Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
A special commission established by the Legislature to examine the state’s unemployment insurance system filed its final report on Jan. 29.
The Special Commission to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the Activities and Efficacy of the Adjudication of Unemployment Insurance Claims by the Department of Unemployment Assistance made a series of recommendations to improve the process.
Recommendations include establishing a method for prioritizing decisions for claimants facing financial hardship and reviewing the steps for filing a claim online.
A municipal recommendation focused on the Department of Unemployment Assistance making a special effort to advise municipalities of their right to request an expedited determination. This was in response to municipal concerns about paying dollar-for-dollar for unemployment claims that turn out to be unduly paid and the long process to get reimbursed, if at all.
It was also recommended that the DUA make cities and towns aware of the dedicated phone line for municipal employers: (617) 626-6262.
The commission held 11 meetings between March 2015 and January 2016, examining the process for the adjudication of claims by reviewing data provided by the DUA.
The MMA’s designee on the commission was Weston Assistant Town Manager Lisa Yanakakis.
The report can be found on the auditor’s website at www.mass.gov/auditor/docs/special-reports/2016/ui-commission-report.pdf.