What Do I Know?

That's a fair question.

Before you take advice from someone about unemployment claims, you probably ought to know who's giving it.

Of my 25 years in government service, I spent nearly 18 of them with the Oregon Employment Department. During that time, I worked as an adjudicator, fraud investigator, policy analyst, manager, and hearings representative. I've looked at unemployment claims from a lot of different angles—and probably from a few most employers don't even know exist.

When I retired from the agency in 2024, I took that experience with me.

Why Start UI Claim Advisors?

Retirement is great but I still want something to do and that something became UI Claim Advisors.

I didn't start this business because employers need someone else to take over their unemployment claims. In fact, I believe almost the opposite. Employers are perfectly capable of handling their own claims. What they're often missing is an understanding of the system they're working within.

That's where my experience is useful.

I've spent years seeing the difference between the facts an employer thinks are important and the facts that actually matter to an unemployment claim. I've seen small mistakes create big problems and seemingly complicated cases become much simpler once the real issue is identified.

That's the perspective behind The Inside Track and the work I do through UI Claim Advisors.

So, What Do I Know?

A fair amount about unemployment.

But what I really want to do is teach you what I know.

I want employers to understand the claims process well enough to make informed decisions from the beginning. I want your managers and HR staff to recognize where problems can develop before they become expensive ones. And when a claim does arrive, I want you to have the knowledge and confidence to handle it effectively yourselves.

Because my goal isn't to make your business dependent on UI Claim Advisors.

It's to make your business better at unemployment claims.

That Kind Of Education Can Be Difficult To Find.

The Employment Department has an important role. It supports employers as they build and maintain their workforce, administers the unemployment insurance program, and helps eligible workers access benefits when employment ends.

But teaching employers how to navigate the unemployment system strategically isn't its job. Neither is helping you understand how unemployment claims can affect your tax rate—or how better claim management may help reduce those costs over time.

Third-party administrators serve another role. They can step between the employer and the unemployment agency, manage claims, respond to requests, and keep the process moving.

That can be valuable.

But having someone manage the process for you isn't the same as teaching you to understand it yourself.

That's the gap UI Claim Advisors is here to fill.

I don't want to simply tell you what to do with the claim sitting on your desk today. I want to help you understand why you're doing it, so you're better prepared for the one that arrives tomorrow.

You already know your business.

I know unemployment.

Let me share what I know...

with you.

Every unemployment claim comes with its own facts, challenges, and circumstances. If this article made you realize there's more to an unemployment claim than you first thought, imagine what you could learn by seeing your claim through the eyes of a former unemployment adjudicator.