Office of InnovationUnemployment Insurance Certification Modernization
Working with the NJ State Department of Labor, the Office of Innovation is redesigning the Unemployment Insurance system’s weekly certification process to reduce errors, streamline the process, and help residents get their benefits faster and easier each week. This ongoing work is part of the Resident Experience Initiative.
Challenge
In order to receive their Unemployment Insurance benefits each week, under federal requirements, residents must certify their eligibility by answering a series of questions. However, many of the questions were confusing and caused many residents to respond incorrectly, which then caused errors and delays in processing benefits. These cases were then flagged and required agency staff to manually review each claim, leading to further delays in receiving benefits. These errors also led many applicants to call the contact center, adding to phone wait times.
Innovation In Action
Working with the Department of Labor, OOI conducted user interviews to identify the questions causing the greatest confusion and how best to address these challenges. Based on these insights, OOI simplified confusing questions and created clearer, customized error messages that explained how to fix the issue, giving users a greater sense of control in the system and reducing their need to speak with an agent. This resident-first approach to problem-solving underscores the ability to make significant improvements through front-end process changes without causing disruptions to one of the Department of Labor’s most critical systems.
Impact + Metrics
- As of April 2024, adding more accurate and actionable error messages has led to a 70% increase in applicants completing the identity verification process and unlocking their benefit payments.
- The legacy weekly certification site has been completely overhauled with a simplified design that allows workers to apply for benefits from their phones.
Status
- OOI continues to work with the Department of Labor to improve the certification process and release additional features.
Partners
- NJ State Department of Labor
- United States Digital Response
Last updated on 7/29/24
