Reemployment Services Pilot Program

The Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, building on their existing Worker Profiling and Reemployment Services Program, implemented a Reemployment Services (RES) Pilot Program to expedite return to work for it’s most likely to exhaust UI claimants. Launched in January 2012, the pilot focuses on reducing exhaustion rates, duration weeks and average benefits paid. The pilot is operating in six of the state’s 33 offices and utilizes a selected control group for program metrics.

Design. Pilot participants are selected in the first five weeks of the claim and required to complete an online assessment to identify their knowledge, skills and abilities based on previous work experience. The results of the assessment are used to identify alternative occupations available to the participant and potential job referrals.

Participants are also required to engage in additional assessment activities to obtain either a skill readiness certificate or referral to adult education to improve basic skills. Participants must also complete online job search skills learning.

Finally, participants must complete up to five mandatory counseling appointments scheduled every two weeks. Participants have a total of nine required appointments and missing an appointment results in the deferral of one week of UI benefits (maximum of nine weeks deferred).

Results. In the first six months of the pilot, the program results have been strong. To date, 1,227 claimants have been selected and 934 (75.5%) have participated in the program with the following results: