Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) announced June 2 that the Kansas Department of Labor (KDL) has started what it describes as its effort to modernize the state’s unemployment insurance system. Kelly said the project will take 26 months and cost roughly $48 million.
The KDL previously announced April 5 that the state chose to contract with Tata Consultancy Services to update the current IT system for processing unemployment insurance claims, but the budget and timeline for the project were not known at the time of the announcement.
Kelly said the state will regularly update the KDL website with progress reports related to the project. For more information, click here.
Kansas launched its existing unemployment insurance IT system in the 1970s.
Unemployment insurance is a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.
The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.
For more information on Kansas’ unemployment insurance program, click here. For information about unemployment insurance programs across the country, click here.
Additional reading:
Learn More
