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Updates





Reemployment Assistance Modernization 2022

Reemployment Assistance Modernization July 2022

Feb 16, 2023
  • The Cloud Migration project includes transitioning the System from operating on hardware stored on-premise to a cloud-based environment to ensure all aspects of the System are available to users during periods of high demand for continuous claims processing, including both web-based and call center services.
    • The Department is migrating various components of the System into a cloud-hosted environment, including files, databases, applications, and environment infrastructure. The updates shown below are as of this reporting period:
      • File migration: Completed in May 2022
      • Database migration: Completed in May 2022
      • Application migration: Migration activities are ongoing. The Department received feedback and guidance from the Internal Revenue Service for the final application this reporting period, and the Department is working to migrate that application to an isolated environment in a cloud-hosted environment. 
      • Environment Infrastructure migration:
        • Test environment: Complete in May 2022
        • Pre-production environment: The Department received feedback and guidance from the Internal Revenue Service for the final component this reporting period, and the Department is working to migrate that application to an isolated environment in a cloud-hosted environment. These efforts will close-out the migration of the last component.
        • Production environment: Anticipated to be completed in December 2022. 
      • A contract amendment for enhancing the Contact Center’s Interactive Voice Response technology, including migrating it to a cloud-hosted environment, was executed June 15, 2022, to ensure claimants can access important information about their claim status at all times.
      • The Department completed its FileNet application testing for the upgrade from version 5.2 to version 5.5.7. The FileNet application is used by the Department to manage workflows in the System that ensure files that are provided by claimants, employers, and third-party administrators are merged with the correct claim.
      • The Department executed a contract amendment for the Digital Appeals Recording Solution (DARS), which includes the requirement to migrate the technology from an on-premise hosted environment to a cloud-hosted environment, in July 2022. DARS enables the Department to record appeals hearings, which provides due process to employers, third-party administrators, and claimants who have filed an appeal on a Reemployment Assistance claim.
    • The Cloud Application Performance Management project includes utilizing a software tool that provides visibility into key System performance indicators, such as numbers of concurrent users, for System monitoring. The tool also allows the Department to set defined thresholds for performance and receive notification if remedial actions are needed to maintain System performance and prevent System downtime.
      • This project’s initiation phase was completed this reporting period, which included developing the project’s risk and complexity assessment and project charter and identifying stakeholders.
      • A project kick-off was conducted in July 2022, with all project stakeholders.
      • This project’s planning phase commenced, including developing a project schedule and drafting preliminary project requirements.
    • The SDLC DevOps project includes improving documentation for the System, including application design documentation, artifacts, and dataflow diagrams. This helps establish a process that sets a standard for maintaining System documentation and planning the deployment of System enhancements that align and prioritize Reemployment Assistance program requirements with the System’s functionality.
      • The Department continues to work with the ServiceNow vendor to identify requirements and integrate this software with the new DevOps environment. ServiceNow will serve as a repository for System requirements. Integration of these software tools will sync the System’s testing environment and cross-reference requirements with test results. It will also develop an audit trail that can be used to reference changes made to the System over time. The Department anticipates the development work to support this integration will be complete in August 2022.
    • In the next reporting period, the Department anticipates two changes.
      • A scope change that would include the automation of test reports that verify business requirements are met following each System enhancement, as well as additional contracted resources to implement these automated reports.
      • A project timeline extension that would allow for the expanded scope. If accepted, these changes would eliminate a currently manual process and increase staff efficiency. 
    • The .NET and ORM Upgrade project is designed to ensure the Department’s .NET framework and Object Relational Mapping (ORM) software receive security fixes, updates, and technical support that align with industry standards. The .NET framework is a platform that is used to create and run software applications. ORM software promotes more efficient System development by translating low-level coding across tables that store data.
      • The Reemployment Claims and Benefits Information System application’s ORM software is being updated from version 3.5 to version 5.8. The Department continues to test the updated LLBLGEN layer, which connects the database and the System, which includes testing 66 applications that support data transactions. Full deployment of all applications is forecasted to be complete in October 2022.
      • In a previous reporting period, the Department erroneously reported that the System’s .NET framework upgrade was complete. One database was intentionally not included in the upgrade, pending federal guidance. Development for this database’s upgrade is in progress and an estimated completion date will be provided in the next reporting period.
