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 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 meet eligibility requirements.

The evaluation of the RESEA program includes four major components: 1) an implementation report; 2) a brief on serving UI claimants during the COVID-19 pandemic; 3) a collection of evidence briefs about RESEA program components, including selecting claimants and meeting attendance, basic career services, and individualized services; and 4) a report on options for building evidence on RESEA programs. This implementation report shares an overview of the program and summarizes key findings about the types and packages of services provided, common program components, participant characteristics, differences between states’ programs, program strategies and populations served, unique or innovative strategies, anticipated changes that states plan to make to their programs, issues and challenges faced by states as they implement and operate their programs, program challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and states’ views on evidence-based requirements as they prepare to meet these requirements. These findings draw on (1) three web-based surveys of all state RESEA directors; (2) interviews conducted remotely with state and local staff in 10 states; (3) state RESEA plans submitted to DOL; and (4) states’ workload reports.

Key implementation findings indicate that RESEA programs vary across the country in the adoption of program components, staffing approaches, attendance promotion strategies, and consequences for UI claimants’ failure to attend meetings. Staff reported few program changes from 2018 to COVID onset but indicated interest in more changes, including strategies to enhance reemployment services and changes to criteria to select UI claimants for RESEA. Post-COVID onset, service delivery changed dramatically. Most notably, programs rapidly shifted to remote services. State administrators and staff expressed an understanding of and broad support for the new requirements for evidence of effectiveness and performance. Most states were making progress toward launching evaluations, with interest in testing various components and strategies.