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Paul Toomey Examines Unemployment Fraud Prevention in Forbes Business Council Article

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 17:31:11 GMT

The pandemic not only changed the way we work but also exposed deep fractures in our aging government technology infrastructure. This raises a critical question: Are state unemployment systems ready for the next crisis?

In a recent Forbes Business Council article, Geographic Solutions’ President and Founder, Paul Toomey, examines this issue and explores the post-pandemic push for system modernization. He also delves into how states are transforming fraud risks into opportunities to build a smarter, more secure infrastructure.

Follow the link here to read more!

In The News: Arizona Launches New CACTUS Portal to Streamline Unemployment Benefits

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 20:22:44 GMT

Article first appeared at ABC 15 Arizona

PHOENIX — Arizonans who rely on unemployment benefits now have a new way to manage their claims: the Comprehensive Arizona Claims Tracking Unemployment Insurance System (CACTUS). The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) launched the CACTUS portal on Sunday, September 7.

The online system is designed to make it easier to file for unemployment insurance, track payments, and upload required documents online. DES data shows that, on average, nearly 19,600 people in the state of Arizona receive unemployment benefits weekly.

Congrats to our Partners at Iowa Workforce Development

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 18:32:00 GMT

Congratulations to our partners at Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) for receiving the 2024 Full Employment Award! Their innovative Reemployment Case Management (RCM) program, which is Powered by Geographic Solutions’ Reemployment Exchange (REX) software solution, has significantly reduced unemployment claim durations, saved over $350 million in taxpayer funds, and positively impacted countless lives.

We take great pride in our partnership with IWD and are beyond thrilled to celebrate this impressive milestone with them. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to drive positive outcomes that not only benefit the state but also individuals searching for unemployment assistance and job opportunities.

Follow the link to this news article from Corridor Business Journal to learn more.

Pennsylvania Department Of Labor & Industry Modernizes Their Unemployment Compensation System

Fri, 18 Jun 2021 15:06:00 GMT

HARRISBURG, PA/PALM HARBOR, FL – (June 18, 2021) Geographic Solutions, in partnership with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is proud to announce a new, web-based unemployment compensation system known simply as the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation System (benefits.uc.pa.gov). This project was a significant undertaking which sought to modernize Pennsylvania’s 40-year-old mainframe system. The new site, which is the country’s second largest modernized UI system, was launched for public use on June 8, 2021.

"Pennsylvania's Unemployment Compensation system took a giant leap forward, not just in terms of technology, but in the quality of service we are able to provide," said PA Department of Labor & Industry (L&I;) Acting Secretary Jennifer Berrier.

Participation in the new Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation (UC) system was quickly realized. During the first day the system was available for public use, more than 75,000 individuals successfully filed more than 141,000 claim weeks totaling over $59 million in benefits according to L&I.; Further highlighting the site’s public acceptance, it only took eight days to match the same number of unique users who were filing claims on the state’s legacy system.

“To put this into context,” said Acting Secretary Berrier, “the same number of people who have accessed the new system within the [first] 12 hours exceeds the same number of people who would have accessed the mainframe in an entire week pre-pandemic.”

The new system is designed to simplify and speed up the unemployment insurance claims process. Individuals filing claims and employers responding to claims are able to easily communicate with agency staff, upload documents, and have access to more self-service options to reduce the need to contact customer service. On the backend, Pennsylvania UC staff will utilize a streamlined claims process for the Commonwealth. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) will continue to be captured and handled through Pennsylvania's Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Portal (pua.benefits.uc.pa.gov).

For more information regarding the Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation System, please email news@geosolinc.com.

Geographic Solutions is the nation’s leading provider of software solutions for workforce development, unemployment insurance, economic development, human services, corrections, labor market information, and education and training providers. The company has developed state-of-the-art systems for employment and workforce development agencies for more than 35 states and U.S. territories. Geographic Solutions’ software is currently being utilized by over 1,200 American Job Centers to serve more than 194 million individuals—reaching over 75% of the job seekers and employers in the country. For more information, visit www.geographicsolutions.com or call 727-786-7955.

New, Modernized Pennsylvania Unemployment Compensation System To Launch In June

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 11:46:00 GMT

Article first appeared at The Morning Call

After a year of frustration over long waits for checks, jammed phone lines and confusing online filing procedures, Pennsylvania's Department of Labor and Industry is promising a much quicker and easier unemployment compensation claims filing system in two months.

