Douglas J. Holmes
Founder/Owner
In 2023, Doug Holmes established Holmes Group Consulting LLC to provide professional subject matter expertise in the development of legislation, rules, and policy related to Unemployment Insurance and Workers’ Compensation.
Doug’s experience with these employer-financed and state-administered social insurance programs spans more than 40 years at the federal and state level.
Unemployment Insurance
Doug has served for 18 years as President of UWC- Strategic Services on Unemployment & Workers’ Compensation (UWC) after more than 22 years in positions in the public sector in which he developed policy and administered state workforce and employment and training programs as well as the federal/state unemployment insurance system.
UWC is a national non-profit association that represents the views of business with respect to unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation. Doug has also served as President of the National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation.
Prior to his work as President of UWC and the Foundation, Doug served in leadership positions in Ohio as Deputy Director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Deputy Administrator of the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services, Director of the Unemployment Compensation Division of the Ohio Bureau of Employment Services, Ohio UI Tax Director, Chief Legal Counsel for Unemployment Insurance, and Secretary of the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Advisory Council.
Mr. Holmes has served as the Editor in Chief for the Highlights of State Unemployment Compensation Laws publication tracking changes in state and federal unemployment insurance law and comparing the primary features of state UI laws.
He regularly serves as a subject matter expert on unemployment insurance for congressional committees and has testified on unemployment insurance policy and legislation before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, and state legislative committees and advisory councils in Connecticut, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
Mr. Holmes has coordinated the annual National Unemployment Insurance Issues conference hosted by the National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation.
Workers’ Compensation
Mr. Holmes is a leading advocate for sound public policy and legislation related to workers’ compensation. He has served as the editor in chief of the Workers’ Compensation Fiscal Data Bulletin and the Workers’ Compensation Legislative Bulletin published by the National Foundation for Unemployment Compensation and Workers’ Compensation.
He has also served as a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance Workers’ Compensation Data Study Panel.
As President of UWC, Mr. Holmes advocated for legislation to assure the integrity of workers’ compensation programs, protect the exclusive remedy, and encourage return to work.
He led advocacy for federal legislation to clarify that workers’ compensation law controls the determination of amounts to be set-aside in settlements of future medical under workers’ compensation law when employees may also be eligible for Medicare or Medicaid.
He has been a frequent speaker on unemployment and workers’ compensation before Congress, state and national business organizations, trade associations, and state and federal agencies.
Mr. Holmes is an Attorney, and graduate of the Ohio State University and the University of Toledo College Of Law.
Brian Holmes
Legal Counsel/Chief Operating Officer
In 2023, Brian contributed to the creation of Holmes Group Consulting LLC and manages the company’s operations as well as providing legal and policy analysis.
He has education and experience in intellectual property, corporate law, and business formation.
Brian was a legal intern in the Clerk’s Office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he tracked cases and reviewed legal documents for accuracy, researched legal questions, and wrote memos on topics including court delegation of authority and appellate procedure in multijurisdictional litigation.
Mr. Holmes was also a law clerk at the National Federation of Independent Business in Washington, where he researched legal issues for the Small Business Legal Center for brief filings and staff projects and communicated directly with small business owners to solve problems ranging from unemployment benefits to the nature of intellectual property rights.
He is an Attorney, and graduate of the Ohio State University and the George Washington University Law School.