1. LWC AND EMPLOYERS WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE UI PROGRAM
National UI Directors’ Conference & IT/Legal Issues Forum
October 3 – 6, 2016
New Orleans, Louisiana

2. OFFICE OF EMPLOYER OUTREACH
Mission: To serve as the primary point for contact between the Louisiana Workforce Commission’s Office of Unemployment Insurance and the business community.
Strengthen lines of communication
Conduct focus groups
Heighten awareness
Develop stronger partnerships
Presentation Topics
Critical issues facing business community
LWC/UI resources, policies and programs
Employers responses to claims filed and the appeal process
Controlling UI Tax rate
System and process education

3. OFFICE OF EMPLOYER OUTREACH
Audiences
Business Representative Organizations
LA Association of Independent Accounts
LA Small Business Development Centers
Chambers of Commerce
Accounting Software Companies
Independent Businesses
SHRMs
TPAs
PEOs
Partnerships
LWC’s Offices of Workforce Development and Workers Compensation
USDOL Wage and Hour Division
Department of Economic Development

4. EMPLOYER MESSAGING Mass Emails Targeted Emails Direct Mail
Industry Literature and Publications
Websites
LWC
Business Partners

5. EMPLOYER ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES
Employer Call Center
Business issue resolution
Daily feedback on interactive systems
Average 5,000 calls per month
Average hold time 2 minutes
Average handling time 5 minutes
Louisiana CPA Society
Annual meeting
UI Advisory Committee
Established to provide the UI Director with recommendations from employers’ perspective to support continuous improvement of the UI system and advise regarding ongoing reform initiatives. This includes feedback on proposed legislation.
10 members consisting of owners, representatives and personnel from Louisiana businesses

6. SUCCESSES Employer Wage and Tax Portal Interactive Status Report
Internal
Partnership with Louisiana Department of Revenue and Secretary of State (GeauxBiz)
Interactive Report of Change
Eliminated 10,000 work items per year
Real time employer account changes
24 hour turnaround for any analyst intervention
New Required Data Elements on Quarterly Reports
Nominal hourly wage
SOC/job title

7. SPECIALIZED ISSUE RESOLUTION
Guidance and assistance
One on one education and training
Employer beta testers
Employer “early adopters”

8. COUSHATTA CASINO RESORT
A Louisiana premier casino resort. Opened in 1995, Coushatta Casino Resort employs 2,500 people and remains an integral part of the area's economy.

9. THE COUSHATTA/LWC EXPERIENCE
Timeline
October/November communication issues
November – contacted LWC
February 2016 – LWC begins customized assessment of employer account
March – BETA tester of Employer Services portal
May 5 – “Early Adopter” of Employer Services portal - conducting business in production
May 17 – personalized training provided for Employer Services portal
Our experience with LWC and Employer Services portal

10. COUSHATTA METRICS

11. CONTACTS RICKY MASARACCHIA, UI DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Louisiana Workforce Commission
1001 North 23rd Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
phone:
SEHOKE BORDELON, ASSOCIATE RELATIONS COORDINATOR
Coushatta Casino Resort
777 Coushatta Drive
Kinder, LA 70648
phone: