July 26 -- The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) invites comments to OMB by August 25, 2022 concerning a proposed revision to the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled, “Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments Reports.”
This information collection request (ICR) seeks to revise and extend the currently approved collection for the ETA 9128 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Workload and extend the ETA 9129 Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Outcomes. Both are required reports under the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program. DOL uses the information collected in ETA 9128 and ETA 9129 to: 1) evaluate state performance in terms of service delivery; and 2) report on the RESEA activities, including the number of scheduled RESEA sessions, the number of individuals who participated, the number of individuals who failed to appear for scheduled assessments, actions taken as a result of individuals not appearing for an assessment (e.g., benefits terminated), results of assessments, average weeks to reemployment, and average weeks of benefit payments.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123) permanently authorized the RESEA program by enacting a new Section 306 of the SSA. The permanently authorized RESEA program provides states with greater flexibility in how they structure their RESEA program and funding for the RESEA program has grown substantially over the past few years. In response to increased funding and flexibility, many states have expanded their RESEA programs to include additional RESEA meetings beyond the required initial RESEA meetings. These additional meetings, which are referred to as “subsequent meetings,” now make up a considerable share of RESEA activities and it is anticipated that the adoption of subsequent meetings will continue to expand in future years. During FY 2021 approximately half of all states operating RESEA programs included subsequent RESEA meetings as part of their RESEA program design. To capture workloads associated with the increasing use of subsequent meetings, the ETA 9128 includes revisions that will breakout “subsequent” and “initial” RESEA meetings.
The RESEA program is based on the dual-purpose of supporting the reemployment of individuals receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits while also supporting the integrity of states’ UI programs. In response to public comments, the ETA 9128 revisions also add a specific data element that will allow DOL to adjust reported failure to report rates to account for claimants who are selected and later found to have be incorrectly selected or ineligible for RESEA before the initial meeting occurs, such as when an individual has a return to work date or the claim has been determined fraudulent as a result of identity fraud. These new elements align with states’ increased flexibility in RESEA claimant selection and UI program integrity efforts and provides DOL with essential information on state grant activities that will be used to support federal grant oversight, including routine monitoring or technical assistance meetings.
RESEA website:
https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/american-job-centers/RESEA
Submission to OMB:
https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAViewICR?ref_nbr=202206-1205-007 Click on IC List for questionnaire, View Supporting Statement for technical documentation. Submit comments through this site.
FR notice inviting public comment:
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-15967
For AEA members wishing to submit comments, "A Primer on How to Respond to Calls for Comment on Federal Data Collections" is available at
https://www.aeaweb.org/content/file?id=5806
