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The report of a 2-year formative study to gain understanding of promising implementation strategies adopted thus far in the State Exchange Employment and Disability (SEED) model. This report on the formative evaluation provides background on the initiative and the evaluation. It also provides a description of SEED’s progress at roughly the halfway point of the evaluation and offers implications for continuation of the initiative. This report details early findings from the first year of the evaluation based on reviews of SEED documents, observing SEED meetings, and semi-structured interviews with ODEP staff, contractors working on SEED, and representatives from the two intermediary organizations.

Interim considerations for SEED implementers include the following: update the logic model to reflect the SEED goals, such as creating a model policy; systematically document and track ongoing SEED development activities; develop strategic longer-term plans (i.e., diversifying approaches and sustainable funding); and because of the critical importance of stakeholder meetings, leverage meetings notes as a tool for tracking progress and use professional facilitators for larger work meetings.

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Key Takeaways

• SEED implementers should consider creating a model policy.
• SEED implementers should consider systematically documenting and tracking ongoing SEED development activities.
• SEED implementers should consider developing strategic longer-term plans (i.e., diversifying approaches and sustainable funding)
• Because of the critical importance of stakeholder meetings, SEED implementers should consider leveraging meetings notes as a tool for tracking progress and using professional facilitators for larger work meetings.

Citation

Coffey Consulting. (2017). State Exchange on Employment and Disability (SEED) Interim Report. 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.