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Case 17

Forgetting Claims

Background Information

Betty Warren, 36, has been supervisor of the Claims Adjustment Unit for the State

Department of Unemployment Insurance for over two and a half years. The Claims

Adjustment Unit is responsible for processing claimant appeals concerning either

incorrect payments or administrative judgments made on their application.

Although the work was often frustrating and difficult, Betty nonetheless enjoyed

her job and her work until June Williams joined the unit. That is why the current

situation with June is so irritating to Betty.

When the department went through a cost-cutting reorganization not long ago,

Betty inherited June Williams, a 54-year-old employee who had been with the

agency for over 28 years. June was pleasant enough to work with and could do cer-

tain parts of her job fairly well, but, as Betty came to discover, she just could not

seem to master one of the key tasks of the unit that all employees needed to know:

how to complete the Adjustment Determination Form 1293.

The ADF 1293 is the basic form used to record the information and decisions

made on each applicant’s appeal. The procedure associated with this form includes

the following steps:

1. Verify that all the information supplied on lines 6–10 and 14–27 are correct.

2. Look up the individual’s eligibility criteria from the appropriate table in the

state code book.

3. Compute the personal exemption rate by using the standard formula: (number

of dependents * 1200) + weeks unemployed rate, where weeks unemployed

rate = number of weeks unemployed * ∅.25.

4. Compare the results of steps 2 and 3, and record on the attached Decision

Report Sheet.

5. Make a decision and enter reasoning in section 5 of the form.

On the average, Claims Adjustment clerks are expected to complete 15 of these

forms a day. Betty had found from her experience that it typically took about four to

six weeks for new employees to reach this level of performance.

On June’s first day with the unit, Betty showed her the procedure for completing

the form. June watched as Betty completed each step. She took no notes, only

smiled and nodded her head as Betty worked through the procedure. At the conclu-

sion of the training, she asked no questions and said that she understood. Already a

little late for a meeting, Betty left June at her desk to start work.

Three days later, Betty received a bundle of ADF 1293 forms that June had proc-

essed, but they were all incorrect. She called June into her office and explained the

procedure again. June watched very closely, nodding and smiling and looking

50 Case Studies for Management and Supervisory Training

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Case 17 (continued)

very intently at what Betty was doing. Again, June asked no questions. Betty fin-

ished the demonstration, and June returned to her desk.

Over the next two weeks, Betty continued to receive incorrect forms that June

had processed. Now, after three weeks on the job, June is barely doing 10 forms a

day correctly. However, she has been making some slight progress and the number

of incorrect forms has been falling.

Betty thinks, “Boy, June sure has a bad memory. She simply can’t recall what she

was told. She’s been bluffing about learning what I told her.”

CASE QUESTIONS

1. What standards should Betty set for June during her first month on the job?

2. Did Betty do a good job training June? Is June stupid?

3. How should Betty have trained June? Create a training plan for June.

4. Make a performance aide for the ADF 1293 procedure (you can make up any

details that you need to as long as they are consistent with the procedure

outlined in the case).