The state unemployment insurance agencies of West Virginia and Florida have both signed on to use Experian’s data quality software.
WorkForce West Virginia’s Division of Unemployment Compensation will use Experian’s QAS Pro and QAS Batch to ensure the quality of claimants and employers data in its system. Specifically, QAS will be used when the agency sets up new business accounts and when it logs address changes. Using the automated QAS system aims to cut down on errors that were common in the agency’s previous manual approach.
“WorkForce took advantage of a trial period offered by Experian and liked what it was working with,” Jama Jarrett, communications specialist, WV Department of Commerce, said in an e-mail to DMNews. “By eliminating some of the administrative work [such as] updating or verifying information, employees are able to save time and focus more on providing services.”
Further south, The Agency for Workforce Innovation of Florida is implementing Experian QAS Pro for address verification tools to assist in claims processing and prevent duplicate claim filing. As in West Virginia, the Florida agency had been verifying and correcting addresses manually. The Florida agency is also installing QAS Pro Web to assist in communication with claimants and to expedite claim processing online.
Florida and West Virginia join Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Ohio, Colorado and Alabama as the states that have set up Experian QAS for their unemployment agencies. Experian executives link the growth in business to the current state of the US economy.
“A big driver for us has been the surge in the number of unemployment claims,” said Chas Kielt, senior director of marketing for Experian QAS. “These agencies are looking at much higher volumes and are looking for ways to cut costs, process the claims more quickly and enhance and maintain service levels. Across the board, more people are filing for unemployment and that’s more work and more chance for error as these departments take in information.”
