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Claimant Messaging

Marcus Dodd, CPA, CFEChief Internal Auditor

marcus.dodd@illinois.gov312-793-9637

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UI Integrity Task Force - Claimant Messaging

Comprehensive claimant messaging strategy

Key Elements (based upon UI Toolkit):• Website Updates• TeleServe Updates

Other Elements:• TOP-like Letter• TOP Letter• Email Marketing Campaign• Claimant PNS

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Claimant Messaging Website Requirements:

IDES Web Site Update Target Audience Description

1 Forced Messaging #1 – Top 10 Things You Should Know

New claimants / filing a new claim

Add new screen to filing sequence

2 Forced Messaging #2 – UI Fraud Active claimants Add new screen to certification sequence

Rotate with the home page banners on a bi-weekly basis

3 Home Page Banner #1 – Work Search All claimants / general public / employers

Rotate with the home page banners on a bi-weekly basis

4 Home Page Banner #2 – Common Mistakes Made By UI Claimants

All claimants / general public / employers

Rotate with the home page banners on a bi-weekly basis

5 Home Page Banner #3 – Common Mistakes Made By UI Claimants

All claimants / general public / employers

Rotate with the home page banners on a bi-weekly basis

6 Home Page Banner #4 – What Are The Consequences of UI Fraud

All claimants / general public / employers

Rotate with the home page banners on a bi-weekly basis

7 Edit Fraud Page All claimants / general public / employers

Edit to include link to include Fraud document

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Claimant Messaging Forced Messaging #1: New Claimants / Filing a new Claim

Forced Messaging

#1

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What is Unemployment Insurance Fraud?

If you are working while you are collecting unemployment insurance benefits, you must report all wages earned in the week you earn them. Failing to report wages earned while collecting benefits constitutes fraud. UI fraud is punishable by law and violators could face a number of serious penalties and consequences.

Click here to learn more about UI Fraud

Claimant Messaging Forced Messaging #2: Active Claimants

Forced Messaging #2

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IDES Home Page

Other Claimant Messaging, Not Forced

Banner

• Rotate Bi-Weekly• Measure “hits”

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Claimant Messaging Home Page Banner #1: All claimants / general public / employers

You must search for work and document your work search activities in order to collect Unemployment Insurance benefits.

Click here to review IDES Search Template

Click here to learn more about Work Search Requirements

Home Page Banner #1 Headline:Work Search Requirements

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Claimant Messaging Home Page Banner #2: All claimants / general public / employers

Common Mistakes Made By UI Claimants

Not reporting income from part-time or temporary workwhile looking for a full-time position. You must report your (gross) wages in the week you work and earn them,not in the week you are actually paid.

Click here to learn more about Common Mistakes

Home Page Banner #2 Headline:Common Mistakes

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Claimant Messaging Home Page Banner #3: All claimants / general public / employers

Common Mistakes Made By UI Claimants

Waiting until you receive your first paycheck before notifying IDES that you have returned to work.

Click here to learn more about Common Mistakes

Home Page Banner #3 Headline:Common Mistakes

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Claimant Messaging Home Page Banner #4: All claimants / general public / employers

What are the consequences of committing UI fraud?

Violators could face: • Large fines and penalties• Prison sentences• Offset against State and Federal income tax returns• Loss of future UI benefitsClick here to learn more about consequences of fraud

Home Page Banner #4 Headline:Consequences of Fraud

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Claimant Messaging Revise Fraud Page: All claimants / general public / employers

Click here to learn more about consequences of fraud

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Claimant Messaging - TeleServe

The forced messaging on TeleServe mirrors the certification forced messaging on the website.– The focus is on short, meaningful messages.– Call TeleServe at (888) 337-7234 and you will hear

the forced message regarding UI fraud within the first minute.

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Metrics

We will collect the following metrics to track the performance of our claimant messaging.

The metrics will be presented on a dashboard both weekly and on a cumulative basis.

File a claim message # of internet filersCertify message # of internet certificationsTeleServe message # of phone certificationsBanner messages # of “clicks”Fraud document # of “clicks”

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Other Elements of the Claimant Messaging

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TOP-like Letter

In anticipation of going live with Treasury Offset Program (TOP), we sent a letter to a group of our claimants with fraud overpayments informing them that we were pursuing this initiative.

• The letter did not fulfill the legal requirement of TOP. It was merely an “informational” letter.

• The letter was sent to 61,000 claimants.• IDES received $891,000 in payments and repayment

agreements in response to the TOP-like letter.• Return on Investment: 3320%– $891,000 collected / (61,000 claimants * $0.44 postage)

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TOP Letter

As a legal requirement of the Treasury Offset Program (TOP), we sent a letter to a group of our claimants with fraud overpayments informing them that their federal tax return would be offset if they did not resolve their overpayment.

• The letter was required to be sent to the claimants 60-days prior to the referral of the debt to FMS.

• The letter was sent to 55,000 claimants.• IDES received $2,600,000 in payments and repayment

agreements in response to the TOP letter.• Return on Investment: 10,744%– $2,600,000 collected / (55,000 claimants * $0.44 postage)

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TOP-like Letter TOP Letter

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Email Marketing Campaign

IDES is currently procuring a vendor to conduct an email marketing campaign to our claimants.

• We currently have approximately 500,000 claimant email addresses– These were obtained through single opt-in subscription.

• We intend to send a monthly newsletter to all of the claimants on our list.

• We also intend to send monthly emails to sub-groups of the claimants based on geography, industry, etc.

• Our goal is 12,000,000 claimant touch points annually.

Metric: Actual number of emails sent

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Claimant PNS

IDES is currently procuring a vendor to conduct a series of automated calls to our claimants.

• One series of calls is intended to target all new claimants.– These calls will focus on educating claimants on key program

requirements.– This is comparable to the “Top 10” list from the UI toolkit.

• A second series of calls will target all active claimants.– These calls will focus on reinforcing key concepts, such was “What is

fraud” and “What are the consequences of fraud.”– This is comparable to the certification forced messaging described

previously.

Metric: Actual number of calls made

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Questions