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News Release

$80M awarded to help unemployment insurance beneficiariesthrough improved reemployment services, eligibility assessments

Grants to workforce agencies in 44 states, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON — Unemployment Insurance benefits and state workforce agencies are vital to unemployed Americans who rely on both as they work to find new employment. To support their efforts, the U.S. Department of Labor today awarded $80 million to workforce agencies — in 44 states and in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia — to provide re-employment and eligibility assessments. The funds will also implement the new Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments program.

"Unemployment disrupts the lives of individuals and families and hurts our nation's economy," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. "These grants will help the newly unemployed reduce the time between jobs and strengthen the integrity of the Unemployment Insurance program by preventing improper payments. By doing so, we can ensure unemployment benefits remain available for those who truly need them."

The grants will fund services such as in-person assessments at American Job Centers. These assessments of eligible claimants include the following:

  • Development of an individual re-employment plan
  • Access to labor market information specific to the individual's location, job skills and employment prospects
  • A complete review of the claimant's eligibility for UI benefits
  • Referrals to re-employment services or training at American Job Center

The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded grants through this initiative for 11 years. Alabama and Arkansas are receiving a grant to implement an RESEA program for the first time, while additional funds will continue programs in the other states to continue their programs through 2015.

For the first time these grants will be available to fund reemployment services for these beneficiaries. States will be transitioning to a new, targeted population during 2015 and will begin serving claimants who are identified as most likely to exhaust their UI benefits and claimants receiving Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service members.

Recent evaluations of the program have shown that Reemployment Assessments reduce the number of weeks claimants seek UI benefits by expediting the re-employment of UI claimants. Information about the positive impact and effectiveness of REAs can be found in a report by Impaq International LLC. An additional evaluation is currently underway in four participating states and results are expected to be available in 2016.

Editor's Note: The following chart lists the award recipients and the grant amounts:

Recipient

Award

Recipient

Award

Alabama

$1,236,154

Montana

$322,636

Alaska

$147,749

Nebraska

$353,820

Arizona

$318,099

Nevada

$1,045,799

Arkansas

$537,758

New Hampshire

$620,305

California

$3,908,287

New Jersey

$1,213,420

Connecticut

$134,836

New Mexico

$302,301

Delaware

$257,804

New York

$18,067,387

District of Columbia

$654,478

North Carolina

$4,012,447

Florida

$3,762,857

Ohio

$987,107

Georgia

$1,242,663

Oregon

$3,915,801

Hawaii

$356,120

Pennsylvania

$418,672

Idaho

$406,406

Puerto Rico

$179,310

Indiana

$3,404,771

Rhode Island

$903,568

Iowa

$957,875

South Carolina

$1,106,808

Kansas

$594,107

South Dakota

$264,752

Kentucky

$1,058,364

Tennessee

$2,060,640

Louisiana

$1,426,238

Utah

$1,476,865

Maine

$1,585,105

Vermont

$1,069,540

Maryland

$530,545

Virgin Islands

$75,084

Massachusetts

$5,437,029

Virginia

$541,033

Michigan

$961,746

Washington

$6,720,406

Minnesota

$1,351,176

West Virginia

$161,083

Mississippi

$729,607

Wisconsin

$2,481,385

Missouri

$700,057

 

 

Total = $80,000,000

Agency
Employment and Training Administration
Date
June 29, 2015
Release Number
15-1289-NAT