DE Dept. of Labor Announces Significant Progress in Reducing the Unemployment Claims Backlog

WILMINGTON, Del. - The Delaware Department of Labor announced today it has made significant progress in decreasing the state's unemployment claims backlog following a refocus on service delivery, compliance, and fiscal management.

The Delaware Department of Labor's Unemployment Division enhanced operational efficiency through continued development of the Claimant 360 and IQ Fraud dashboards, the launch of a centralized document knowledgebase, and the introduction of new productivity tools. These advancements strengthened decision making and streamlined workflows across teams.

The program also secured Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) federal grant funding to support enhanced claimant engagement, improved reemployment outcomes, and ongoing process improvements. A successful transition to new case management processes stabilized operations and reduced a backlog of cases by more than 40 percent - from over 7,000 to fewer than 4,000.

By shifting adjudicators from call handling to focused claim processing, the program increased throughput and productivity while improving service quality. A sustainable training framework was established, including structured onboarding, classroom instruction, and adjudication training. Additional staffing initiatives, including onboarding the "Mission Backlog" team, further strengthened operational capacity.

"Reducing open claims by thousands while updating our processes and retraining staff reflects the dedication and focus of our team," said Delaware Secretary of Labor LaKresha Moultrie. "This progress means claimants receive decisions faster, staff can work more efficiently, and the program is stronger and more resilient. We will continue to improve upon this progress in 2026."

Keep up to date with the Delaware Department of Labor's modernization of its UI system at labor.delaware.gov/Modernization-2-0.