Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 871 - Workforce Development Department › Chapter 21 - Unemployment Insurance Services Division › Rule 871-21.1 - Unemployment Insurance Services Division

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
The primary responsibility of the unemployment insurance services
				division is to administer the provisions of the Iowa employment security law and
				related federal programs in accordance with pertinent laws, regulations, and
				policies. Attorneys who report to the administrator of the unemployment insurance
				services division perform the legal services for the division pursuant to Iowa
				Code section 96.17, which empowers the division
				to employ attorneys to represent it and give advice on all matters coming before
				it in conjunction with the administration of Iowa Code chapter 96. The division
				administers the payment of job insurance benefits to eligible individuals,
				determines which employers are subject to the state and federal laws enacted in
				this area, supervises the collection of taxes from these employers, and oversees
				a program to control the quality of benefit payment and revenue collection. These
				functions are performed by the following bureaus:
(1)
Benefits bureau.
The
			 benefits bureau determines the eligibility of individuals claiming unemployment
			 insurance. In addition, the bureau also processes unemployment compensation for
			 federal employees (UCFE), unemployment insurance for ex-service members (UCX),
			 claims for trade readjustment assistance (TRA), voluntary shared work (VSW), and
			 disaster unemployment assistance (DUA). It is also responsible for payments of
			 other special federal unemployment insurance benefits as agreed to by the United
			 States Department of Labor and the state of Iowa.
a. The bureau is responsible for screening all
			 employer protests and investigates all labor dispute protests and issues
			 appropriate decisions. This bureau determines individuals' eligibility on
			 disputed claims for unemployment insurance benefits based on Iowa employment
			 security law and Iowa administrative rules and issues a determination. The bureau
			 reviews decisions that determine which employers will receive charges on claims
			 for unemployment insurance benefits and investigates claims for missing wages.
			 The bureau performs fact-finding interviews with claimants and employers to
			 resolve issues discovered by recording the responses the claimant provides to
			 questions asked in the weekly continued claim certification process. The bureau
			 issues supplemental benefit payments due to misreported earnings or eligibility
			 disqualifications. It also responds to communications involving technical matters
			 related to unemployment insurance and corrects necessary records and the database
			 due to subsequent appeal decisions which reverse or modify the prior decision
			 issued on a claim.
b. The bureau
			 oversees specials claims for processing, which include claims for UCFE, UCX, TRA,
			 VSW, DUA, and any other federal unemployment insurance programs. The bureau also
			 administers training extension benefits (TEB), alternate base period (ABP),
			 business closing claims, and department-approved training (DAT). The bureau
			 computes and authorizes payments due, maintains needed records, and makes
			 adjustments or redeterminations as applicable. This bureau is also responsible
			 for processing initial interstate claims, assisting claimants in calling in their
			 continued claims for payment, notifying employers of claim filings, processing
			 overpayments and underpayments, adjudicating issues, processing interstate
			 appeals, and processing combined wage claims. The bureau is responsible for all
			 overpayment billing activity that results in an overpayment setup or refund,
			 overpayment decision letter, or overpayment billing notice. The bureau is
			 responsible for overpayment recovery programs, including withholding of Iowa and
			 federal income tax refunds, Iowa lottery prizes, Iowa vendor payments, and the
			 interstate reciprocal overpayment recovery arrangement. The bureau is responsible
			 for the issuance of duplicate benefit payments for lost, stolen, outdated, or
			 returned payments. The bureau authorizes and issues direct deposit transactions,
			 debit cards and special warrants. The bureau verifies financial institution
			 corrections of direct deposit routing and account numbers and updates the
			 database records.
c. The bureau
			 assigns document control information to each paper document, which provides
			 automated electronic workflow routing, document retention criteria, document
			 locating information, and computer updates. The bureau prepares documents and
			 computer records for release to the public under subpoena or waiver provisions
			 and collects record-processing fees.
d. The bureau is responsible for the voluntary
			 income tax withholding program in which state and federal taxes are withheld from
			 unemployment insurance benefits. The bureau is responsible for reporting tax
			 withholdings and taxable unemployment insurance benefits to the Internal Revenue
			 Service, Iowa department of revenue, and claimants.