    • The Rules Engine project includes utilizing a software tool that serves as a separate infrastructure environment for managing and executing business rules that govern how Reemployment Assistance claims are processed. Business rules that are currently operating within the System will be moved to the rules engine. By using a rules engine to manage and operate business rules, specifically those rules that are updated periodically to accommodate changes in state or federal law, the Department gains staff efficiency and helps support System performance. A rules engine is more user-friendly and does not require System code changes, which means information technology staff can be repurposed for larger, more complex System enhancements and business rule changes can be deployed faster. Additionally, because the rules engine operates in a separate infrastructure environment, it allows for increased System performance. 
      • The Department and its System and Software Integration vendor are collaborating to develop a scope of work for a business rules engine, including services required by a prospective vendor to ensure interoperability.
      • Department staff began assessing the level of effort that is required to enhance the System to deploy the new rules engine and ensure the in-scope rules perform as intended and in partnership with the overall modernized System. This assessment will be used for the duration of this project and will also drive development of a transition plan for continuous modernization, including identifying potential phases for migrating additional business rules in the future.
      • The Department has refined its specific list of business rules to include approximately 1,500 rules that will be migrated to and deployed in the business rules engine during the Modernization Program timeline. Additional rules will be migrated and deployed in the business rules engine through continuous modernization efforts.
    • The SOA and API Layer project will help promote a more efficient System by creating a layer between various components of the System that serves as the messenger for all data exchanges. This layer helps prevent a downturn in System performance by offloading demand on the System. 
      • In this reporting period, the Department finalized a selected subset of APIs and the project scope to include three APIs which validate claimants and the information they provide.
      • A revised project scope and schedule was approved, as described on page 2 of this Program Status Overview.
      • The Department is working with its System and Software Integration vendor to develop a scope of work for an integration platform that will support the implementation of this project.
    • The Reemployment Assistance Help Center project created a front-end website that serves as a one-stop shop for System users to get answers to frequently asked questions, view information about their claim, submit inquiries to the Department for assistance, and submit information to the Department that facilitate claims processing.
      • This project was completed in December 2021 and will undergo additional enhancements through continuous modernization efforts to improve internal workflows that ensure users’ claims are processed timely.
    • The Strategic Planning Office (SPO) project equips the Department with standards, governance, and project management services for the Reemployment Assistance Modernization Program, and oversees the Program’s scope, schedule, and budget to promote accountability and alignment with Department priorities. 
      • The Department amended the SPO contract to add a second Senior Project Manager in preparation for the increased Program activities that will take place in the second year of the Program’s implementation. This additional resource will ensure adequate coverage for all active projects’ project management needs.
      • The SPO continues to provide overall Program and project management support. 
      • The SPO continues to work with project managers to adopt ServiceNow to manage project budgets and monthly spending. Project managers are now utilizing ServiceNow to enter actual and anticipated project expenditures. 
    • The Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) project includes leveraging an independent third-party consultant to provide objective and proactive risk identification and assessment to the Department. Observations and risks identified by the consultant are used by the Department to implement the Reemployment Assistance Modernization Program and any necessary mitigating strategies.
      • IV&V continues to attend various Department meetings to support Program and project oversight. 
    • The System and Software Integration project includes leveraging the expertise of a third-party services provider with experience in strategic planning, System design, System development, and System integration for large multi-component system modernization efforts to ensure the Department’s various modernization projects work as intended to deliver an enhanced user experience.
      • The System and Software Integration vendor continues to work with Department staff and the Business Process Optimization vendor to develop technical requirements that support the Reemployment Assistance program’s needs and that will be used to finalize procurements for future software procurements.
      • The System and Software Integration vendor developed software recommendation options for a third project this reporting period that will be considered by the Department as procurement documents are drafted.
    • The Business Process Optimization project focuses on identifying, cataloging, and reengineering business processes and requirements that are necessary to improve the user experience. These reengineered processes and requirements will support a more efficient claims process for both internal and external System users.
      • The Department finalized working sessions for both how the System currently operates for the “All Other” and Initial Claims modules, and for how the modernized System will operate for the Initial Claims module. 
      • The Department received and is reviewing the processes and requirements for how the System currently operates for the Initial Claims module. 
      • The Department received and is reviewing the processes and requirements for how the modernized System will operate for the Employers and Third-Party Administrators module. 
      • The Department received and is reviewing the report containing requirements for how the modernized System will operate for the Employers and Third-Party Administrators module.
