CDLE says Family Shield and IVR tools cut investigator time and expand claimant self‑service

CDLE officials described multiple AI or AI‑adjacent tools intended to speed case handling and expand self‑service for claimants and job seekers.

Helen Thurman, CDLE chief operations officer, said Family Shield — a detection tool deployed in 2024 — flags suspicious claims and reduced investigator time per reviewed record from about one hour to 15 minutes; CDLE is reviewing approximately 1,000 records a month through the system. Thurman said the tool classifies data and surfaces anomalies for human investigators who make case opening decisions.

CDLE also described a claimant experience built from two systems: a website chatbot that provides general information and an authenticated IVR that, when a claimant supplies a claimant ID and date of birth, can pull detailed claim status via API. About 50% of claimants who authenticate receive more detailed information without waiting to speak with a staff agent, officials said. CDLE noted it recently terminated relationships with three vendors that had been part of the IVR/chat integration and is now seeking a single‑vendor RFP to build a more integrated end‑to‑end solution.