Phil Hayes, a longtime member of Kansas Society Human Resource Management (KS SHRM) and the Kansas Chamber, received the Father Becker Award for his major contributions to unemployment insurance research and transformative impact in the state of Kansas from the National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation. Hayes is a longtime Kansas advocate who has assisted for years with reforms to the Kansas Unemployment Insurance program.
“Phil Hayes is most deserving of this national recognition! He has been THE unemployment insurance expert in Kansas, volunteering countless hours since 2013 to help with significant restructuring of the Kansas UI tax structure, modernization efforts and integrity solutions adopted by the Legislature over the last 10 years,” said KS SHRM State Council Executive Director & Lobbyist Natalie Bright. “Reforms led by Hayes have saved Kansas employers millions in Unemployment Insurance taxes while protecting the safety net for Kansas employees who lose their jobs at no fault of their own.”
Under reforms spearheaded by Hayes, KS SHRM and the Kansas Chamber, Kansas employers have experienced an estimated 26 percent reduction in contributions or a total savings of around $969M since 2016 and an additional estimated savings of $178M is expected in 2024.
“Efforts led by Hays before 2020 definitely helped Kansas weather the significant demands on the Kansas UI Trust fund during the pandemic,” said Kansas Chamber Vice President of Government Affairs Eric Stafford. “His research and expertise also helped lawmakers understand the need to invest in the integrity and modernization of our UI system to avoid the identity theft crisis that plagued and robbed our trust fund during the pandemic.”
Kansas was one of the states hit the hardest during the pandemic for UI fraud and abuse. More than 300,000 Kansans had their identities stolen by criminals seeking UI benefits. Close to $600 million in fraudulent payments went out due to an outdated computer system which manages the UI Trust Fund at the Kansas Department of Labor (KDOL).
Hayes received the Father Becker Award while attending the National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation Annual Conference in Memphis on June 29, 2023.
The Father Becker Award is named for the late Father Joseph Becker, a pioneer and scholar in the development of the Unemployment Insurance system. The National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation gives the award. Visit www.uwcstrategy.org
