Insights & Updates

Practical Unemployment Insurance Guidance for Employers

Explore timely industry updates and practical guidance from UTCA’s experienced team. Our articles help employers understand unemployment insurance developments, strengthen claims and tax processes, reduce avoidable exposure and make more informed workforce and financial decisions.

More Weeks, More Charges and the $600 Question

As employers continue to navigate through the Covid-19 pandemic, the CARES Act has provided a tremendous amount of optimism. UTCA has been diligently providing insight to clients, non-clients, human resources and industry associations as they all pose their unique...

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UI & The CARES Act

3-30-20 The CARES Act is now Law. The challenge of implementing the Unemployment related provisions to make payments is now beginning for the federal and state governments as the expectation is it is implemented quickly. The additional COVID-19 related payments are...

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UI Phone Hearings and Coronavirus – Temporary or New Norm?

We’ve seen state unemployment agencies transition to phone hearings as opposed to “live” or in-person hearings, for some time now. Amidst the COVID-19 scare and social distancing guidelines, states such as Massachusetts have limited the format to telephone-only. While...

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Massachusetts Hikes Unemployent Tax Rates Again!

Despite a relatively healthy UI trust fund, and national trends lowering UI tax rates, the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance has confirmed that Tax Rate Schedule “E” will officially be enacted as of January 1, 2019. This schedule will effectively...

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Paying for Permanent Vacations?

Rested :    Relaxed :   Returned to Work :  With the arrival of summer, most of us are enjoying the sunshine, flowers, cool breezes, picnics and those much-anticipated vacations. As employers, we balance the day to day operation around staff rotating through their...

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You Can’t Quit, You’re Fired!

  Every state unemployment agency has the enviable job of determining which separation standard applies when an unemployment claim is filed. Seems like a layup (a little March Madness nod), but often it isn’t so clear. Adjudicators must determine whether a...

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Formal warnings result in huge overpayments

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released their study examining unemployment overpayments on a national level. The study took a very targeted view of states in which claimants are issued formal "warnings" for not meeting their work search...

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Major system reform looming for PA unemployment

      Pennsylvania's unemployment has been a hot topic of discussion in recent weeks. Not in the broad, glowing sense that we are seeing cheery unemployment news covered nationally. While PA is enjoying a decline in their rates of unemployment (4.7...

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