DEO on Legislative Hot Seat
November 5th, 2013 by flanewsThe agency that handles unemployment claims is on the hot seat before three legislative committees this week. The agency has had trouble answering calls and processing claims since it unveiled a new computer system three weeks ago, and although getting better, the problems are likely to persist for weeks.
Since launching a new unemployment compensation computer system October 15th, the Department of Economic Opportunity has gone from answering about one in three calls to its trouble shooing hot line to just over half the calls coming in. The problems processing claims is making lawmakers impatient. “Director we spent a lot of money to achieve basically almost the same results as a 30 year old system and people are upset,” says Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater.
Contractor Deloitte told the House committee that Florida poised unique problems because of fifteen hundred special requirements. “We’re catching half of the cost, more or less, in week three, is that correct?” Asked Rep. Ed Hooper.
“That’s what depicted on this slide, yes sir,” said Jennifer Blume, Senior VP Deloitte.
“That is not uniquely improved. That’s substandard at best,” says Rep. Ed Hooper.
Lawmakers did not get the whole story. The agency inadvertently leaked social security numbers for about four dozen people.
Executive Director Jesse Panuccio called it a technical glitch that has been fixed. “That’s something in the computer system was encoded incorrectly and resulted in an inverted disclosure,” says Jesse Panuccio, DEO Exec. Dir.
In 2012 the agency assessed a four and half million dollar penalty against Deloitte, it says fines remain an option going forward.
Last week the agency got just over 132 thousand unique calls about problems. By the agencies own numbers 63 thousand went unanswered.
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