Specified                                                        0.0




                                               1-2

                             Cause for Overpayments (Percent of Dollars Overpaid)

      Benefit Year Earnings Issues                                                                         39.1

      Eligibility Issues Excluding Work Search                                                             25.7

      Separation Issues                                                                                    20.5

      Base Period Wage Issues                                                                               7.4

      Other Issues                                                                                          5.9

      Work Search Issues                                                                                    2.9



      N
      O The percentages for the responsibilities or cause do not sum to 100 percent. You should check
      T field (h5) to verify that all cases have been coded correctly within your specified batch range.
      E:

If cause and responsibility percentages do not add up to 100 percent, states should check for cases in which the key
week amount overpaid coded in data element h5 in the b_master table of the UI database does not equal the sum of
dollars overpaid coded in data element ei1 for key week actions 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15 in the b_errisu table. The
amount overpaid cannot exceed the amount paid coded in data element f13 in the b_master table.




                                                        1-3

                                BAM Annual Report Definitions

Total Dollars Paid in Population

Total UI benefits paid to the population of UI claimants who constitute the sampling frames for
all weeks in IPIA 2014 for which the state pulled a BAM sample, adjusted to exclude UI
payments that do not meet the definition of the BAM population (for example, supplemental
payments or payments made for Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) claims). These
excluded cases are coded “8” (EUC) or “9” (all other excluded records) in the program code data
element (c1) in the b_master table of the UI database.

Sample Size

Total number of UI payments selected during IPIA 2014 (BAM batches 201327 through 201426)
and completed (supervisor sign-off) by COB October 28, 2014, excluding cases that do not meet
the BAM population definition. This is the number of BAM sample cases from which the
payment accuracy rates and confidence intervals are estimated.

Proper Payments

The weighted ratio estimate of total dollars properly paid to total dollars paid expressed as a
percentage.

Overpayments

The weighted ratio estimate of total dollars overpaid to total dollars paid expressed as a
percentage.

Underpayments

The weighted ratio estimate of total dollars underpaid to total dollars paid expressed as a
percentage.

Weighting Procedures

UI benefits properly paid, overpaid, and underpaid for each batch with at least two completed
paid claims cases are weighted by the batch population, adjusted to exclude cases that do not
meet the BAM definition (program code “8” or “9”). The accuracy rates are the ratios of these
weighted benefits, summed for all batches. Batches with only one completed case are merged to
ensure that each batch has a minimum of two completed cases.




                                                1-4

95 Percent Confidence Interval

A confidence interval, expressed as +/- x percentage points, is constructed for each of the three
estimated rates. The actual rate is expected to lie within 95 percent of the intervals constructed
from repeated samples of the same size and selected in the same manner as the BAM sample.




                                                1-5

                            BAM Paid Claims Accuracy Footnotes

Footnote 1

Claimants failing to conduct required work search were given formal warnings and no
overpayment was established. The proper payment rate would be lower and the overpayment
rate would be higher if these cases were counted as erroneous payments.

Condition: Any IPIA 2014 BAM case with key week action code '14' in field ei2 of the b_errisu
table of the UI database.


Footnote 2

Percentages apply to less than a complete year of UI payments due to the state not pulling a
sample for x weeks.

Condition: There is no record in the b_comparison table of the UI database for one or more
BAM batches 201327 through 201426.

Note: If a state requested and received permission from the Department to suspend BAM
sampling temporarily due to workload contingencies the footnote will reflect that the Department
concurred with the suspension.


Footnote 3

The state selected samples that were below the minimum prescribed levels for x weeks.

Condition: State selected one or more BAM weekly samples below the minimum level
prescribed in Benefit Accuracy Measurement State Operations Handbook, ET Handbook No.
395, chapter VI, p. 11. Sampled cases that fail to meet the BAM population definition are
counted toward meeting the minimum weekly sample.

The minimum weekly and quarterly samples, based on current annual sample allocations are:

 Sample              Annual          Normal        Minimum         Normal          Minimum
                    Allocation       Weekly         Weekly       Quarterly         Quarterly
 Paid Claims           360*              7             5              90                81
 Paid Claims            480              9             6             120               108
 Denials            150/450**            3             2            37-38               32

* Allocation for ten smallest states in terms of UI workload.
** 150 cases each of monetary, separation, and non-separation denials will be selected each year,
for a total of 450 DCA cases.
                                               1-6

Note: If a state requested and received permission from the Department to reduce BAM sample
sizes temporarily due to workload contingencies, the footnote will reflect that the Department
concurred with the reduction.


