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 (DOL) 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 brief report and collection of evidence briefs about RESEA program components, including selecting claimants and meeting attendance, basic career services, and individualized services; and 4) an options report for building evidence on RESEA programs.

This brief summarizes the state of the evidence about two RESEA program components: (1) which UI claimants would benefit the most when selected to participate and (2) changes in scheduling practices to increase meeting attendance rates. The brief closes with a discussion of gaps in the current evidence base and the implications of evaluating these RESEA program components.