New Mexico Recognized for Outstanding Achievements in the Unemployment Insurance Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2,
2014
Contact: Joy Forehand
New Mexico Department of
Workforce Solutions
(505) 250-3926
Joy.Forehand@state.nm.us
Contact: Estevan J. Lujan
New Mexico Department of Information Technology
(505) 819-8129
estevan.lujan@state.nm.us
New Mexico Recognized for Outstanding
Achievements in the Unemployment Insurance Program
Recognition
Highlights Impact of New System and Program Improvements on NM Unemployment
Insurance Fraud and Overpayments
Santa
Fe
— Today Governor Susana Martinez announced that New Mexico has been recognized
for outstanding achievement for the Unemployment Insurance Tax and Claims
System. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO)
has awarded New Mexico a 2014 Outstanding Information Technology Achievement
Award in Digital Government, recognizing the Department of Workforce Solutions’
(DWS) fully-integrated tax and claims system. New Mexico is the first state in
the nation to integrate and launch both the tax and claims systems
simultaneously.
“I’m proud of our continued progress to improve efficiency and fight waste,
fraud, and abuse on behalf of New Mexico taxpayers,” said Governor Susana
Martinez. “This important system is a critical tool to offer better customer
service to employers and those seeking unemployment assistance. This award
helps recognize the dozens of people who have worked so hard to make this new
system a success.”
NASCIO
presented New Mexico with this award as part of its 2014
State IT Recognition Awards. NASCIO states that, “successful information
technology initiatives in state government deserve to be highlighted and shared
in order to promote innovation, foster better government, and engage citizens.”
To view the
brief video on NASCIO’s site that showcases New Mexico’s innovative system, click
here.
“Our Department takes pride in our work on behalf of our employers and
customers,” said Department of Workforce Solutions Cabinet Secretary Celina
Bussey. “We will continue to follow through with targeted strategies and
initiatives that increase program integrity.”
In January of 2013, New Mexico successfully launched the Unemployment Insurance
Tax and Claims System, designed to meet the high standards and needs of both
businesses and job seekers. In the first year alone, the new system was
instrumental in helping New Mexico reduce
Unemployment Insurance fraud by 60%, as well as significantly reducing
overpayments for the second year in a row. The New Mexico Unemployment
Insurance program is now ranked among the top ten performing states for
timeliness and quality measures.
"This national recognition is due to the cooperation and collaboration
between state agencies on important information technology projects," said
Department of Information Technology (DoIT) Cabinet Secretary and State Chief
Information Officer Darryl Ackley. "These successes enable us to more
efficiently deliver critical government services to our constituents."
Founded in 1969, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers
(NASCIO) is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 association representing state chief
information officers and information technology executives and managers from
the states, territories, and the District of Columbia. NASCIO’s mission is to
foster government excellence through quality business practices, information
management, and technology policy.
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