Gov. Northam directs Virginia Employment Commission to speed up unemployment claims processing Scripps National and last updated 2021-05-18 21:34:47-04 RICHMOND, Va. - Gov. Ralph Northam is directing the Virginia Employment Commission to invest $20 million to dramatically expand the agencyâs ability to process complicated unemployment insurance claims. Executive Directive Sixteen requires the agency add 300 new adjudication staffers, make immediate technology upgrades and complete a full modernization of the Commonwealthâs unemployment insurance system by October 1. While Virginia ranks sixth in the nation for the timely payment of benefits to eligible applicants, Northam's office says this will speed up the resolution of cases flagged as potentially fraudulent or ineligible. These cases represent approximately four percent of all claims.