(a) In carrying out the requirements of this title, the Department shall:
(1) secure equal access for individuals by:
(i) ensuring that an individual contacting the Department has adequate and timely access to language, interpretive, and translation services;
(ii) for individuals with disabilities:
1. incorporating accessibility features that are consistent with modern accessibility standards for individuals with disabilities; and
2. providing notice of alternative accessibility options for accessing benefits, services, and information in multiple formats; and
(iii) conspicuously providing claimants with the option to select at the beginning of the application for unemployment insurance benefits process that paper–based notices of Department action be sent by mail;
(2) establish procedures that require an individual who has filed an initial claim for benefits to be provided with a status update on the claim by Department staff or contractors through telephone or e–mail at least once every 3 weeks until the initial benefits are paid or the initial claim is denied, whichever occurs first;
(3) on or before July 1 each year, beginning in 2021, contract with an external customer service quality evaluation vendor to measure:
(i) the clarity and organization of all public communications including materials posted on the Department’s website or mobile application;
(ii) the achievement of the customer service standards required under this subsection and the Department’s plan to implement the requirements of this subsection; and
(iii) other customer service metrics that the Department and the vendor agree are important;
(4) ensure that the application for unemployment insurance benefits explicitly and conveniently provides applicants with the ability to select the method of payment;
(5) establish systems, processes, and procedures that enable an individual filing a claim for benefits to track the status of a claim, including the anticipated timeline for the resolution of each particular claim;
(6) establish and maintain a plan for ongoing investment in technology;
(7) establish standards for the timely processing of claims for benefits under which:
(i) 92% of claims are completed within 21 days after receipt of the initial application; and
(ii) 97% of claims that require adjudication are resolved within 8 weeks after receipt of the initial application;
(8) establish a single point of contact within the Department to oversee and prioritize the resolution of claims that have not been completed within 8 weeks; and
(9) (i) track the percentage of laid–off workers who file for unemployment insurance benefits;
(ii) establish a goal for an unemployment insurance recipiency rate; and
(iii) publish on a quarterly basis on the Department’s website the percentage of laid–off workers who file for benefits and the recipiency rate.
(b) (1) On or before September 1, 2021, the Department shall begin implementing a system through which an individual who has filed a claim for benefits may consent, as part of any weekly claim certification, to the sharing of relevant collected information by the Department with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange and the Maryland Department of Health to determine whether the individual qualifies for free or low–cost health insurance and, if so, to help the individual enroll.
(2) Before the system described in paragraph (1) of this subsection begins to operate, the Department shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange and the Maryland Department of Health that enables the system to operate in compliance with all applicable State and federal requirements related to privacy, data security, and funding.
(3) The consent request described in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be prominently placed on the weekly claim certification form, using language that can be easily understood by the majority of individuals who qualify for benefits.
(4) The Department shall cooperate with the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange and the Maryland Department of Health to claim the maximum amount of available federal funding for the establishment and operation of the system described in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(5) To facilitate the most efficient implementation of the system described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Department, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, and the Maryland Department of Health may:
(i) enter into agreements;
(ii) adopt regulations;
(iii) adopt guidelines;
(iv) establish accounts;
(v) conduct trainings;
(vi) provide public information; and
(vii) take any other steps as may be necessary to accomplish the purpose of the system described in paragraph (1) of this subsection.
(c) On or before December 1 each year, the Department shall report to the Joint Committee on Unemployment Insurance Oversight, in accordance with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, on the implementation of the requirements of this section.