Footnote 4

Percentages based on data collection procedures that were not completely in accordance with the
program methodology prescribed in ET Handbook No. 395.

Condition: Based on program monitoring conducted by the Regional and National Offices.


Footnote 5

The state completed x percent of the cases within 90 days. The program standard is 95 percent
completed within 90 days.

Condition: State failed to meet case completion objectives established in Benefit Accuracy
Measurement State Operations Handbook, ET Handbook No. 395, chapter VI, p. 11. Cases not
meeting the BAM population definition are not counted in calculating state time lapse rates.


Footnote 6

x percent of the sample cases were not completed when this report was prepared. This exceeded
the program requirement that no more than 2 percent of the cases for the year remain incomplete.

Condition: The percentage is based on the number of BAM cases that were not completed (no
supervisor sign-off) by COB October 28, 2014, divided by the number of valid cases selected for
BAM weekly samples during IPIA 2014 (BAM batches 201327 through 201426). Cases that do
not meet the BAM population definition are not counted in calculating state case completion
rates.


Footnote 7

The annual sample for [state] is x cases below the allocated annual sample for the state. The
precision of the data might be reduced due to the failure to sample at the prescribed level.

Condition: The state's annual sample selection is 60 or more cases (one-half staff year) below its
allocated annual sample (for BAM paid claims, one staff year equals 120 cases). Cases that do


                                               1-7

not meet the BAM population definition are counted toward meeting the annual sample
allocation.

Note: If a state requested and received permission from the Department to reduce BAM sample
sizes temporarily due to workload contingencies, the footnote will reflect that the Department
concurred with the reduction.


Footnote 8

The population from which the BAM sample was selected did not include all of the UI benefits
paid. This limits the degree to which inferences about the population can be made from BAM
data.

Condition: The dollars paid in the BAM population for IPIA 2014 vary from the dollars paid
reported in the state's ETA 5159 Claims and Payment Activities reports by more than the
statistical control limit.




                                              1-8

Attachment 2 (official PDF: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/UIPL/2014/UIPL_20-14_Attachment_2_Acc.pdf)

ATTACHMENT 2

Benefit Accuracy Measurement (BAM) Denied Claims Annual Report, Report Definitions, and
Report Footnotes
                               BENEFIT ACCURACY MEASUREMENT (BAM)
                                  DENIED CLAIMS ACCURACY (DCA)

                                           ERROR RATES REPORT
                                                    State: ZZ
                                             Report Date: 11/08/2014
                                          Batch Range: 201327 ~ 201426


                         Denial Type                 Population             Cases Completed*

                    Monetary                            97,029                       143

                    Separation                          77,374                       140

                    Nonseparation                       24,229                       134


                                                               Adjusted
      Denial Type          Total            Improper           Improper         Overpayment             Proper
                           Errors            Denial            Denial**                                Denial***

  Monetary                  16.52%             14.85%              8.05%                0.00%               1.67%

  Separation                28.59%             16.12%             15.87%                0.00%              12.47%

  Nonseparation             40.74%             14.02%             14.02%                0.00%              26.71%

    *      Excludes cases not meeting DCA definition for inclusion in population, withdrawn claims, and claims
         for which monetary eligibility was established upon receipt of CWC, UCFE, and/or UCX wage credits.
         Adjusted rate excludes erroneous denials that were corrected by agency or reversed on appeal prior to
  **
         DCA case completion.
  ***    Properly denied, but for wrong reason or section of the law.
  The state completed 76.35 percent of the Monetary denials sample cases within 90 days. The program standard
  is 85 percent completed within 90 days.
  The state completed 78.43 percent of the Separation denials sample cases within 90 days. The program
  standard is 85 percent completed within 90 days.
  The state completed 79.87 percent of the Nonseparation denials sample cases within 90 days. The program
  standard is 85 percent completed within 90 days.
  Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of Monetary denials due to the state not pulling a sample
  for 1 week(s).
  Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of Separation denials due to the state not pulling a
  sample for 1 week(s).
  Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of Nonseparation denials due to the state not pulling a
  sample for 1 week(s).




                                                         2-1

                                 BENEFIT ACCURACY MEASUREMENT
                                    DENIED CLAIMS ACCURACY
                                 IMPROPER DENIALS RATES REPORT
                                               State: ZZ
                                        Report Date: 11/08/2014
                                     Batch Range: 201327 ~ 201426


                       Denial Type                Population             Cases Completed*

                   Monetary                          97,029                       143

                   Separation                        77,374                       140

                   Nonseparation                     24,229                       134


                                                                       Adjusted
                          Improper               95% C.I                                        95% C.I
     Denial Type                                                       Improper
                           Denial                  (+/-)                                          (+/-)
                                                                       Denial**

Monetary                        14.85%                 5.77%                  8.05%                     4.51%

Separation                      16.12%                 6.45%                15.87%                      6.43%

Nonseparation                   14.02%                 6.13%                14.02%                      6.13%

*      Excludes cases not meeting DCA definition for inclusion in population, withdrawn claims, and claims
       for which monetary eligibility was established upon receipt of CWC, UCFE, and/or UCX wage credits.
       Adjusted rate excludes erroneous denials that were corrected by agency or reversed on appeal prior to
**
       DCA case completion.
Note: 95% C.I. is the 95 percent confidence interval for the estimated rate. The interval is the range between
the rate minus the value in the 95% C.I. column and the rate plus the value in the 95% C.I. column. For
example, the interval for 10.0% +/- 2.5 is 7.5% to 12.5%. The true rate is expected to lie within 95 percent
of the intervals constructed from repeated samples of the same size and selected in the same manner as the
BAM DCA sample.
The state completed 76.35 percent of the Monetary denials sample cases within 90 days. The program
standard is 85 percent completed within 90 days.
The state completed 78.43 percent of the Separation denials sample cases within 90 days. The program
standard is 85 percent completed within 90 days.
The state completed 79.87 percent of the Nonseparation denials sample cases within 90 days. The program
standard is 85 percent completed within 90 days.
Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of Monetary denials due to the state not pulling a
sample for 1 week(s).
Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of Separation denials due to the state not pulling a
sample for 1 week(s).
Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of Nonseparation denials due to the state not pulling a
sample for 1 week(s).


                                                      2-2

BAM Denied Claims Accuracy Rates Report Definitions

Population

The number of denial determinations that constitute the sampling frames for all weeks in IPIA
2014 for which the state pulled a BAM DCA sample, adjusted to exclude agency actions that do
not meet the definition of the BAM DCA population (for example, monetary redeterminations,
nonmonetary determinations that are not reportable on the ETA 207 and 9052 reports, and denied
EUC claims). These excluded cases are coded “8” (EUC) or “9” (all other excluded records) in
the Program code data element in the b_dca_master table of the UI database. The software also
adjusts the DCA populations to exclude two types of cases for which there is no denial issue to
investigate: 1) cases in which monetary eligibility was established upon receipt of Combined
Wage Claims, Alternative Base Period Claims, Unemployment Compensation for Federal
Employees, and/or Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service Members wage credits within
the two-week sampling lag (Action Code Flag “0”); and 2) claims withdrawn by the claimant
(Action Code Flag “8”).

Sample Size

Total DCA cases selected during IPIA 2014 (BAM batches 201327 through 201426) and
completed (supervisor sign-off) by COB October 28, 2014, excluding cases that do not meet the
BAM DCA population definition. This is the number of BAM DCA sample cases from which
the accuracy rates are estimated.

Improper Denial Rate

The weighted proportion of denied claims for which the DCA investigation concluded that the
claimant should have been eligible for UI benefits or was underpaid UI benefits (Error Issue
Action Code = “20”, “21”, “22”, or “23”), expressed as a percentage.

Adjusted Improper Denial Rate

Improper Denial Rate excluding cases in which erroneous denials were corrected by the agency
(Prior Agency Action = “20” to “29” or eligibility was established through appeal (Results of
Appeal of Initial Determination = “1” or “3”) prior to DCA case completion.

Overpayment Rate

The weighted proportion of denied claims for which the DCA investigation concluded that the
claimant should have been ineligible for UI, or should have received a lower benefit amount, for
weeks that had been paid (Error Issue Action Code = “10”, “11”, “12”, “13”, “14”, “15”, or
“16”), expressed as a percentage.

                                              2-3

Proper Denial Rate

The weighted proportion of denied claims for which the DCA investigation concluded that the
claimant was properly denied but for the wrong or different section of the law (Error Issue Action
Code = “30”), expressed as a percentage.

Weighting Procedures

Accuracy rates are computed separately for each batch with at least two completed DCA cases
and weighted by the batch population, adjusted to exclude cases that do not meet the BAM DCA
definition (Program code “8” or “9”) or cases with Action Codes “0” (monetary eligibility
established upon receipt of CWC, UCFE, and/or UCX wage credits) or “8” (withdrawn claims).
The accuracy rate equals the sum of the products of the batch rates and weights. Batches with
only one completed case are merged to ensure that each batch has a minimum of two completed
cases.

