Press releases from Geographic Solutions and news about our clients' sites
PALM HARBOR, FL (April 27, 2020) – As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, our economy is experiencing an unprecedented record number of Americans filing first-time jobless claims. Geographic Solutions, a software development firm who specializes in large-scale workforce development and unemployment insurance systems, has processed and distributed a combined, historic $1.284 billion and counting (year to date) in unemployment compensation payments for clients in Louisiana, Tennessee, and Nebraska.
Prior to the pandemic, the Louisiana HiRE unemployment insurance system would process $1.4 Million in claims on an average Monday. To put the influx of compensation payments into perspective, on Monday, April 20, Louisiana’s system processed $205.6 million in claims – providing assistance to close to 220,000 out-of-work individuals. Throughout the remainder of the week, the system processed another $424.3 Million in claims for nearly 778,000 individuals. In total for the business week of April 20-24, the system handled $630, 009,746 in payments to 997,403 individuals.
In comparison, the JOBS4TN system processed $550,164,678 in claim payments, offering assistance to 821,191 individuals during the week of April 20-24. Nebraska’s NEworks system followed suit in third place, processing $103,894,609 during that same week for 147,518 claimants.
The record peak in payments across the three states is comprised of traditional unemployment claims, expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Insurance claims, and $600 stimulus stipends 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.
With the nation unable to stabilize the public health crisis, many companies large and small have no option but to temporarily close, furlough workers, or eliminate positions all together. As a result, many states across the country struggle to alleviate traffic bottlenecks on unemployment insurance websites, handle the intake of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims, and the distribution of benefits in a timely manner. Guided by Geographic Solutions’ around-the-clock support, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Nebraska have been able to handle the upswing in traffic, highlighting their systems’ flexibility, resilience, and reliability.