Maximus Supporting States in Managing Rising Unemployment Claims Due to COVID-19

- Helping nine states reduce the backlog of unemployment claims in the wake of the global pandemic -

Maximus MMS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that it is augmenting agencies in nine states, including Idaho, Louisiana, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, and Virginia, with remote agents to answer questions, support initial claims processing, and support the adjudication of Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claims.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, record numbers of jobs are being lost causing an unprecedented amount of people to file for unemployment benefits. As a leading partner to states for unemployment insurance programs, Maximus has been tasked to help multiple states by providing additional support for the surge in UI/PUA claims and to increase the speed of handling cases that have inundated state programs and their contact centers.

"Every day, our goal at Maximus is to help citizens connect to the vital services they need from government agencies," said Bruce Caswell, President and CEO, Maximus. "The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a multitude of issues for Americans, including millions who have lost their jobs. Our work with states is focused on ensuring these citizens quickly get access to the benefits they deserve and drastically cutting down on the backlog of unanswered claims."

The impact on states to implement and process applications for PAU, a newly created program, combined with the surge in traditional UI claims were impacting states' ability to process claims in a timely manner while maintaining program integrity. As states move to reopen and citizens resume job searching activities, it is paramount for these programs to keep pace with demand.

"We've been able to assist states by deploying nearly 2,650 work-from-home agents to support unemployment programs since March, with the majority of these programs launched in less than a week," said Caswell. "These efforts were made possible because we were able to launch and scale turnkey, omnichannel citizen engagement through a virtualized platform."

Maximus is providing the following assistance to state agencies:

• Idaho: Assisting the Idaho Department of Labor by answering questions, assisting individuals with their applications, and reducing hold times for callers.
• Louisiana: Supporting the State Workforce Commission by answering residents' questions and assisting them with the UI and PUA application process.
• Rhode Island: Helping to process new internet claims, process filers' payments, and assist with review of claims flagged as needing further inquiry. This allows state agents to focus on fielding inbound calls from citizens.
• South Carolina: Assisting South Carolinians with their applications and questions.
• Vermont: Responding to frequently asked questions and assisting claimants with their applications for UI, PUA, and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).
• Virginia: Maximus recently signed an agreement to augment the Virginia Employment Commission's customer relations office and claims processing division.

To learn more about how Maximus helps governments manage their employment and workforce programs, please visit: maximus.com/supports-and-safety-net.

About Maximus

Since 1975, Maximus has operated under its founding mission of Helping Government Serve the People^®, enabling citizens around the globe to successfully engage with their governments at all levels and across a variety of health and human services programs. Maximus delivers innovative business process management and technology solutions that contribute to improved outcomes for citizens and higher levels of productivity, accuracy, accountability, and efficiency of government-sponsored programs. With more than 35,000 employees worldwide, Maximus is a proud partner to government agencies in the United States, Australia, Canada, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit maximus.com.

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