DELAWARE – Corrected Tax Rate Notices
In January, Thomas & Company shared news regarding an error discovered by the Delaware Division of Unemployment associated with an undisclosed number of Employer Tax Rate Notifications. The department has since corrected any applicable errors and reissued rate notices to all employers. Thomas & Company has begun receiving these notices and will be reviewing and auditing as they come in. If you have any questions about any of your tax rate notices, do not hesitate to reach out to your dedicated UI Tax Analyst!
HAWAII – Benefit Charge Relief Ending
Effective February 11, the non-charge provision put into place in Maui County after the devastating wildfires will be coming to an end. Benefit chargeability will transition back to being determined by the determination outcome (charge vs noncharge). Claims filed prior to February 11 and were non-charged will remain as such, unless a redetermination is necessary.
SOUTH CAROLINA – Legislative Update
Following many other states, the South Carolina House has passed bill 4710 which calls for the indexing of unemployment benefit duration based on the seasonally adjusted statewide unemployment rate. Benefit duration would range from 12 weeks (Unemployment rate ≤ 5.5%) to 20 weeks (Unemployment rate > 9%).
The bill will now be taken up by the South Carolina Senate. If passed, it will be sent to Governor Henry McMaster’s desk for signature.
TENNESSEE – Scheduled System Downtime, System Transition
The Tennessee Department of Labor announced that their website, Jobs4TN, will be down through February 20 as they transition to a new system. On February 20, a new unemployment benefits and appeals system will go live. After this transition, employers will have two separate accounts – an employer e-services account for unemployment and a business/recruiting e-services account for business tasks.
Please note: Thomas & Company partner employers will not need to utilize the employer e-services account for unemployment as we handle all relevant items on your behalf.
WASHINGTON – Legislative Update
Washington has now become the most recent state to introduce bills to provide striking workers conditional access to unemployment benefits. Companion bills House Bill 1893 and Senate Bill 5777 would strike a provision from current law that prohibits striking workers from collecting unemployment benefits. The House bill passed on February 13 with several amendments, including a four-week limit on benefits for these workers and the addition of language that places the burden of these benefits onto the involved employer (as opposed to across employers through the general UI system).
If passed by the Senate and signed by Governor Inslee, Washington would join New Jersey and New York in allowing striking workers access to unemployment. An attempt earlier this year to add California to this list failed as it was vetoed by Governor Newsom.
WASHINGTON, DC – New Unemployment Benefits System Unveiled
The District of Columbia Department of Employment Services (DOES) recently launched a new Unemployment Benefits System. According to its press release, the new system will streamline the application process while making it more secure and ensuring faster payment of benefits. Benefits will now be managed through a modern, single system portal which will allow claimants and employers access to:
• Submit and request documents, including 1099 forms
• File new claims and check the status of pending items
• Communicate with state benefits representatives
• Access and manage claims from mobile devices
Washington, DC will also add itself to a growing number of states that require claimants to verify their identity through ID.me.
