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MISSOURI
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS
MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AWARDED SIX GRANTS TO CONTINUE UNEMPLOYMENT
INSURANCE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENTS
Jefferson City, MO – The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial
Relations’ Division of Employment Security was recently awarded six grants
from the U.S. Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration
(ETA). Missouri applied for the grants in June and July 2004, and
was among 37 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands to
receive grant funding.
Missouri was awarded three grants totaling $110,486 for Erroneous Payment
Prevention/Detection improvements. The funds will be split between
improvements with the Missouri Cross-Match with the Social Security Administration
Project, the Independent Verification & Validation Activities for the
Cross-Match with the Social Security Administration Project, and the Cross-Match
Project with the Missouri Department of Revenue’s Motor Vehicle Registration’s
Drivers License System.
The Cross-Match with the Social Security Administration Project funding
will be used to program and embed software into Missouri’s initial claims
process. This will allow requests to be made to the Social Security
Administration for social security number verification, name verification,
date of birth, gender, and, if necessary, social security benefit receipt.
Funding for the Independent Verification & Validation Activities
for the Cross-Match with the Social Security Administration Project will
be used to hire an independent third-party contractor to certify Missouri’s
information system’s security design and procedures prior to initiating
transactions to and from the Social Security Administration through an
electronic single query data exchange.
Grant funding for the Cross-Match Project with the Department of Revenue’s
Motor Vehicle Registration’s Drivers License System will be used to program
and embed software into Missouri’s initial claims process. This will
allow requests regarding claimants to be run online via real-time to the
drivers license system for social security number verification, name verification,
date of birth, and gender inquiry.
Three additional grants totaling $278,412 were awarded for Unemployment
Insurance Technology Security improvements. These funds will be used
to supplement the cost of Missouri’s Unemployment Insurance Benefits and
Tax Information Technology Systems Security Awareness, Training, and Education
Project, the Unemployment Insurance Information Technology Hardware and
Systems Software Maintenance Project, and the Unemployment Insurance Information
Technology System’s Security Risk Management Project.
The Security Awareness, Training, and Education Project funding will
be used to develop, implement, and periodically update an agency-wide security
awareness training program to address basic security issues, social engineering
attacks, information classifications, and virus defenses.
Hardware and Systems Software Maintenance Project funding will be used
to purchase consulting services, a comprehensive virus patching software,
accompanying hardware, and training for continued maintenance that is associated
with a network security/defense system.
Funding for the Security Risk Management Project will be used to hire
an independent third-party contractor to conduct a technical and security
evaluation of the agency’s information system’s certification and accreditation
process. This will be accomplished by analyzing systems, evaluating
operations procedures, and testing other aspects of the integrated unemployment
insurance operation.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tammy Cavender (573) 751-7500
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 15, 2004
Improvements made from these grants will make tax and wage reporting
easier for employers, ensure employees receive the benefits to which they
are entitled, protect the security of information Missouri collects, and
further strengthen the fraud detection process.
Information and Planning · 3315 W. Truman Blvd.
· P.O. Box 1958 · Jefferson City, MO 65102-1958
573-751-7500 · 573-751-6552 (Fax)
Relay Missouri: 1-800-735-2966 (TDD) 1-800-735-2466 (Voice)