Monnikka Madison
Monnikka Madison, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Economic Stability and Benefits at the D.C. Department of Employment Services (DOES), is a bilingual expert with over 20 years of dedicated experience in social insurance administration. She plays a pivotal role in the planning, development, and administration of Washington D.C.’s high-profile Paid Family Leave program and the long-standing Unemployment Insurance program. Assuming her executive position in 2018, Monnikka leads a team that conceives and executes the Office of Paid Family Leave’s high-level prerequisites: building the secure, all-encompassing administrative infrastructure, establishing the District-wide system for the collection of employer taxes to fund the program, wholly creating the rules and regulations that will govern its practices, and educating key stakeholders and affected masses on the program’s benefits and operations.
Monnikka has worked extensively throughout her tenure to champion performance improvement efforts and ensure program adherence to innumerable federal and local regulations. In her previous role as the Chief of Benefits for the DOES, Office of Unemployment Compensation (OUC), Monnikka successfully implemented changes that facilitated effective and efficient service delivery, yielding some of the OUC’s highest performance standings and key Unemployment Insurance (UI) national rankings. While in this role, Monnikka spearheaded aggressive campaigns to identify and reduce UI waste, fraud, and abuse, and developed and led initiatives to reduce the District’s Improper Payment Rate. These achievements and improvements in program accuracy and integrity encouraged more efficient administration of UI and ultimately led to the OUC’s removal of its At-Risk designation in 2017.
In 2022-2023, Monnikka served as the Chair for the National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ (NASWA) UI IB Subcommittee, showcasing her commitment to advancing interstate collaboration, innovation, and leadership in workforce development.
Monnikka's visionary approach secured a $2,283,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, aiming to increase equity and access to the Unemployment Insurance program. Under her guidance, Paid Family Leave (PFL) extended its benefits to cover 12 weeks in October 2022, highlighting her dedication to enhancing employee benefits in the District.
Throughout the pandemic, Monnikka's strategic leadership was instrumental in overseeing the processing of a record number of claims, providing crucial financial support to the District. Monnikka's strategic vision contributed to significant growth in the UI Trust Fund, representing a 104.7% increase year-over-year. She has also been a driving force behind the UI Benefits Modernization Project, which went live in February 2024. This modernization effort, encompassing the UI Benefits system, is set to revolutionize the unemployment benefits landscape.
Monnikka Madison's leadership continues to drive innovation and excellence in economic stability and benefits administration. Her impact on critical programs and commitment to enhancing services make her a key figure in the success of the D.C. Department of Employment Services.