The U.S. Supreme Court requires the Department to pay benefits "when due". To ensure benefits are paid timely, initial Department decisions must be made by the Friday of the week following the week the claim was filed. When the Department contacts claimants and employers for information, a quick response is needed. Employers and claimants are instructed to respond within 48 hours of a phone request and 5 days if the instruction is mailed. The Department is merely adding to rule what has been Department practice for decades.