Report 2020-128/628.1 Recommendation 6 Responses

Report 2020-128/628.1: Employment Development Department: EDD's Poor Planning and Ineffective Management Left It Unprepared to Assist Californians Unemployed by COVID‑19 Shutdowns (Release Date: January 2021)

Recommendation #6 To: Employment Development Department

To ensure its ability to respond in a timely fashion to fluctuations in its workload, EDD should immediately begin modeling workload projections that account for possible scenarios that would cause a spike in UI claims. EDD should plan its staffing around the likelihood of those scenarios, including having a contingency plan for less likely scenarios that would have a significant impact on its workload.

The Employment Development Department's Unemployment Insurance Command Center Division (UICCD) has developed a method for modeling workload projections and creating "What If Scenarios" for its phone and off-phone workloads as it relates to managing workloads, including the potential of increases to UI claim volumes. Additionally, the UICCD has developed options for meeting increased workload demands, as well as, an approach to centralization and management of UI workloads at an enterprise level for the optimization of workload forecasting and workload management activities.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Fully Implemented

EDD has developed a method for modeling workload projections that accounts for possible scenarios that would cause a spike in UI claims as well as having a plan for how it will address spikes in the workload that are associated with a rise in claims. Further, EDD has modeled the likely number of claims it will receive in the future and is continuing to refine its estimations of the level of work it will need to conduct to process those claims. EDD provided evidence that it is monitoring workload levels to review where it is assigning staff. It will remain critically important for EDD to continue applying these approaches to projecting and monitoring its workload and also to continue to refine its approach as its operations change over time.

The Employment Development Department's Unemployment Insurance Command Center Division (UICCD) completed the recruitment for the Workload Forecasting Unit which includes one first-level manager and three professional analysts. The UICCD continues to work with the vendor, Eventus, to develop workload forecast models and "what if" scenarios utilizing the NiCE IEX system. As a part of the Modeling Workload Projections workload plan provided by the UICCD, the UICCD continues to implement Phase I (Short-Term) workload management, workload forecasting, and the centralization of claim filing workloads at an enterprise level.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Pending

In January 2021, the Employment Development Department (EDD) established the Unemployment Insurance Command Center Division (UICCD). The UICCD is developing a workload forecasting and workload modeling plan to address incoming workload volumes, existing backlogs, and a workload management plan to centralize and manage UI Branch workload activities. The development of the workload projection and workload management plan work in tandem and will be implemented in a phased approach; and will be a "living" document for sustainable business operations. In May 2021, the UICCD hired a first-level manager to lead the Workload Forecasting Unit and the recruitment process has begun for five professional analysts. The UICCD anticipates completing hiring activities for the Workload Forecasting Unit by September 2021. The Workload Forecasting Unit functions include analyzing actual and forecasting data outcomes and data models; developing and managing Service Level Agreements, and key performance indicators; analyzing workload levels and trends; and historical trend analysis.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Pending

The EDD has begun the process of discussing the approach to modeling workload projections and associated staffing levels to account for the fluctuations in workload levels. The EDD has begun reviewing existing documentation and historical data metrics in order to develop workload projections based on key leading indicators. The EDD is in the process of outlining a workload forecasting plan to ensure it accounts for a variety of different situations and circumstances to proactively manage workload levels in an effective and efficient manner. In addition, with the formation of the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Command Center Division, the division is in the process of hiring and recruiting staff to assist and manage workload projections long term.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2020-128/628.1

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.