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A 2022 implementation study report drew on data from three waves of a web-based survey of all state RESEA directors. Since completion of that report, the study team conducted a fourth survey wave. Relying on these longitudinal data, this brief addresses the following research questions: 

1. How have states’ RESEA programs evolved as their operations return to a post-pandemic “new normal”?
2. What progress have states made in strengthening their evidence capacity and in building evidence of program effectiveness?

The brief summarizes the changes in RESEA program design and service delivery that occurred since the first survey wave in 2020. It also describes states’ current evaluation activities and plans. Its research questions build on the implementation study report’s longer and more detailed list of research questions.

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Key Takeaways

• States consistently reported that they targeted claimants identified as most likely to exhaust Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits when selecting UI claimants for the RESEA program. While states also used other criteria when selecting UI claimants for the RESEA program, they prioritized those who are most likely to exhaust UI benefits before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The timing of when the initial RESEA meeting takes place, relative to the notification of selection, remained relatively consistent between Waves 1 and 4. Across the four waves, the initial RESEA meeting most often occurred within two weeks after notification of RESEA selection regardless of when in the UI claim RESEA participants were selected for the program. In Wave 4, a larger percentage of states reported selecting claimants early into their claim period.
• Overall, states appeared to be providing more flexibility to claimants in scheduling RESEA meetings and in the location of those meetings than they did prior to the pandemic. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of remote service delivery options, including phone calls and videoconferences, increased. Despite increased flexibility with mode of service delivery, the content and services provided during the initial RESEA meetings remained similar in all waves (fielded between 2020-2023). 
• In Waves 1, 3, and 4, more than half of states reported conducting a subsequent RESEA meeting after the initial RESEA meeting. In Wave 4, the number of subsequent meetings states reported conducting increased, with several states conducting more than one subsequent meeting.
• States reported increased use of activities designed to promote RESEA program attendance and service delivery, such as reminder notifications to claimants. Many states leveraged the use of letter, phone, email, and text reminders to increase attendance at mandatory RESEA meetings, thereby reducing the failure report rate. Non-attendance at RESEA meetings can result in suspension of UI benefits, among other consequences.
• By Wave 4, nearly all states had resumed pre-pandemic, staff-led review while sustaining more flexible and online review procedures. Before the pandemic, RESEA staff were required to review claimants’ work search logs that detail contacts with prospective employers. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, states changed their approach to conducting RESEA’s work search review, either suspending the requirement or transitioning to an online system.
• Relative to the first wave in 2020, states reported conducting more analyses of their data on RESEA participants to assess program effectiveness by Wave 4. Since Wave 1, both the number of states that analyzed participant-level data and the extent to which states analyzed that data increased.
• In Wave 4, 12 states reported having completed an evaluation of their RESEA program and 37 states reported planning for future RESEA evaluations of program components. Most of the completed evaluations were experimental impact evaluations that randomly assigned claimants; this design produces strong evidence of program effectiveness since it generates a credible comparison to claimants enrolled in the RESEA program. Some of the states planning for future RESEA evaluations of program components plan to evaluate the impacts of job readiness workshops, intensive career services, the number of RESEA meetings, or service delivery mode.

Citation

Epstein, Z., Hawthorne, A., Copson, E. (2023). Abt Associates. Tracking Changes in Program Implementation: Findings from Multiple Rounds of the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Implementation Survey. 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.