CONNECTICUT – New Password Requirements
Employers who access online systems in Connecticut will now be required to change your password to meet new stricter security standards. According to information supplied by the CT Department of Labor, the new password requirements are:
• A minimum of 14 characters
• Uppercase and lowercase letters
• At least 1 number
• At least one special character from the following: @, #, $, %, !, and *
• Passwords expire in 60 days
• The new password cannot be a repeat of the last 24 passwords/passphrases
• For passwords, do not use words from the dictionary or common patterns, e.g., “Cookies!123456”; instead, replace several letters within the password/passphrase with numbers or symbols e.g., “C0ok!3s$012923”
If you have any questions or issues with resetting your password, please contact the CTDOL Employer Tax Accounting unit at [email protected].
FLORIDA – Disaster Unemployment Assistance Available in Broward County
Individuals and businesses in the areas impacted by the flooding in Broward County last month are now eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits. Applications must be received by May 31, 2023 and cover the weeks beginning April 16th until October 28, 2023. To receive DUA benefits, all required documentation must be submitted within 21 days from the date the DUA application is filed.
DUA, which is an unemployment insurance benefit made available after a disaster, is only available to individuals who:
• Have applied for and used all regular unemployment benefits from any state, or do not qualify for unemployment benefits.
• Worked or were self-employed or scheduled to begin work or self-employment in the disaster area.
• Can no longer work or perform services because of physical damage or destruction to the place of employment as a direct result of the disaster.
• Establish that the work or self-employment they can no longer perform was their primary source of income.
• Cannot perform work or self-employment because of an injury as a direct result of the disaster.
• Became the breadwinner or major support of a household because of the death of the head of household.
Individuals can apply for DUA at www.FloridaJobs.org or by calling 1-800-385-3920. Eligible claimants may also receive in-person assistance in applying for DUA at CareerSource Broward located at 2890 W. Cypress Creek Rd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Eastern Time, to assist claimants. For DUA claims information, call 1-833-FL-APPLY (1-833-352-7759) to speak to a customer service representative.
OHIO – Online Services
Ohio employers may have received a notification from the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services (ODJFS) about the availability of several online services to help employers manage their unemployment program. Employers do not need to take any actions outlined in the letter. Thomas & Company currently communicates with ODJFS through the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) on your behalf. The other systems mentioned, SIDES e-response and Ohio Job Insurance (OJI), are tools designed for individual employers who do not use a TPA and have a small volume of claims.
FRAUD WATCH
Thomas & Company continually monitors new unemployment claims for fraud, and we have seen an increase in fraud cases primarily in the state of Colorado over the past month. Last week CO posted a notification on their website that reads:
“CDLE is experiencing an uptick in fraudulent attempts to gain access to Unemployment Insurance benefits. Fraudsters are attempting to hijack existing claims and file new fraudulent claims for people not already in the system. If you receive an email asking you to reset your password, please ignore this message and follow these instructions:
IF YOU ARE NOT A UI CLAIMANT: Please fill out a fraud reporting form on our website. If your employer notifies you that someone has filed a claim on your behalf, please have them also fill out a fraud form.
CURRENT CLAIMANTS should ignore the email and log in to their MyUI+ account from the official UI website, in order to verify that your information (contact, banking, payments, etc.) is correct.
If you are able to log in and all your information is correct, no further action is necessary.
If you log in to your account and your information has been altered, please update the information and then reset your password. If you notice that a payment has gone to an account that is not yours, please fill out a fraud form on our website*. If you are NOT able to log in to your account, please fill out a fraud report on our website (instructions below)*.
*Please note that if you fill out a fraud report, you may be temporarily locked out of your account while we investigate the issue.”
We encourage our clients to remain vigilant about potential identity theft fraud cases in all states. If you receive an unemployment claim for an individual and you do not have separation information, we urge you to contact their manager or the individual directly to verify that the claim is valid. If the individual did not file for benefits, please report this to Thomas & Company so we can notify the state. You can provide the impacted individual with information on steps they should take by sharing this article Identity Theft Fraud: Recommended Actions.
