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Accelerating the resolution of an unemployment insurance backlog

Key takeaways

Maximus helped a state UI agency process more than 3.6 million unemployment insurance claims in eight months, clearing a significant backlog ahead of schedule. Our scalable, self-sufficient operations preserved program integrity, improved the claimant experience, and enabled agency staff to focus on complex cases.

Related topics

Contact Centers Case Management State-Local Government Modernization

Support across workload functions

During an unprecedented surge in unemployment insurance (UI) claims, a large state UI agency faced a backlog of more than 5.7 million uncompleted program tasks. The agency needed a vendor that could provide more than just additional staff. They required a proven partner to integrate quickly, operate independently, and deliver results — without burdening state resources.

Maximus answered the call, supporting the agency across critical UI workload functions: from administrative fact-finding and documentation to employer protest resolution and benefit audit reviews.

We supported the agency in processing over 3.6 million claims in eight months, helping to reduce the backlog one month ahead of schedule — while maintaining program integrity and enhancing the claimant experience. This support allowed agency staff to focus on more complex and urgent tasks, helping resolve issues more quickly and avoid additional backlog growth.

 

Challenge

The agency had more than 5.7 million unworked, system-generated tasks related to program eligibility issues, employer protests, retroactive benefit audits, and other workload functions. Aware of the growing backlog’s impact on claimant service, program operations, and program integrity, the agency needed a flexible model to address the unworked volume. Facing a large but finite workload with an urgent need for additional capacity, the agency sought a partner that could:

  • Integrate quickly into a blended workforce model
  • Rapidly scale operations
  • Operate independently without drawing on state resources
  • Deliver high-quality, accurate work
  • Scale down quickly as the backlog was addressed

 

Solution

Maximus provided scalable administrative claims support through a blended workforce model designed to add capacity quickly without adding unnecessary demands on agency resources.

  • Rapid implementation: Within weeks, we hired and trained hundreds of staff, ramping up to a workforce of over 3,000 within 6 months and launching operations for 10 unique workstreams.
  • Fact-finding and adjudication support: Our teams gathered facts, interviewed claimants and employers, and prepared eligibility recommendations for agency staff to review.
  • Self-sufficient operations: Our agent support and operations teams resolved more than 70% of technical issues without involvement from state IT resources, reducing the burden on state resources and improving efficiency.

 

Results

In a matter of months, Maximus cleared the backlog of millions of items across multiple queues, including claims process tasks, employer protests, and deferred determinations.

We helped the agency rapidly expand capacity across multiple workstreams. Our fact-finding and documentation support freed agency staff to focus on determinations, more than doubling the number they could process per hour.

Claimants benefited from faster resolutions and fewer delays, while the state preserved program integrity and avoided further backlog growth.

How we did it

Our support helped streamline the weekly claims process. When the system flagged an inconsistency in a case — such as a claimant indicating they did not meet the work requirements for a particular week but attached supporting documents — we reviewed the information and followed up with the claimant. We then noted and corrected the error in the system, allowing the claimant’s case to move on and avoiding a lengthy back-and-forth adjudication process that has burdened so many UI programs.

We also served as a force multiplier for agency claims examiners, helping to resolve issues that affected benefits eligibility. If an employee and employer gave conflicting reasons for the end of employment, we interviewed both parties and collected supporting documentation. We documented our findings with the original benefits application and prepared an eligibility recommendation for agency review. With our support, the agency significantly increased throughput and reduced delays during a period of unprecedented volume.

With a blended workforce, the state used contracted support to address administrative backlogs across multiple workstreams while allowing state staff to focus on priority and complex work. The model demonstrates how agencies can rapidly expand administrative capacity to respond to seasonal demand, economic shifts, disasters, modernization efforts, or other temporary workload pressures without building permanent capacity for peak demand.

The Maximus difference

We demonstrated how a blended workforce model can rapidly expand administrative capacity while preserving program integrity and compliance with merit staffing requirements. By integrating quickly, operating independently, and resolving millions of deferred tasks across multiple UI workstreams, we enabled the agency to accelerate eligibility reviews, reduce delays, and avoid further backlog growth.

The project built on our broader experience supporting UI contact center surges, specialized benefit programs, and other time-sensitive unemployment insurance operations.

As a trusted and experienced partner capable of scaling quickly, maintaining high quality, and adapting to evolving program needs, Maximus offers a flexible support model that can help state agencies add capacity when and where it is needed, while allowing state staff to remain focused on complex work and core program priorities.

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