Today, the Governor’s Rapid Response Strike Force issued its final report and recommendations involving the State’s unemployment system. The Strike Force, appointed by the Governor in late summer of 2020 was led by Barbara Buckley, former Speaker of the Nevada State Assembly, and was tasked to identify issues and make recommendations regarding the State’s unemployment compensation system.
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"While challenges remain, I am proud of the work of the Strike Force, DETR leadership and employees, and DWSS employees to tackle these issues head-on, and am confident that DETR’s current leadership can carry forward the Strike Force’s progress," said Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Volunteer Strike Force members included: Vanessa Alpers, David Axtell, Elisa Cafferata, Alan Cunningham, Steve Fisher, Anthony Pearl, Mike Schmitt, and Chuck Short. Team members from varied backgrounds brought their unique skill sets in investigating varied areas of focus within the State’s unemployment compensation systems including backlogs, fraud, and other business processes.
“It has been an honor to lead the strike force team and serve the Governor and the great State of Nevada. We are confident that with new leadership at the DETR and ESD helm and ongoing staffing efforts, the agency is now better positioned to address its unique challenges while continuing to serve citizens of the Silver State,” said Strike Force Leader, Barbara Buckley.
The report includes information regarding the Strike Force’s findings as related to issues regarding Nevada’s unemployment insurance system. In numerous instances, Strike Force members worked cooperatively with DETR in addressing challenges being faced by the agency including administrative and claims processing staffing, fraud, unemployment system modernization, claim backlogs and improving the overall claimant experience.
“We would like to express our appreciation to Barbara Buckley and the Strike Force members for all their contributions during the past five months. Although we are sorry to see the end of our partnership, we are pleased to be able to continue the great work started under our cooperative efforts. While we know there are more challenges remaining, we are committed to moving forward and improving all aspects of the claimant experience. We will continue to work as hard as we can so that all eligible Nevadans can receive their benefits,” said DETR Director, Elisa Cafferata.
The Strike Force’s report can be viewed on the DETR website Bulletin Board at https://cms.detr.nv.gov/Content/Media/Strike_Force_Report_2021_FIN.pdf.