The new system, scheduled to launch June 8, is based on what the department said Thursday is modern software to replace an "obsolete 40-year-old mainframe legacy system."

The new online system "looks and functions like a modern website, unlike our current one," acting Labor and Industry Secretary Jennifer Berrier told reporters in a news conference. It is more intuitive and easier to use on a tablet or mobile phone, she said.

Read the entire article by visiting The Morning Call online.

Geographic Solutions Announces Hire Of New Director Of UI Development

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 20:34:00 GMT

PALM HARBOR, FL (April 26, 2021) – Geographic Solutions, the nation’s leading provider of software solutions for workforce development, unemployment processing and labor market information, has named Evan Stevens as its Director of UI Development. He brings 18 years of software development, architecture, analysis, project management, and technical integration in Enterprise applications to the company.

“Evan will provide leadership and guidance in best practices, process development, and conversion activities for unemployment and workforce projects,” said Paul Toomey, president and founder of Geographic Solutions.

Before joining Geographic Solutions, Stevens served as the Vice President of Technology at Chargebacks911 where he led a large team of developers working with worldwide merchants and financial banking institutions to build chargeback management solutions. Prior to that, Stevens was the Director of Client Systems Engineering for Visa Inc., responsible for a team of developers and contractors developing applications aimed at strengthening relationships between Visa and its financial partners.

“I’m excited to be a part of an organization that facilitates assistance for millions of Americans affected by unemployment, especially during the pandemic,” said Stevens. “Geographic Solutions has a demonstrated legacy of providing award-winning solutions for State and Federal workforce programs. I’m honored to be joining the team.”

Stevens earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Brigham Young University, and holds several IT certifications from Aspect Security and Adobe.
Geographic Solutions is excited to welcome Evan Stevens to the team and is committed to supporting unemployment and reemployment solutions across the country.

Geographic Solutions Announces Hire Of New Business Development Executive For Unemployment Insurance

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 18:14:00 GMT

PALM HARBOR, FL (January 22, 2021) – Geographic Solutions is pleased to announce the recent hiring of Magnus D. Hines III, the organization’s newest Business Development Executive for Unemployment Insurance. Hines earned a Juris Doctorate from the Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, FL, and he is a member in good standing of the Florida State Bar. He brings a wealth of experience to the company’s Marketing Department, including an extensive background in the workforce and unemployment sectors within Florida’s state government.

Prior to joining Geographic Solutions, Hines worked with the Department of Economic Opportunity’s Office of Reemployment Assistance as Deputy Director where he managed a $90 million budget and 700 employees statewide. In that role, he increased performance in key federal measures by 50%. Hines has a breadth of knowledge and real-world experience navigating the workforce and unemployment domains.

In his new role with Geographic Solutions, Hines will focus on developing new relationships with labor agencies across the United States while nurturing current clients and marketing the Geographic Solutions Unemployment System (GUS) solution, a Custom-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) solution that encourages rapid reemployment, helps reduce the depletion rate for the UI trust funds, and assists in decreasing tax rates.

"It is exciting to work for Geographic Solutions after seeing the great work they do to assist the Florida workforce system from the perspective of the state government for so many years,” says Hines. “I'm happy to be able to extend those high quality values to other states with the Geographic Solutions Unemployment System."

Geographic Solutions is excited to welcome Magnus D. Hines III to the team and is committed to supporting unemployment and reemployment solutions across the country with our information and technology.

For more information, please contact: Deane Toler, Director of Sales and Marketing for Geographic Solutions, Inc. at DToler@geosolinc.com or at (727)-786-7955. To reach Magnus D. Hines III directly to discuss unemployment solutions, please call (727)-786-7955 or email mhines@geosolinc.com.

At Least 5 States Start Paying $300 Unemployment Boost

Fri, 28 Aug 2020 20:10:00 GMT

At least five states have begun paying out a federal boost to weekly unemployment benefits. Others have signaled they’ll do so within days.

Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas are the first states to disburse the aid, a $300-a-week increase in jobless benefits. (States could choose to kick in an additional $100 a week, but most have opted against it.)

It’s been nearly three weeks since President Trump signed an executive measure creating the Lost Wages Assistance program.

Read the full article at www.cnbc.com.

