WASHINGTON – The National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) recognized 38 state workforce agencies, employers, Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs) and Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) at its annual State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) Seminar Wednesday, in St. Louis, Missouri.

The agencies and employers were recognized for their dedication to promoting integrity in the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system by their commitment to utilizing SIDES for UI benefit claims. SIDES is a web-based system that allows electronic transmission of information regarding UI claims between employers, TPAs and state workforce agencies to accurately and securely reduce fraud and waste in the system.

"The dedication demonstrated by these states, employers, and TPAs is essential to ensuring the dollars are safeguarded for those who are truly in need,” said Scott B. Sanders, NASWA President and CEO. "Promoting the integrity of the UI system is everyone's business and these states, employers, and TPAs have shown they take that seriously."

Those recognized for their efforts are as follows:

Agencies Recognized for Dedication to UI Integrity by their Commitment to Utilizing SIDES:

·         Arizona Department of Economic Security

·         Florida Department of Economic Opportunity

·         Illinois Department of Employment Security

·         Iowa Workforce Development

·         Louisiana Workforce Commission

·         Maine Department of Labor

·         Montana Department of Labor & Industry

·         Nebraska Department of Labor

·         Employment Security Division - Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation

·         Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

·         Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development

·         Utah Department of Workforce Services

Employers, PEOs, and TPAs Recognized for Dedication to UI Integrity by their Commitment to Utilizing SIDES:

·         Applied Underwriters Inc. – American Employers Group (AEG)

·         AlphaStaff, Inc.

·         Arizona Labor Force

·         Caterpillar, Inc.

·         CPS Recruitment

·         DeGroot Management Services, Inc.

·         Dunn Corporate Resources

·         Lighthouse HR Support

·         EY

·         Integrity Outsource, LLC

·         Mask Consultants, LLC

·         Michigan Health & Hospital Association Unemployment Compensation Program

·         NSN Employer Services, Inc.

·         O’Reilly Auto Parts

·         Paychex, Inc.

·         PeopleSystems

·         Personnel Planners

·         Sheakley Uniservice, Inc.

·         The Arizona School Risk Retention Trust

·         The Matrix Companies

·         Tilson HR

·         UC Alternative, Inc.

·         Unemployment Solutions For You

·         Unemployment Tax Management Corporation

·         Unemployment Tracker

·         Vensure TPA, LLC

SIDES is a quick, accurate, and secure way to automate responses to unemployment insurance claim notices from state workforce agencies and is currently operating in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and two U.S. territories. SIDES E-Response is a free website where employers and their representatives can quickly, accurately, and securely submit responses to unemployment insurance (UI) claims directly to state unemployment agencies.

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About SIDES (http://www.itsc.org/Pages/ui_SIDES_home.aspx): The State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) went live in February 2010. The system securely verifies UI benefit claims information from employers and third-party employer representatives through a nationally standardized computer-to-computer system. The use of SIDES has since grown steadily and is now available in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and two territories. In addition, the secure SIDES online information-sharing website (E-Response) for smaller employers now receives tens of thousands of responses on requests for information about UI benefit claims.