Narrative: c.

State management, with support from local management, also provides fiscal and programmatic monitoring and functions as a liaison between workforce and UI. UI staff (the claim center, adjudication, appeals and the technical support unit) provides technical support for external customers (job-seekers/claimants) and internal staff (Workforce Development Specialist (WFDS) and workforce management). The UI technical support unit provides training to all WIOA and WP staff concerning federal and state UI regulations, eligibility reviews, adjudications services, appeal processes and all other related UI services for job-seekers/claimants.

MIS also provides technical assistance for state and local staff using LWC’s integrated case-management system, HiRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment). This system is used to record and track all re-employment service-delivery activities. Staff training is provided quarterly via localized statewide training, web-based courses and conferences and meetings. Subject-matter experts in workforce services and UI facilitate initial, recurring and specialized training as part of the CIP and as necessary to ensure all service-delivery methods and program-specific goals are being met.

After the job-seeker/claimant files an initial UI claim and is determined monetarily eligible, he/she is profiled. Job-seekers/claimants that meet specific variables for RESEA as set in the state’s statistical model and receive a factor score of greater than 2.4 are placed in the RESEA selection pool. Once he/she has claimed their 2nd week within their claim series, they are selected to participate in the RESEA program and participation becomes mandatory.

All UCX job-seekers/claimants who are determined monetarily eligible will be required to participant in the RESEA program. Their factor score will not be used to determine participation, but rather determine job readiness. Description of a RESEA Group and/or Individual RESEA Orientation: Provides general information concerning UI benefit eligibility, available re-employment services, guidance on the use of self-assisted services, provision of Labor Market Information (LMI) and other services available through American Job Centers and workforce partners. Eligibility Review: Provides immediate feedback on UI eligibility of each job-seeker/claimant by reviewing work-search activities, ensuring job-seeker/claimant is actively seeking employment and is able and available for work. Any issues discovered, such as able and available, are immediately referred to the adjudication unit to be investigated and eligibility determination assigned. Labor Market Information: Provides information on labor market and career information that addresses the job-seeker/claimant’s specific employment needs. Employment Strategy Plan: Face-to-face interviews conducted by WFDS staff to assist in the development and review of the jobseeker/claimant’s plan. Once a job-seeker/claimant registers in HiRE, a general plan is automatically created in HiRE with populated information such as the last occupation, information on job-search activities and online courses taken in HiRE. Staff discusses strategies to create job alerts and suggests trainings and other re-employment services. Staff assists the job-seeker/claimant to build their Plan and explore career and educational goals. Individual Employment Plan (IEP): Face-to-face interaction conducted by WFDS staff to assist in evaluating the needs of the jobseeker/claimant including a structured assessment identifying barriers to employment and establishment of employment and/or educational goals with attainable objectives and outcomes. Plans are developed, updated and tracked using the state’s web-based case management system HiRE. Referral to Re-employment Services and Appropriate Training: Through identified barriers, employment challenges and career goals during the face-to-face interview session, referrals to re-employment services which include but are not limited to workshops and/or appropriate training will be provided to each jobseeker/claimant in order to meet the expected objective of the plan and documented in HiRE. The plan will be amended as needed through career counseling. Re-employment Services: Job-seekers/claimants will be provided an array of re-employment services that include, but are not limited to, workshops (résumé writing, interviewing techniques and job readiness), job clubs that support peer-to-peer networking, computer literacy and financial literacy. Once the job-seeker/claimant has filed their second week of a monetarily-eligible claim within their claim series and has met profiling criteria, he/she is selected for participation in RESEA and notified via a letter generated through an automated process. Letters provide notice of their RESEA appointment with a WFDS and the requirements and date the service must be completed in order to maintain UI eligibility. Job-seekers/claimants have two weeks (14 days) to comply with the service requirement from the date on their notification letter. Initial notification letters mailed to selected job-seekers/claimants scheduling their RESEA state, “Failure to keep this appointment may result in a denial of your unemployment insurance benefits (R.S. 23:1600(2)).” Job-seekers/claimants who fail to report for their scheduled RESEA with no contact with the WFDS or UI Claim Center are considered a “Failure to Report” and are in jeopardy of losing benefits for one (1) week. Subsequent RESEA non-compliance determinations will result in an indefinite disqualification until the job-seeker/claimant complies. A non-monetary determination is issued to the job-seeker/claimant explaining the reason for their disqualification resulting in a stop of benefits. Notification is mailed to the job-seeker/claimant and a copy is sent to their personal message center in the HiRE system. The UI Claim Center number is provided for assistance on all correspondence. LWC has taken an aggressive approach in developing more comprehensive integrated systems throughout the agency. True integration and collaborative processes have been established through building stronger links among OWD, UI, and IT working together to provide a full array of services to our customer base. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is currently in place with all partners. Louisiana Workforce Commission’s OWD, UI, IT and Management of Information Systems (MIS) departments have collaborated to create a seamless relationship in the sharing and transferring of information. This relationship produces the required Federal Reports, ETA 9128 and 9129, as required by USDOL for both the treatment and comparison groups. Once ETA releases the guidance on the 9128 X and 9129 X, the UCX and Quarterly Narrative Report 9165, Louisiana Workforce Commission will ensure the required data is tracked accurately and reported quarterly.