March 5, 2004
Jobless Workers Go Online to Apply for Unemployment Benefits
(Washington, DC) District of Columbia jobless workers can now streamline the process for filing and receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits by going online.
Unemployed workers and employers can access the system 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the Internet by visiting the Department of Employment Service’s Virtual One-Stop System at www.dcnetworks.org.
"These improvements are part of the department's ongoing commitment to ensure that unemployed workers encounter a seamless process in returning to the workforce,” said Gregg Irish, director of the Department of Employment Services. “By improving the unemployment insurance system, the department will be able to direct more unemployed workers to recruitment, counseling, and job training services offered at the One-Stop Career Centers.”
The first phase of the unemployment insurance modernization project was implemented in January 2002, which allowed unemployed workers to obtain information regarding the last four weeks of benefits claimed. This was followed by filing bi-weekly claims for benefits online in July 2003. As a result of this feature, 50 percent of bi-weekly claims are now filed electronically rather than through the mail-in process. The automatic services that are now being launched include direct deposit of unemployment benefits into claimant’s checking or savings accounts and filing initial claims for benefits online. The implementation of direct deposit ranks the District as the 19th state nationally and only the 2nd in the region to offer this automated service.
Other service enhancements will be made to this system for both unemployed workers and employers this calendar year. For unemployed workers, these include:
- An expansion of services for filing initial claims
- The option to file bi-weekly claims by telephone using an interactive voice response system (IVR)
- The option to get information about the last four weeks of benefits claimed by telephone using an IVR
For employers the enhancements include:
- The option of responding through the Internet to requests for separation information regarding former employees filing for benefits
- The option of paying taxes via the telephone or over the Internet
- The option to register with DOES as a liable employer via the Internet
The modernization of the UI System was accomplished in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of Finance and Treasury, and services of On Point Solutions. Program modernization will enable the city to provide more efficient, effective, and convenient unemployment compensation services to jobless workers and employers.
