The purpose of this study is to improve state worker profiling models. This project began in May, 2004, and will run for eighteen months. It is being done by Coffey Communications under a contract with the National office.

The contractor is tasked with 1) establishing an approach for evaluating the accuracy of worker profiling models, 2) applying this approach to current state models to determine how effective they are at predicting Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefit exhaustion, and 3) based on the results, developing guidance on best practices in operating and maintaining worker profiling models. For more information on this project contact: Scott Gibbons (202) 693-3008.

2) Development of a SUTA Dumping Detection System

With funds provided through a cooperative agreement with the US. Department of Labor, the North Carolina Employment Security Agency is developing an automated SUTA Dumping Detection System that will be made available to all states.

Presently, states detect potential SUTA dumping schemes by manually reviewing employer tax records. Because this is a labor intensive process, states lack the capacity to review all records. The final product from this project will provide states with an efficient way to detect SUTA dumping by allowing them to search individual employer’s UI tax account information or to conduct a customized search of all employers.

Approximately 5 pilot states will be selected in the summer of 2004 for pilot testing in the fall. The completed system should be distributed in the first quarter of CY 2005. For more information on this project contact: Rett Hensley (202) 693-3203, or Susan Hilliard (202) 693-3608.

3) The National Claimant Placement and Reemployment Project

This project brings state workforce agency officials together to discuss best practices, successes, and possible improvements in the operation of State Workforce Agency procedures concerning claimant placement and re-employment.

The initial session was co-sponsored by ETA and the Texas Workforce Commission. The project partners met the week on May 11-12 in Austin, Texas. There were 69 individuals in attendance from 18 states across the country. The initial outline of issues/processes that will be covered in this project include: 1) Selecting claimants for services (at what point following separation) 2) Coordinating and communicating between Call Center / Local Workforce Service Provider. 3) Modifying Service Delivery Models 4) Establishing demand-driven services to businesses to identify placement and reemployment opportunities. 5) Establishing clear, numerical goals regarding Unemployment Duration, and 6) Identifying and connecting with outside programs, services, and resources.

For more information on this project contact: Ann Cole (214) 767-2154.

4) Evaluation of the Unemployment Insurance Benefits Program

This evaluation is intended to provide detailed, empirical information on the effectiveness and impact of the UI program in light of its goals and underlying premises. The study will identify: changes in the labor market, population and economy pertinent to the UI program, detailed characteristics of who receives and does not receive UI benefits; the macro- and micro- economic impacts of the program; and UI's role in preventing dispersal of workers, sacrifice of skills and breakdown in labor standards. Overall, the evaluation is intended to provide fresh data and data analyses that can be used in developing policy and in planning future research, including demonstration projects.

The evaluation will employ multiple research strategies, including telephone surveys, econometric simulations, and new analyses of administrative data from UI and other programs. The evaluation will be conducted over 5 years beginning in July 2004. For more information on this project contact: Charlotte Schifferes (202) 693-3655.

5) The Impact of Welfare Reform on UI

This study is designed to assess the experiences of former welfare recipients who have applied for assistance from State UI agencies, determine the impact of welfare reform on the balances of these programs, and to develop policy options that may better assist this population.

The states of Wisconsin, California and South Carolina are participating in this project by providing administrative data. This project is being conducted by Coffey Communications and is due to be completed in the summer of 2004. For more information on this project contact: Crystal Woodard (202) 693-6312.

6) Reed Act Distribution Implementation Study

The Center for Employment Security Education and Research (CESER) will conduct a process evaluation of the uses of Reed Act distributions by states. The evaluation will study states’ implementation, policies, institutional outcomes, and individual state outcomes, and glean federal policy consequences. For more information on this project contact: David Balducci (202) 693-3678.