224/Maryland Manual

ment Insurance Work Test, and Migrant and
Seasonal Farm Workers
Functions of the Office date to 1902, when the
Chief of the Bureau of Industrial Statistics was
instructed to organize and operate a free State
employment agency (Chapter 365, Acts of 1902)
Chapter 406, Acts of 1916 transferred that function
to the State Board of Labor and Statistics with the
additional duty of investigating causes of un-
employment and possible solutions Since 1936,
the State's employment service function has been
conjoined with administration of the unemploy
ment insurance law

J05 SERVICE EMPLOYER COMMITTEES

STATEWIDE STEERING COMMITTEE
JackM Hix, Chairperson
Darlene T Carver, Vice Chairperson

Richard Aarons, Timothy W Bieber, Amy Camck,
Bert Cooperstein, Jeanne U Ewell, Judith E
Ferro, Carren Fink, Alfred M Francis, Jr , Clay K
French, Julius Gaal, Lois Howard, Robert Kiley,
Lillian Lee, James Marshall, P Howard Marshall,
Andrew Mroz, William H Muth, Christopher R
Norns, Bill S O'Meara, Jean Paterson, Cindy
Romero, Alan Sexton, Patricia Vogt, James Ward,
George Weeks, Norman Yoder, Jean Zyna

333-5353

Job Service Employer Committees were formed
in the early 1970s They include a statewide steering
committee and 20 local committees that audit and
advise local Job Service offices

OFFICE OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE
Thomas Wendel, Executive Director

1100N EutawSr
Baltimore, MD 21201 333-5306

In December 1936, the General Assembly was
called into special session to pass Maryland's Un
employment Compensation Law The Office ofUn-
employment Insurance originated as the
Unemployment Compensation Board created by
that special session The Board was superseded by
the Department of Employment Security in 1937
(Chapter 314, Acts of 1937) The Department's
Unemployment Insurance Division administered
the unemployment insurance law until 1970 In
that year, the Department was reorganized as the
Department of Employment and Social Services
(Chapter 96, Acts of 1970) The new Department's
Employment Security Administration earned on
administrative dunes and in 1975 was renamed the
Unemployment Insurance Division of the Depart
ment of Human Resources (Chapter 382, Acts of
1975) In 1983, the Division was transferred to the
Department of Employment and Training and

renamed the Unemployment Insurance Ad-
ministration It became part of the Department of
Economic and Employment Development in 1987
(Chapter 311, Acts of 1987)
Pursuant to the Maryland Unemployment In-
surance Law, the Office of Unemployment Insurance
supervises the Unemployment Insurance Program
earned out by local offices (Code 1957, Art 95A)
The Office collects contributions from employers
covered by the Law, collects quarterly wage informa
tion on covered employees, determines weekly
benefits and eligibility in accordance with this wage
information, and issues benefit checks to eligible
claimants It reviews benefit payments to determine
if any were improperly made, recovers improper
payments, and pays benefits to individuals who
formerly worked in Maryland but now reside in
other stares As provided by reciprocal interstate
agreement, the Office also collects Maryland
residents' claims against employers in other states
Using an expenence rating system, the Un
employment Insurance Law allows a reduced con
mbution rate for employers who maintain steady
employment All funds collected under the Law are
deposited with the U S Treasury for the credit of
the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund of
Maryland and may be used only to pay benefits

BENEFITS ESPECIAL PROGRAMS SECTION
Harry Hammann, Director
333-5306

The Benefits and Special Programs Section
determines claimants' eligibility for unemployment
insurance benefits The Section administers the
taking and processing of claims, adjudication of
ineligible claims, and fraud detection and prosecu-
tion The Section also oversees interstate combined
wage and federal unemployment benefit programs

CONTRIBUTIONS (TAX) SECTION
Dennis Morton, Director
333 5317

The Conmbunons Secnon establishes employer
tax accounts and assigns rates, charges benefits, and
collects taxes on each account The Secnon also
collects all delinquent accounts and maintains the
Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund

LOWER APPEALS SECTION
Allan H Bcrman, Director
William Memman, Chief Hearing Examiner
333-5040

The Lower Appeals Section determines
claimants' eligibility for unemployment insurance
benefits Following administrative review, the Sec
tion hears cases that have been appealed by
claimants and employers