The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services today submitted a report to the General Assembly outlining Ohio's planned transition to a new employment system.

In conjunction with the report, Governor Bob Taft today announced that eight counties in six workforce development areas will lead the transition. Those counties are: Clark, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lawrence, Portage and the three-county region of Defiance, Paulding and Williams.

The report, requested by the General Assembly, details the planned transition from 60 to 22 state-operated employment facilities as well as steps that are being taken to support the development of One-Stop centers. Under the transition plan, ODJFS employees will staff One-Stop centers in the six pilot areas starting in March to assist with employment and veterans services. Locally controlled and operated One-Stop centers are mandated by the federal Workforce Investment Act and include a more comprehensive array of services. In Ohio, there are 97 One-Stop Centers.

"This report illustrates thoroughly and convincingly the reasons for Ohio's transition to a new employment system," said ODJFS Director Tom Hayes. "This transition will enable Ohio to more effectively leverage resources, reduce duplication and streamline services to employers and job-seekers. By increasing efficiency, our most valuable resource, the dedicated staff of ODJFS, will be able to provide a higher level of customer service."

The report also details a new state-of-the-art telecommunications system for registration for Unemployment Compensation. With all applications for Unemployment Compensation to be processed via telephone, except for those involved in mass layoffs, this system will enable the department to meet the industry call center standard of 80 percent of customer calls answered within 30 seconds while allowing the completion of applications in an average of seven minutes.

The plan's 22 state facilities include seven call centers, 18 processing centers and one mass layoff center. Three facilities will house both call and processing centers while one will house a call and mass layoff center. These facilities are to be located in: Akron, Bowling Green, Canton, Chillicothe, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Defiance, Elyria, Ironton, Jackson, Lima, Mansfield, Marietta, Painesville, Sidney, St. Clairsville, Tiffin, Toledo, Youngstown and Zanesville.

The transition plan project was led by Sandy Blunt, an executive-on-loan from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation. Among the customer initiatives Blunt established at BWC are a nationwide toll-free number and call center support and integration of a computer telephony system.

Besides increasing customer service efficiency, it is estimated the transition will save Ohio taxpayers more than $17 million per year in facility and personnel costs.

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For more information contact Jon Allen, ODJFS Communications, (614) 466-6650.

Editor's note: The transition report may be viewed online at: jfs.ohio.gov/transition