Nevada Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment
- Outcomes
- High-quality employment
Local governments can invest in this strategy using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
- This strategy can provide assistance to unemployed workers. The U.S. Department of Treasury has indicated that strategies that help achieve this outcome are eligible for the use of Fiscal Recovery Funds.
- Investments in this strategy are SLFRF-eligible as long as they are made in qualified census tracts or are designed to assist populations or communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Program overview
Boosting employment rates: Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment Program (RESEA), which operates out of local American Job Centers, provides new unemployment insurance (UI) claimants with reemployment services while confirming their eligibility for UI benefits. The program aims to increase the likelihood that participants secure employment, therefore reducing the amount of time each participant spends receiving benefits.
Targeted toward new UI claimants: The RESEA program is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, but implemented by state governments, with the assistance of local workforce partners. As part of Nevada’s RESEA program, UI claimants who have received one week of UI benefits are eligible to participate if they have no work return date, are not active in other training programs, are not attached to a union hiring hall.
Providing reemployment services: RESEA participants are required to visit an American Job Center for a single, in-person interview session with a trained staff member. During this interview, the staff member confirms that the participant is eligible for UI benefits and provides a range of workforce support services. These include a review of labor market information (e.g., wage trends), assistance developing an individual reemployment plan, and various reemployment services (e.g., job search assistance).
- Strategies
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Job placement services and supports
- Cost per Participant
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$250 per participant
Two studies with rigorous designs demonstrate that Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment Program is a well-established strategy for increasing employment and reducing time spent receiving UI benefits.
A 2022 randomized controlled trial found that RESEA participants earned an average of 15 percent more over a 36 month period than did members of the control group. RESEA participants also received an average of 9 percent less in UI benefits compared to members of the control group.
A 2012 randomized controlled trial found that RESEA participants were 4 percentage points more likely to be employed eighteen months after receiving services than were members of the control group. RESEA participants also received an average of 9 percent less in UI benefits compared to members of the control group.
Note: This content is under review.
Partner with local employers: By partnering with area employers, career centers can enable their staff members to better advise RESEA participants on opportunities in the local labor market. Programs should seek guidance on which skills are most in demand and which credentials are most attractive to employers. In addition, strong relationships between career centers and area employers may improve the chances of program participants securing employment at those firms.
Build buy-in for collaboration: The RESEA model combines unemployment insurance and reemployment services, which are often offered by different departments within city, county, and state governments. When building support for collaboration across departments, leaders can point to the strong results from RESEA’s evaluations, including the finding that it generates net savings for government agencies (largely by reducing the amount of benefits issued per participant).
Communicate with claimants in advance: The RESEA model relies on the delivery of unemployment insurance and reemployment services during a single in-person meeting. Career centers should identify claimants’ preferred mode of communication (e.g., text message, email, phone call), and send multiple reminders leading up to the scheduled interview slot. If a claimant misses their appointment, the career center should automatically reach out to reschedule and reduce the risk of any interruptions in UI benefits.
Remove barriers to participation: Career centers implementing the RESEA program should remove as many barriers to participation as possible for participants. This support may include offering services such as childcare or transportation, or providing financial compensation for participants. Offering interview sessions outside of traditional operating hours and/or at multiple locations may also increase accessibility.