Unemployment Cost Containment

Monday, September 06, 2010

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Penser has developed an aggressive and very effective cost containment program to assist employers in lowering their unemployment tax rate and thus their unemployment taxes. The average Penser unemployment customer has enjoyed a reduction of between 35%- 40% in their unemployment tax rate. Some employers have seen tax rate reductions up to 85%. These large percentage decreases in tax rate have lead to very significant unemployment tax bill savings for our customers.

Penser’s unemployment cost containment program is divided up into the following two phases:

Setup Phase

The initial phase includes the setting up of Penser's cost containment program. To set up the program, Penser analyzes loss information and meets with the employer's management staff. This allows Penser to best integrate our loss control efforts into any existing programs already in place with each individual company. The following are the steps involved with the setup:

Penser will evaluate current records with Employment Security to determine any adverse trends that are affecting the companies and their current unemployment rates.

Unemployment Cost Containment

Self Insurance Claim Administration

Self Insurance Certification Services

State Fund Services

Loss Control Services

Education & Training

Background Checks/Pre-employment

Group Retro Programs

	Penser will review the records with each employer's managerial staff so that appropriate goals can be established.
	Penser will conduct educational seminars and workshops with each company. Attendance is recommended for all management, supervisors, and human resources personnel. The seminars will explain Penser's services, review the established goals, teach basic cost control techniques, and discuss how the management staff can best interact with Penser to make the cost containment program most effective. The workshop is also designed to help educate management on how to properly discharge employees, document the separation, and make sure that all information is funneled through Penser.
	Penser will review your company’s policy and procedures manual and make suggested alterations to keep the company in compliance with the ever-changing government regulations being placed upon employers. If a company does not have a policy and procedures manual we will develop, or assist them in developing a manual that will fit the companies’ individual needs. We can also develop a drug and alcohol policy for the members when required.
	Penser will meet with appropriate office personnel to collect current unemployment claims information and determine what action is best for those claims.

Claims Management Phase

This includes the ongoing services, which Penser provides on a day to day basis. We ensures that all claims are handled in an equitable manner as cost effectively as possible by eliminating claimant abuse and unnecessary expenses. To do so Penser will:

	Facilitate all claims filed with the Department of Employment Security. Penser will handle all data and material necessary for the proper adjudication of the claims in a timely fashion. This will be coordinated with your office personnel.
	Review all unemployment claims filed and determine upon conferring with the employer whether or not a claim will be protested.
	Track employees for 3 years after they have left your employment and request relief from benefits charges on all claims where the employee quit, or was discharged, and was then laid of f from his or her following employer.
	Handle all protests and appeals and provide representation on all appealed cases with the Office of Administrative Hearings.
	Correspond and deal directly with claimants’ representatives, Employment Security, claimants, the employer or other parties involved with the claim.
	Review each employer's quarterly reports to check for claims charging errors made by Employment Security and correct any errors made.
	Send out formal job offers to employees and make sure that any employee who does not come back to work when asked, has their unemployment benefits terminated.
	Provide any and all claims management procedures necessary to successfully manage the claim from the date the claim is filed, to the date the claim closes or is rejected.
	Make a quarterly comparison of every claimant's wages to their unemployment benefits to make sure that claimants were not overpaid unemployment benefits.
	Anytime possible, compare unemployment records to those as Labor and Industries to ensure that claimants are not receiving both unemployment and workers' compensation benefits at the same time.
	Provide annual actuarial studies, or as often as needed, to review the dollars saved and decide what could be done to increase savings.
	Provide surveillance and investigations on possible fraudulent unemployment claims.
	Provide ongoing on-site training for supervisors, including new hires, regarding employee management and Penser’s services.

To obtain more information about our unemployment cost containment program please contact an unemployment representative at unemployment@pensernorthamerica.com, or call Phil at 360-455-4128 x103.