    • The Incremental CX/UX Mobile Responsive Software Transformation project includes optimizing the existing System and developing a user-friendly front-end for Reemployment Assistance claimants that is also mobile-friendly. The transformation will occur incrementally to ensure all System users benefit from System optimization, with a focus on enhancing the claimant experience first.
      • Core Claims and Claim Status
        • This module is forecast to start in August 2022; however, the Department continues working with its SSI and BPO vendors to finalize the modernized System’s technical requirements and future state business requirements, respectively, to support future procurement activities.
      • Continued Claims 
        • This module is forecast to start in September 2022; however, the Department continues working with its SSI and BPO vendors to finalize the modernized System’s technical requirements and future state business requirements, respectively, to support future procurement activities.
      • Employers and Third-Party Administrators 
        • This module is forecast to start in October 2022; however, the Department continues working with its SSI and BPO vendors to finalize the modernized System’s technical requirements and future state business requirements, respectively, to support future procurement activities.
      • Initial Claims 
        • This module is forecast to start in October 2022; however, the Department continues working with its SSI and BPO vendors to finalize the modernized System’s technical requirements and future state business requirements, respectively, to support future procurement activities.
    • The Data Warehouse project established a separate infrastructure environment for storing and reporting Reemployment Assistance data. The data warehouse enhances System performance by conducting reporting activities in a separate infrastructure environment.
      • This project was completed in January 2022. 
    • The Reporting project includes migrating all System reports from the System to the Data Warehouse and developing and validating all federally mandated Reemployment Assistance reports. The data warehouse provides the Department with standardized data and reduces the need for staff intervention for future reporting activities.
      • Of the 39 reports in-scope for this project, 35 are complete and four are currently being validated.
      • 3 new reports have been developed and validated and are being submitted directly to the U.S. Department of Labor from the Data Warehouse, including the ETA 227 Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, ETA 227 Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation, and ETA 9129 Reemployment and Eligibility Assessments Outcomes reports. 
      • Of the 15 data populations that have been added to the scope for this project, five have been developed and validated in the Data Warehouse, three are currently being developed, and five are remaining for development. Three were removed from the scope once it was verified that the data for those populations is not generated from the Reemployment Claims and Benefits Information System.
    • The Archival and Purge project establishes a process for archiving and purging appropriate Reemployment Assistance data. These activities will reduce the Department’s data storage costs and greatly impact the efficiency and stability of the System, because it will purge any data that is no longer required to be maintained by the Department and allow for the secure storage in a separate environment of any data that the Department must maintain for a period of time.
      • The project’s initiation phase was completed this reporting period, which included developing the project’s risk and complexity assessment and project charter and identifying stakeholders.
      • A project kick-off was conducted July 7, 2022, with all project stakeholders.
      • The project’s planning phase commenced, including developing a project schedule and drafting preliminary project requirements.
    • The Master Data Management and Interoperability project focuses on creating a data catalog and data dictionary for the Department. These efforts promote data standardization and data sharing among information technology systems that exchange information with the Reemployment Assistance program.
      • A revised project schedule was approved, as described on page 2 of this Program Status Overview.
      • The System and Software Integration vendor was provided the project’s requirements and is utilizing them to conduct market research that will support the development of technology recommendations, which are due in the next reporting period.
    • The Security Architecture Review project includes assessing the proposed modernized System to strengthen System security, reduce risk for all System users, and to define and implement enhanced security practices that meet or exceed modern security standards.
      • The Department amended the contract in July 2022 to adjust the deliverable due dates impacted by the volume of security controls and the number of internal System users required to meet the objectives of a security controls and skills assessment deliverable. Though the project timeline was extended to accommodate this change, the overall project schedule will not be impacted.
    • The Identity and Access Management project includes updating all Departmental identity management and access control policies and implementing enhanced front-end security measures to authenticate System users. These efforts ensure the individuals who have access to the System are provided the appropriate amount of access for their need.
      • A revised project schedule and scope was approved, as described on page 2 of this Program Status Overview.
      • The Department is developing a draft procurement for this project that will provide an IAM tool and services for System user role-based access and customized reports and dashboards to enhance System security and user oversight and anticipates issuing a solicitation in the next reporting period.
    • The Security Architecture Audit project includes a technical audit that will be provided by an independent third-party to review and test all technical aspects of the System for improved System security.
      • This project is forecast to start in January 2023.


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