Note to Reviewer

Request for Emergency ICR Approval:

Collecting Aggregate Participant Counts for Workforce Investment Act Title IB, Wagner-Peyser Act, National Emergency Grants, and Reemployment Services Grants and Workforce Investment Act Title IB Individual Records on a Quarterly Basis

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (The Recovery Act) was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009—Division A Title VIII, P.L. 111-5. The Recovery Act is intended to preserve and create jobs, promote the nation’s economic recovery, and assist those most impacted by the recession. The Recovery Act provides the U.S. Department of Labor and the public workforce investment system with unprecedented levels of funding for a number of employment and training programs to help American workers acquire new skills and get back to work. The programs include Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Title IB; Wagner-Peyser Act, including Reemployment Services Grants; and National Emergency Grants.

If the workforce system is to meet both the letter and the spirit of the law and fulfill its critical role in the U.S. economic recovery, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) must implement the Recovery Act expeditiously and effectively, with full transparency and accountability at all levels. To that end, this request for emergency ICR approval is to modify the frequency of reporting and request the collection of some additional data elements¹ covered under the following two approved performance-related collection instruments:

1. OMB Control Number 1205-0420—Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker and Youth Activities Programs. This control number includes the following ETA forms: (A) Workforce Investment Act Annual Report—ETA Form 9091, (B) Workforce Investment Act Quarterly Report—ETA Form 9090, and (C) Workforce Investment Act Standardized Record Data—WIASRD

2. OMB Control Number 1205-0240—Wagner-Peyser and Veterans’ Employment and Training Services (VETS) Programs. This control number includes the following ETA forms: (A) ETA 9002 Report and (B) VETS 200 Report.

The reporting requirements related to this change are designed to keep the additional reporting burden to a minimum, while ensuring that ETA collects the necessary information to report timely information to stakeholders about the use of the Recovery Act funds. Accountability guidelines for the Act emphasize data quality, streamlining data collection, and collection of information that demonstrate measurable program outputs and outcomes. Consistent with the law, ETA will make the reported information publicly available through the Administration’s Recovery website (www.recovery.gov).

States currently submit a Quarterly Report (ETA 9090—OMB Control No. 1205-0420) (submitted 45 days after the end of the calendar quarter) with the following information:

• Aggregate participant counts by program (WIA Adults, Dislocated Workers, Youth, and National Emergency Grants);

• Aggregate training counts (for WIA Adults and Dislocated Workers only); and

• Aggregate counts of outcomes against performance measures (reports on exiters and depending on measure, reports on individuals who exited anywhere from 15 to 22 months prior to the reporting date).

For the Wagner-Peyser Act program, states report quarterly aggregate reports (ETA 9002 and VETS 200 series—OMB Control No. 1205-0240) from the Labor Exchange Reporting System 45 days after the end of the calendar quarter on participant characteristics, services and exiter outcomes. No individual participant information is reported to ETA.

To record the impact of the Recovery Act resources, more current information on participants and the services received is essential. Therefore, to obtain a more robust look at participants and services provided with the additional Recovery Act resources, ETA has developed new, required supplemental reports. Under these new supplemental reports, states are required to submit information that states already collect; however, the supplemental reports are required to be submitted monthly.

• For WIA Adult, states will report aggregate counts of all participants, including those whose services are funded with regular WIA Adult formula funds and Recovery Act funds. States will report aggregate counts on those participants who are low-income, those receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families and other public assistance, the number of UI claimants, Veterans, and individuals with disabilities, numbers in training and type of training, and numbers receiving supportive services.

• For WIA Dislocated Workers, states will report aggregate counts of all participants, including those whose services are funded with regular WIA Dislocated Worker formula funds and Recovery Act funds. States will report the number of UI claimants, Veterans, and individuals with disabilities, numbers in training and type of training, and numbers receiving supportive services.

• For National Emergency Grants, financed with Recovery Act funds only, states will report aggregate counts of participants, including the number of UI claimants, Veterans, and individuals with disabilities, numbers in training and type of training, and numbers receiving supportive services.

• For WIA Youth, served with Recovery Act funds only, reporting will be slightly different. States will report aggregate counts of all Recovery Act youth participants, including the characteristics of participants, the numbers of participants in summer employment, services received, attainment of a work readiness skill, which is required in the Recovery Act, and completion of summer youth employment. States will also continue to submit the regular WIA quarterly and annual reports, including any youth who continue services under the WIA year-round youth program.

• For the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service, states will report on the number of participants served, number of Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants served, and the type of services received. States will be required to submit supplemental reports of aggregate counts of all participants whose services are financed with regular Wagner-Peyser Act formula funds and Recovery Act funds (i.e., Employment Service and Reemployment Services).

• For the Wagner-Peyser Reemployment Services Grants, states will report on the same data elements that are collected for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service report, with one additional data element: referral to training, including WIA-funded training.

In addition to these aggregate monthly reports, ETA proposes that states submit the WIA individual records (WIASRD) on all participants in the WIA title 1B programs, and in National Emergency Grants, on a quarterly basis, beginning with the 3rd quarter of Program Year 2009, which ends on March 31, 2010. The first deadline for the required quarterly submission will be May 15, 2010. This start date gives states sufficient time to adjust their management information systems.

The supplemental reports and quarterly collection of WIA individual records allows ETA to overcome the limitations imposed by current outcome based performance reporting requirements.  This collection comprises a participant and performance reporting strategy that will provide a more robust, “real time” view of the impact of the Recovery Act funds, providing greater information on levels of program participation, and provide more information about the characteristics of the participants served, and the types of services provided.  The approval of this request is necessary to allow ETA to report performance accountability information immediately on the effective use of Recovery Act funds already received by state workforce agencies.  With these monthly reports more detailed information on individuals will be available while they are participating in the programs.  There is also significant value added by obtaining quarterly individual records from state workforce agencies.  First, quarterly submissions provide more timely information to respond to the oversight needs of Governors, Congress and other Federal/state stakeholders and the general public.  Second, ETA will benefit from more timely analysis and states will have access to more regular updates on nationwide participation information as well as employment and training trends.

1 The additional data elements include:

• Number of participants enrolled in another WIA program (Recovery Act WIA Youth program)

• Number of out-of-school youth age 22-24 (Recovery Act WIA Youth program)

• Work readiness attainment rate (Recovery Act WIA Youth program)

• Summer employment completion rate (Recovery Act WIA Youth program)

• Distinction between staff-assisted services versus those that are provided virtually (Wagner- Peyser Act program)

• Referral to training, including WIA-funded training (Reemployment Services Grants)

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