Executive Snapshot
Industry: Non-Profit
Challenge: A nonprofit with hundreds of locations faced soaring unemployment insurance costs, inconsistent claim handling, and little visibility into what was driving charges.
Solution: Thomas & Company took end-to-end ownership of claims, standardized intake through appeals, reviewed charge statements for errors, and trained leaders to improve documentation and outcomes.
Outcomes:
- 94% claims win rate and 81% hearing win rate
- 80% UI cost decrease after the first full year
- Reduced UI costs from $300,000 to $94,000 in two years (68% decrease)
“The results I’ve seen since partnering with Thomas & Company are unbelievable. We’ve found an effective, consistent and trustworthy partner for all our UI needs — they are truly experts in their field. When unemployment issues arise, I don’t worry anymore, because I know Thomas & Company has our back.”
Director of HR for Retail (Client since June 2013)
Introduction
This regional nonprofit provides mission-driven services and employment opportunities designed to improve economic self-sufficiency and community well-being. With approximately thousands of employees across hundreds of locations serving counties throughout the state, the organization supports a high-volume workforce and retail footprint.
The Challenge
The organization was facing exceptionally high unemployment insurance (UI) costs but could not pinpoint the drivers. Without a streamlined process for handling and responding to claims, key HR and payroll personnel were spending valuable time managing inquiries—while still missing opportunities to protest eligible claims and achieving low win rates on those that were protested.
- No formal process or dedicated owner for managing UI claims
- Low protest rate and inconsistent claim responses
- Limited reporting and tracking to identify patterns and root causes
- No reliable method to identify erroneous charges and pursue reimbursement
- Minimal training for frontline leaders on terminations, documentation, and claim recording
- Administrative burden and stress on key personnel
- No streamlined way to link claim performance to benefits charge statements received by payroll
The Solution
Thomas & Company began with an educational best-practices call tailored for not-for-profit employers, then met with key stakeholders to understand current processes and uncover improvement opportunities. From there, the team implemented an end-to-end unemployment management program, taking ownership of claims and escalating to HR only when additional context or documentation was required.
- Centralized and standardized the claims intake, response, and appeals process
- Protested all eligible claims to increase consistency and improve outcomes
- Reviewed charge statements to identify erroneous charges and pursued credits/reimbursements
- Streamlined administrative work and recordkeeping to strengthen documentation
- Implemented reporting and tracking to connect claims to benefit charge statements and measure performance
- Delivered company-specific manager training on termination practices and claim documentation
- Maintained proactive, open communication between HR, payroll, and the unemployment management team
The Results
- 94% claims win rate
- 81% hearing win rate
- 80% decrease in UI costs after the first full year of service
- Identified erroneous charges and secured credits back to the organization
- Reduced UI costs from $300,000 to $94,000 (a 68% decrease) in two years
The Impact
By putting a structured, repeatable unemployment management process in place, the organization gained visibility into claim drivers, improved outcomes, and reclaimed HR capacity. The result was not only significant cost avoidance, but also a calmer, more controlled UI process that frontline leaders could execute with confidence.
- More efficient use of HR resources through reduced administrative workload
- Structured and formalized UI management process
- Streamlined system to link claims to benefits charge statements
- Improved reporting and tracking capabilities
- Reduced HR workload and stress through consistent ownership and escalation paths
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