Changes at State Labor Department

Two significant changes are taking place at the Connecticut Department of Labor.

SIDES

DOL is currently in the process of implementing the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) that will alleviate the headaches of many businesses when it comes to handling unemployment claims. 

SIDES is an integrated computer-to-computer interface that allows for the easy exchange of unemployment information requests between businesses, claimants, and state labor departments. 

The program is currently being used by 46 states and officials at Connecticut's DOL anticipate it will be fully integrated here by September of 2016.

This will be particularly helpful to businesses with locations in multiple states because it will allow them to respond to requests for information related to individual unemployment claims in a nationally standardized format. 

Any Connecticut business with an Internet connection and an email address can participate in the SIDES program.

In addition to being free of charge (although some businesses may need to make some internal IT systems changes) SIDES offers many other benefits to businesses, including:

• Less paperwork and lower postage fees
• Quick, efficient communication between employers and the UI Agency, eliminating delays related to paper mail delivery;
• Better information exchange, which will result in fewer improper payments

Further, SIDES has multiple layers of security to protect the sensitive data exchanged between businesses and the state labor department. 

Commissioner Palmer to retire

Sharon Palmer recently announced she would be retiring from her position as DOL Commissioner.

Governor Malloy appointed Commissioner Palmer to the position in 2012.

A successor has not yet been named. 

For more information, contact CBIA’s Eric Gjede at 860.244.1931 | eric.gjede@cbia.com | @egjede