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References: A description of the profiling model and the implementation process is contained in the technical report, "The Use of Profiling to Target Services in State Welfare-to-Work Programs: An Example of Process and Implementation," which is available from the JTPA Liaisons and on the ETA web page of "doleta.gov." A description of the Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services System is available in the UI Occasional paper 94-4, "The Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services System: Legislation, Implementation Process and Research Findings." Background: SDAs in many States have the responsibility of administering the new welfare-to-work programs. This under-taking is a departure from previous administrative duties and offers numerous challenges and opportunities. Welfare-to-work entails serving a different population with unique needs and challenges. SDAs must decide who to serve and with what services in order to operate an effective system. The welfare-to-work administrative structure also requires SDAs to cooperate and coordinate activities with social service agencies. ETA is funding a pilot project to design, test, and implement a profiling and referral model for Work First participants in the Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA in Michigan. The purpose of the pilot is to determine the feasibility and effectiveness for SDAs using this system as a management tool to determine which participants need and can benefit the most from reemployment services. The W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research administers the Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA and is partnering with ETA to conduct this pilot. The Upjohn Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization, that in addition to administering the SDA, provides and supports research on employment and training issues. The Institute's research division has designed the model and is currently assisting the operations division to implement the system. Issues Facing SDAs in Administering Work First Type Programs: SDAs, which administer Work First type programs, serve welfare recipients with a wide range of skills, aptitudes, and motivations. The harder-to-serve clients face multiple barriers to employment and could benefit from intensive services. However, only after clients have tried to find a job but failed do SDAs provide them with more than a minimal set of services. SDAs are faced with assessing the needs of clients and determining their capacity to benefit from services. However, scarce resources often preclude hiring as many case managers as are needed to perform these tasks. SDAs can be hampered by lack of information sharing, delays in referring clients, and duplication of effort between SDAs and social services systems that handle TANF grants, resulting in reduced efficiency and effectiveness of the system. Work First programs typically provide the same set of services to all welfare recipients, regardless of their needs and past work history. Work First administrators face the challenge of meeting performance standards while operating within State and federal requirements. Studies have shown that Work-First-type programs are more effective when services are targeted to meet individual needs. Where inadequate collaboration between SDAs and Wagner-Peyser service providers exists, the overall workforce development system's capacity to provide mediated and electronic job finding services as well as service options to welfare-to-work jobseekers are reduced. Description of the Profiling/Referral System in SDA: The SDA administers Michigan's Work First program and JTPA programs for the two-county area in southwest Michigan. The purpose of Work First is to provide welfare recipients the reemployment skills, support, and opportunities to obtain employment in the shortest possible time. The program offers participants instruction on proper techniques for writing resumes, completing applications and interviewing skills. All enrollees receive the same services regardless of their needs and must find qualified employment within four weeks of enrollment. More intensive skill training is available only to those who hold a job or to those who have repeatedly failed to find employment. The Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA is piloting a system that profiles Work First participants as to their likelihood of finding jobs, and then refers them to appropriate services. By identifying individuals at intake as to their relative need for reemploy- ment services based on their likelihood of finding a job at intake, local agencies can tailor programs to meet the varied needs of welfare clients and thus use scarce dollars more effectively. Profiling is a statistical methodology that assigns each welfare recipient referred to Work First a probability of finding and holding a qualified job (or conversely, not finding a job) within the specified time limits of the program. The probability is derived from a statistical model using information commonly collected during the enrollment interview. The model estimates the relationship between an individual's propensity to find and hold a job and their attributes, work and welfare histories, and the local labor market conditions. The model adopted by the Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA uses the participant's educational attainment, work status immediately prior to enrollment in Work First, and prior enrollment in Work First to predict employment. Estimates of the model yield coefficients that weight the attributes and, when multiplied by the attributes and summed, generate predicted probabilities. The estimated weights from the model are incorporated into the SDA's existing information system and automatically assigned a predicted probability when the individual's attributes are entered into the system. Based on the assigned probabilities, clients are referred to services that have been shown to most likely meet their needs. The Kalamazoo/St. Joseph SDA subcontracts with three providers to deliver services. Each subcontractor pursues a different approach to providing reemployment services, all within the guidelines of Work First. Analysis has shown that each program has a comparative advantage in serving clients with specific characteristics. The model predicts which client is least likely to obtain employment and indicates which provider may offer services that best address the individual's needs. The pilot is in the initial stages of implementation. The profiling model has been tested using administrative data collected at intake from participants who have enrolled in the welfare program during the last year and a half. The program will be evaluated by randomly assigning part of the weekly enrollees to the three providers and targeting the balance to specific subcontractors based on the model's predictions. The pilot builds on the Upjohn Institute's experience in developing a profiling model that the State of Michigan used for dislocated workers for the Michigan WPRS system. We plan to more fully discuss at the December 1997 JETTCON conference. Action: Please share this TEIN with representatives of the employment and training community, including the social service agencies working with employment programs for welfare recipients as we want to inform States agencies interested in this approach and perhaps expand the pilot to other States/SDAs.

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Reference: TEIN No. 7-88. Information: The attached checklists are issued to notify the JTPA and ES systems of those TEINs and TEGLs that have been rescinded during the last program year. There are also checklists of all TEINs and TEGLs remaining active.

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References: Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) No. 44-94 dated August 26, 1994. Background: UIPL 44-94 was intended to provide a current checklist of active UIPLs as of July 31, 1994. Attachment A included the UIPLs that were cancelled. Attachment B included the active UIPLs. Some of the UIPLs that were listed as cancelled were also listed as active. Some UIPLs that are active were inadvertently omitted from the active checklist. Also, Attachment A erroneously cancelled UIPL 4-87, which is active and UIPL 12-91, Change 1, which was never issued. This UIPL corrects the errors and omissions contained in UIPL 44-94 and is a supplement to UIPL 44-94, not a replacement. Attached is an additional listing of UIPLs all of which should have been included in Attachment B of UIPL 44-94 as active as of July 31, 1994, and which remain active. Action: State Administrators are requested to provide this information to appropriate staff.

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Background: Due to changes in personnel, facilities and agency reorganizations, periodic updates of State agency contacts are necessary. States have provided the names, telephone numbers, facsimile (fax) numbers, and in some cases, E-mail addresses of individuals designated to respond to inquiries from other States about UC tax and TPS issues. This directory reflects information provided through October 1997 and replaces UIPL No. 2-97. Changes: Regional Office (RO) should be notified of directory changes. The RO will forward the changes to the UIS National Office for inclusion in the next directory update. Action Required: All SESAs are requested to ensure that a copy of the attached directory is made available to appropriate staff.