95 Percent Confidence Interval

A confidence interval, expressed as +/- x percentage points, is constructed for each of the
estimated accuracy rates. The actual rate is expected to lie within 95 percent of the intervals
constructed from repeated samples of the same size and selected in the same manner as the BAM
sample.




                                               2-4

                           BAM Denied Claims Accuracy Footnotes

Footnote 1

Estimated rates apply to less than the total population of [sample type] denials due to the state
not pulling a sample for x weeks.

Condition: There is no record in the b_dca_comparison table of the UI database for one or more
batches specified in the batch range for sample type y, where b_dca_comparison.samptype = 2
(monetary), 3 (separation), or 4 (nonseparation).


Footnote 2

Estimated rates for [sample type] denials are based on data collection procedures that were not
completely in accordance with the program methodology prescribed in ET Handbook No. 395.

Condition: Based on program monitoring conducted by the Department of Labor Regional and
National Offices. This footnote will be generated from a footnote look-up table for each sample
type: 2 (monetary), 3 (separation), or 4 (nonseparation).


Footnote 3

The state completed x percent of the [sample type] denials sample cases within 90 days. The
program standard is 85 percent completed within 90 days.

Condition: The percentage for sample type y, where b_dca_master.samptype = 2 (monetary), 3
(separation), or 4 (nonseparation), will be calculated using the same method used in the BAM
DCA Case Completion and Time Lapse report. Cases not meeting the BAM DCA population
definition (b_dca_master.program = 8 or 9) or withdrawn claims (b_dca_master.actflag = 8)
are not counted in calculating state time lapse rates.


Footnote 4

x percent of the [sample type] denials sample cases were not completed when this report was
prepared. This exceeds the program requirement that no more than 2 percent of the cases for the
year are incomplete 120 days after the end of the IPIA reporting year.




                                                2-5

Condition: The percentage is based on the number of BAM DCA cases that were not completed
(b_dca_master.supcomp is NULL) by COB October 28, YYYY+1, divided by the number of
valid cases selected for BAM DCA weekly samples during IPIA YYYY (BAM batches
YYYY27 through (YYYY+1)26). Cases that do not meet the BAM DCA population definition
(b_dca_master.program = 8 or 9) or withdrawn claims (b_dca_master.actflag = 8) are not
counted in calculating state case completion rates. A percentage will be calculated for each
sample type y, where b_dca_master.samptype = 2 (monetary), 3 (separation), or 4
(nonseparation).

This footnote will be generated only if the user specifies an annual report when the user specifies
the batch range YYYY27 through (YYYY+1)26).


Footnote 5

The annual sample of [sample type] denials is x cases below the allocated annual sample of 150
BAM DCA cases per year. The precision of the data might be reduced due to the failure to
sample at the prescribed level.

Condition: The state's annual sample selection is 38 or more cases below its allocated annual
sample of 150 cases). Cases that do not meet the BAM population definition
(b_dca_master.program = 8 or 9) are not counted toward meeting the annual sample allocation.
 This footnote will be generated from a footnote look-up table for each sample type: 2
(monetary), 3 (separation), or 4 (nonseparation).

This footnote will be generated only if the user specifies an annual report when the user specifies
the batch range YYYY27 through (YYYY+1)26).


Footnote 6

The sampling frames from which the [sample type] denials samples were selected may not
include all of the determinations that meet the definition for inclusion in the DCA population or
may include records that do not meet the DCA population definition. This limits the degree to
which inferences about the population can be made from BAM DCA data.

Condition: The size of the DCA population for IPIA 2014 varies by more than the statistical
control limit from the benchmark population. The benchmark populations are:

Monetary: Percent of determinations denied in ETA 218 report times number of new initial
claims (intrastate and interstate liable) plus transitional claims in ETA 5159 report.


                                               2-6

Separation: Percent of determinations denied in ETA 207 report times number of separations in
ETA 9052 report.

Nonseparation: Percent of determinations denied in ETA 207 report times number of
nonseparations in ETA 9052 report.

This footnote will be generated from a footnote look-up table for each sample type: 2 (monetary),
3 (separation), or 4 (nonseparation).

This footnote will be generated only if the user specifies an annual report when the user specifies
the batch range YYYY27 through (YYYY+1)26).




                                               2-7

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