Instructions For Benefit Accuracy Measurement Form Bam-17 May 2007 printable pdf download

Instructions For Benefit Accuracy Measurement Form Bam-17 May 2007

Vermont Department of Labor

BENEFIT ACCURACY MEASUREMENT (BAM) PROGRAM

Information for Employers

WHAT IS THE BENEFIT ACCURACY MEASUREMENT (BAM) PROGRAM?

The BAM Program is a management information system that helps State and Federal managers

control fraud and abuse in the Unemployment Insurance Program. This tool provides valid

information on the rates, types, and causes of unemployment insurance benefit overpayments and

underpayments. The benefits of the program lead to better detection, prevention, and elimination of

improper payments.

Each week throughout the year, a sample of both paid and denied unemployment claims are

randomly selected for review. Each selected claim is reviewed to determine if the payment or denial

of benefits was correct.

Claimants, whose compensated or denied unemployment have been selected for review, are

interviewed; their unemployment insurance claim records are reviewed; their attempts to find work

are checked; their reasons for being unemployed are substantiated; and wages used to compute

their claim are verified. All this is done in an attempt to determine their eligibility for benefits, and if

they received the proper unemployment compensation for the reviewed week.

Based on the investigation, the BAM specialist will conclude whether the week of compensated or

denied unemployment was made properly or improperly. If paid or denied improperly, it is

determined whether the error was made by the claimant, the unemployment insurance agency, or the

employer. Finally, the reason for the improper payment or denial is documented.

Once all this information is obtained, a statistical analysis is performed and information on the rates,

types and causes of improper benefit payments or denials is produced.

WILL THE PROGRAM BENEFIT EMPLOYERS?

YES. Over an extended period of time, better detection, prevention, and elimination of improper

payments will result in decreased benefit outlays which will have a direct impact on decreasing

employer taxes.

WHY ARE EMPLOYERS CONTACTED?

Contacts with employers are an integral part of the investigation. The three main reasons why BAM

staff contact employers are:

1. To verify the past or present wages of the person selected for review;

2. To verify that for the week of compensated unemployment selected for review claimants did

inquire about or apply for work with the employers they reported to the unemployment insurance

office;

3. To verify that the reason for becoming unemployed, which is given by the claimant, is correct.

BAM-17 (5/07)

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Instructions For Benefit Accuracy Measurement Form Bam-17 May 2007