Photo: Ford, Brad
The Oregon Employment Department’s new online portal, Frances Online, is now available to Oregon employers.
This marks the first rollout in a complex, multi-year effort to modernize the department’s business processes and core technology systems and make them more flexible, adaptable and efficient.
In this phase, Frances Online replaced the systems Oregon employers previously used to file their combined payroll reports. The portal also supports employers who want to submit equivalent plan applications for the new Paid Leave Oregon program.
“The launch of the Frances Online employer portal is the first step to simplify and streamline the unemployment insurance process and create a solid system of support for Paid Leave Oregon,” said David Gerstenfeld, acting director of the Oregon Employment Department. “Frances Online will provide improved, modernized services, such as online self-service and improved data collection, and it will help us integrate services, like payroll reporting, with partner agencies such as the Department of Revenue.”
Employers and third-party administrators can now do things in Frances Online like file and amend their payroll reports, find their tax rate and those of their clients, manage account access for themselves and their staff, view letters, and send and receive secure messages.
For Paid Leave Oregon, employers can use Frances Online to apply for an equivalent plan. An equivalent plan is when an employer provides paid leave benefits that are equal to or greater than those provided by Paid Leave Oregon. Employers with approved equivalent plans, and employees working for an employer offering an equivalent plan, do not have to pay contributions to Paid Leave Oregon.
The Employment Department’s Modernization Program is working to transform how the department does business, update the core technology systems supporting unemployment insurance, and create the technology to support the new Paid Leave Oregon program. The current, multi-year initiative is expected to be complete in 2024, supporting the functionality for Paid Leave Oregon contributions in January 2023, Paid Leave Oregon benefits in September 2023, and Unemployment Insurance benefits in March 2024.
Source: Oregon Employment Department