UIPL25-07a1.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

1 Attachment A UI REA PROPOSAL OUTLINE FOR FIRST YEAR REA GRANTS 1. UI REA Grant Project Summary . States should use this outline to develop proposals to implement the UI REA initiative. All proposals must include the Cover Sheet found in Attachment C. 2. Project Costs . Proposals must include a description of proposed expenditures and a projected schedule for significant project activities. Any proposed expenditures that do not include all of the required information requested will not be funded. Fixed Minimum Costs The proposal should include fixed minimum costs. As a part of the fixed minimum costs the proposal should describe the costs to implement the UI REA program and conduct the first 10 000 assessments. Fixed costs should also include the projected costs for programming the ETA 9128 and ETA 9129 reports as a one-time cost. Reporting instructions can be found in ET Handbook No. 401 and edits for these two reports can be found in ET Handbook No. 402. These instructions should assist in determining the approximate programming time needed to develop these required reports. The costs for programming these reports should be clearly identified in the project costs. Incremental Costs If the state proposes to conduct more than 10 000 REAs the proposal should also include incremental costs. Incremental costs will be funded only if funding is available. If the state wishes to provide more than 10 000 REAs the costs for additional REAs should be identified as incremental costs. These costs should be expressed as costs per 10 000 assessments. States that do not wish to perform more than 10 000 assessments do not need to submit this information. Incremental costs consist primarily of costs related to service delivery i.e. conducting the REA rather than costs such as development of management information systems. Regardless of the total number of proposed REAs states should ensure that costs are provided on a sliding scale at 10 000 increments as it may be possible to increase partially but not possible to fund very large numbers of REAs. 3. Scoring Elements . The following elements are used to score the proposal. Proposals must have a score of 80 points or more to be recommended for funding therefore each element is important and should be addressed fully in the proposal. Proposals should use the following format. a. Project Costs 15 percent of total score i. Staff Costs . The proposal should identify both one-time state staffing needs in excess of base staff and any contract staff needs. Staff needs should include the type of position the expected number of staff hours and the projected hourly cost. States should identify separately all staff costs for developing REA reports 2 and programming requirements separate from the costs for providing REAs to claimants. States should include information in the following format for all staff requests. Position Title Hours Cost Per Hour Total Cost Claims Examiner 120 50 6 000 Any staff costs must be for staff in excess of staff funded by the state s base grant. When staff is assigned to the UI REA grant project and the vacated position is backfilled by another individual who is not funded under the base grant this results in the addition of a second staff member. In this case the cost of the UI REA grant staff activities can be funded as the backfilled position incurs the base staff funding. Costs incurred by state staff assigned to the project on a temporary basis cannot be funded by the UI REA grant unless additional costs are incurred. If contract staff is requested documentation should include the type of position estimated contract staff hours anticipated costs per hour and total cost. ii. Other . Include costs for other activities and or equipment not identified above. Each cost should be broken down to the specific cost item with a description of each cost and the associated costs for each item requested. All costs must be related to providing REAs to claimants. b. Project Design 45 percent of total score A description of the UI REA initiative should address all key aspects of the design. States should explain what will occur when the claimant reports to the One-Stop Career Center for an REA. The description should answer the following questions and address the type of interaction that will occur between the UI staff and any other One-Stop Career Center staff providing UI REA services How will beneficiaries be selected for the assessments The proposal should identify the target group for their REA initiative. For example states have tried varied methods including focusing on those claimants most likely to exhaust their benefits focusing on claimants with a lower profiling score who might be likely to return to work more quickly and focusing on claimants who have job skills that are in high demand. What are the proposed staffing arrangements for conducting assessments at the One-Stop Career Center facility e.g. assessments will be performed by UI staff contracted staff or others States should ensure that proposed staffing arrangements have been agreed upon by all parties prior to submitting the REA proposal. How will beneficiaries be referred to reemployment services How will staff training be conducted How will eligibility issues be referred to UI adjudication staff as appropriate 3 How will assessments be structured e.g. describe how the beneficiaries will participate How will information be shared among UI staff and other staff and how will the work search services plan and related activities be documented For example if service plans are developed what will they include and what will be the beneficiaries responsibilities If service plans are not developed how will information be documented What feedback loop will provide information to the UI program staff about the results of referrals to reemployment services Describe any additional factors not covered in this list that will be a part of the project. How will REA services be integrated with the WIRED initiative in the state c. Projected Performance Improvements 15 percent of total score The proposal must identify areas in which UI program performance is expected to improve as a result of the REA initiative. It should explain the proportion of claimants to be served in terms of the total UI beneficiary population. The proposal should describe which services are currently provided to the selected beneficiary population. If the state has conducted a study of unmet service needs of this population the study s findings should be included. If the state can show that the projected assessments should lead to a reduction in UI overpayments a reduction in the average benefit duration or faster reemployment such information should be included in the proposal s narrative. The proposal should also explain how expected performance improvements will be measured. d. Estimated Time and Cost for Each Assessment 15 percent of total score Provide an estimate of the time and the cost requirements for each REA. If appropriate varying levels of service may be specified in conjunction with varying costs e.g. beneficiaries who are determined to be job ready may cost less to serve. Sufficient information should be provided to illustrate how the state determined the projected staff costs and projected staff time for the various components of the assessment that were used to determine the maximum number of REAs that could be accomplished based upon the grant amount requested. e. Project Timeline 10 percent of total score A timeline of the project must be included that identifies each significant milestones or steps in implementing the initiative including project design and any staff training. Programming requirements that may be necessary to select and track participating beneficiaries or to measure outcomes related to program improvements should be included in the timeline. f. Supporting Materials States may attach additional materials that will support the proposal.