This is the first report from the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs Gold Standard Evaluation. The WIA Gold Standard Evaluation is a multi-year longitudinal study of individuals seeking employment-related assistance through either the Adult or Dislocated Worker Programs from 2011 through early 2013 in 28 randomly selected Local Workforce Investment Areas across the continental United States. Most applicants for assistance at local American Job Centers participating in the study were randomly selected to receive additional services or not. Their outcomes will be compared to determine the impact of varied combinations of services. However, given the directive to provide priority of service to veterans, veterans were excluded from random assignment and were served as if there was no study in progress. Since veterans were excluded from the impact component of the WIA Gold Standard evaluation, the evaluation team gathered detailed qualitative and quantitative data on employment services provided to veterans in the 28 local areas participating in the evaluation. Given the evaluation’s design, the findings presented in the report are representative of services provided through local AJCs nationwide. The information was gathered during site visits and extensive interviews with state and local staff and from veterans themselves during focus group discussions. This report documents their findings. The report describes the characteristics of the veterans who accessed services at American Job Centers, the services they received, and their employment outcomes after receiving those services. The results presented in this report are relevant for understanding the types of employment and training resources provided to veterans by more than a dozen workforce system partners.

Affiliation: Mathematica Policy Research, Social Policy Research Associates.

Key Words: Workforce Investment Act, veterans, WIA, WIA Adult Program, WIA Dislocated Worker Program, Jobs for Veterans State Grants, veteran job seekers, Priority of Service.