Crucial Reemployment Measure Included in FY 2018 Budget

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON - Funding for a nation-wide reemployment program long championed by the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA) was included in the FY 2018 budget passed by Congress earlier today.

The Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) program until now had been a widely-successful pilot grant program for states to provide individuals receiving unemployment insurance (UI) benefits with intensive job-seeking services, enabling them to transition back to employment much faster than non- participants.  RESEA has long been a key legislative priority for NASWA and member states, but until now was not embedded in law.

“The effectiveness of the RESEA program cannot be overstated,” said Scott B. Sanders, Executive Director of NASWA. “Its return on investment has been noted to save trust funds at least $2.50 for every $1.00 invested. Additionally, states have been the laboratory of innovation on reemployment efforts over the years and their efforts to assist individuals get back to work has been recognized. We applaud the bipartisan manner in which Congress was able to formalize and expand RESEA.”

Sanders noted the FY 2018 budget authorizes roughly $4 billion for the RESEA program over the next 10 years, enabling states to greatly expand beyond the parameters of the original pilot, which had received approximately $115 million in the FY 2017 budget.

NASWA’s 2018 Legislative Priorities