Evaluation of Impacts of the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program Impact Findings Summary Impact Study Brief

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Release Date: February 01, 2020

Evaluation of Impacts of the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program Impact Findings Summary Impact Study Brief

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Unemployment Insurance

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About the Brief

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The Evaluation of the Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment (REA) Program was designed to estimate the impact of the REA program on Unemployment Insurance (UI) duration (the length of time claimants spent on UI, in weeks), employment, and earnings. The evaluation was conducted in four states—Indiana, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin— and included both an implementation study and a large impact study. The brief summarizes the results of the impact study, which randomly assigned more than a quarter of a million UI claimants in a multi-armed design over a one-year period.

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Key Takeaways

  • REA cuts UI duration, on average by about 1.3 weeks.
  • About half of that decrease is more time employed and about half is more time neither employed nor receiving UI.
  • REA increases employment and earnings a small amount.
  • Impacts are not consistently larger for those predicted to be most likely to exhaust benefits (profile score).
  • Impacts are consistently larger for those with lower earnings in the previous year and lower weekly benefit amounts.
  • Little of the impact comes from enforcement of UI’s ongoing eligibility requirements (e.g., able and available, sufficiently intensive job search).
  • Some of the impact comes from the assistance with job search and referrals to reemployment services provided at the REA meeting.
  • Most of the impact comes from enforcement of the procedural requirement to attend the REA meeting.

Citation

Klerman, J.A., Saunders, C. (2020). Abt Associates. REA Impact Study Briefs: Findings Summary. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.