In 2018, amendments to Section 306(c) of the Social Security Act (SSA) permanently authorized the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program and introduced substantive changes, including formula-based funding to states and a series of requirements intended to increase the use and availability of evidence-based reemployment interventions and strategies. The US Department of Labor provides funding to states to operate the RESEA program, which aims to help Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants return to work quickly and improve employment outcomes. It is also intended to strengthen UI program integrity and promote alignment between UI and the broader workforce development system.

This handbook is a technical assistance resource for state agencies and the evaluators they engage to build evidence about RESEA programs using cost-benefit analysis (CBA). A RESEA CBA assesses a RESEA program by combining the monetary benefits of the program and comparing them to its monetary costs. Much of the information needed to support a CBA is likely already available to evaluators conducting an impact study. This handbook presents a template for conducting a CBA within a RESEA evaluation and covers technical considerations and practical guidance, including how to describe the uncertainty associated with estimates used in CBA calculations.

Handbook: Cost-Benefit Analysis for RESEA Programs: a Handbook