Geographic Solutions’ Unemployment Insurance Software Reaches Record High Of $30 Billion Year-To-Date Payments

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 20:42:00 GMT

PALM HARBOR, FL (August 4, 2020) – As the world changes in ways never anticipated, Geographic Solutions, a software development firm who specializes in large-scale workforce development and unemployment insurance systems, has stayed in sync with the rapidly shifting needs of the modern world. As of August 5, 2020, the company has processed and distributed a combined, historic $30.1 billion and counting (year to date) in unemployment compensation payments for clients across eleven states and U.S. territories.

The record peak in payments is comprised of traditional unemployment claims, expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Insurance claims, and $600 stimulus stipends, which ended on July 25, 2020, distributed as part of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program. Batch compensations are uploaded nightly as an Automated Clearing House (ACH) file transfer to be paid out in the form of bank direct deposits, debit cards, and printed checks. The most widely-used method of payment for claimants is direct deposit.

Weekly certification claims are accepted seven days a week on all of Geographic Solutions’ unemployment compensation systems, however most individuals who file their certifications do so on Sunday or Monday of each week – with the number of claims steadily decreasing as the week progresses. Payment transfers are processed each night. So for example, individuals who enter their weekly certifications on Sunday should receive a processed payment by Monday night. For more information regarding filing initial and weekly claims, check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

As the nation tries to stabilize the public health crisis, many companies large and small were forced to close, furlough workers, or eliminate positions all together. As a result, many states and territories struggled to alleviate traffic bottlenecks on unemployment insurance websites, handle the intake of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims, and the distribute benefits in a timely manner. Guided by Geographic Solutions’ around-the-clock support, our clients have been able to handle the new workload, highlighting their systems’ flexibility, resilience, and reliability.

For media inquiries or more information email news@geosolinc.com.

Geographic Solutions is the leading provider of integrated software for state and local workforce agencies in over 30 states and U.S. territories. The company’s custom online solutions manage all federally-funded workforce and unemployment programs and have been designed specifically to meet the diverse needs of American Job Centers, unemployment insurance and economic development agencies, corrections facilities, and educational institutions. For more information, visit www.geographicsolutions.com.

Over 522,000 Louisiana Residents Have Received Unemployment Benefits Since Pandemic Started

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 19:31:00 GMT

View the original video and article at www.wbrz.com.

The U.S. jobless rate dropped to 13.3 percent in May, down from a record high in April. As the state moves into Phase Two of reopening, the Louisiana Workforce Commission says the unemployment numbers are also down in Louisiana, but new claims are still being made.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission says it's paid $2.5 billion to over 522,000 Louisiana residents who filed for unemployment from March 21 to now.

As the LWC continues to navigate record unemployment claims, it's added another role to the mix. The LWC is working to adjudicate claims from employers who say employees are not returning to work. A form on the state's website says employees must file a claim, and in return the employee must explain to the LWC why they're choosing not to return to work. Each case is being looked into.

"That's our new challenge, we have to train adjudicators," Wooley said. "The employee may have a legitimate reason for refusing work. It's not cut and dry. Each side gives a reason and we adjudicate each one."

Guam's Governor Announces Unemployment Programs Open For Applications

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 19:26:00 GMT

This story originally appears on www.postguam.com.

Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero announced Guam's federally funded unemployment aid programs have been launched.

Those residents financially effected by the pandemic are now able to file for unemployment benefits.

Guam Labor Director David Dell'Isolla counsels patience as the more than 22,000 residents file jobless claims. Residents without a computer with an internet connection may visit their mayoral offices for assistance in filing.

Guam Labor contracted Florida-based Geographic Solutions for the computer system that runs the unemployment benefits program, which is integrated in www.hireguam.com. The software is key to the local rollout of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation programs.

The U.S. Department of Labor released an initial allotment of $276 million to Guam Labor.

VIDEO: How To File For Unemployment Insurance In Louisiana Amid The COVID-19 Crisis

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 16:38:00 GMT

This story first appeared at WDSU.com.

NEW ORLEANS - The Louisiana Workforce Commission has released a video that will help residents navigate the process of filing for unemployment amid the COVID-19 health crisis.

Businesses across the state, including those who employ the service industry, have either had to cut their workforce or close their doors because of efforts by Louisiana to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Schools have been shut down, bars and clubs have been shuttered, and restaurants are restricted to only serving takeout or delivery orders. The service industry has been significantly impacted with these shutdowns because employers can no longer rely on the tourism industry to keep their businesses going.

Please view this five-minute-long video to find out how you can file for unemployment insurance in Louisiana. The video outlines how to create an account, and enter personal and employment information.