Located in:
- III. Operational Planning Elements
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include an Operational Planning Elements section that supports the State’s strategy and the system-wide vision described in Section II(c) above. Unless otherwise noted, all Operational Planning Elements apply to Combined State Plan partner programs included in the plan as well as to core programs. This section must include—
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include a description of the State operating systems and policies that will support the implementation of the State strategy described in section II Strategic Elements. This includes—
- b. State Operating Systems and Policies
III. b. 6. C. Use of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Wage Record Data
Explain how the State will meet the requirements to utilize quarterly UI wage records for performance accountability, evaluations, and as a source for workforce and labor market information, consistent with Federal and State law. (This Operational Planning element applies to core programs.)
Current Narrative:
The state will use UI wage records from several sources in order to meet reporting requirements. Individual UI wage records from Montana are provided to the reporting system through a background database connection with Montana UI’s Montana Integrated System to Improve Customer Service (MISTICS) system. Queries are also made to SWIS to supplement state UI wage records with out-of-state and federal employment data. The reporting system compiles and matches wage records to individuals on a quarterly basis to meet the performance requirements of WIOA.
State UI wage records, along SWIS records when appropriate, are a fundamental piece of Montana’s program evaluation goals. Montana’s DLI Research and Analysis (R&A) Bureau receives a quarterly file of Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage records for payroll workers in the state of Montana. These wage records are stored on secure servers meeting the federal confidentiality standards while R&A staff are experienced in matching state UI wage record files to person records and producing summary information from those records such that confidentiality is maintained. R&A staff will use the statistical software SAS or R to match WIOA clients with their wage records using SSNs as the primary key to link records.
Following this match, the statistical software is used to manipulate and analyze the data to support system-wide analyses of customer outcomes that result on specific program experiences. These analyses will provide information to guide staff as they assist customers in selecting jobs and training opportunities that are likely to result in quality career paths. R&A staff have produced many evaluative publications on workforce programs and the labor market in the past.
A report on the labor market outcomes of clients in the Montana Registered Apprenticeship Program demonstrates the employment and wage benefits of apprenticeship programs in general, as well as apprenticeships for specific high performing occupations.
A report shows the labor market outcomes of students graduating from the Montana University System and other voluntarily participating educational institutions. The report analyzes employment and income outcomes for college graduates by degree type and field of study.
A report identifies the employment outcomes of clients in the HELP-Link program, a workforce program component to Montana’s Medicaid expansion law. The report evaluates pre- and post-participation wage data for program clients, as well as occupational outcomes to provide information on the program’s efficacy and reach.
A report on WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker Program clients based on the provider of services analyzes employment and wage outcomes of clients and provides information for program administrators to target areas for improvement.
As time, funding, and resources permit, R&A staff will continue with further evaluations. Evaluations using state UI wage records can inform internal policies, assist program clients with decision making, and provide information for targeted improvement projects.
Montana is also working to expand data sources available for wage matching. In the past several years, the Department has established MOUs for the sharing of data with two private colleges in Montana, several tribal colleges (for limited data), the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, and the Montana Department of Revenue. The colleges share PII with the Research and Analysis Bureau, who in turn matches this information with wages and locations when the student becomes employed. The information is then summarized and can be given back to the college. While data sharing exists, the Department makes sure that only summary and aggregate data is shared and no UI related PII is given directly to any entity. These relationships have allowed the Department to provide better research on our workforce system. The Department is working to improve data sharing with the K-12 system.