Appendix F--Respondent Mailings

Evaluation of the UC Provisions of ARRA

Mathematica Policy Research

APPENDIX F
RESPONDENT MAILINGS

DOL letterhead

APPENDIX F – ADVANCE LETTER
[DATE]
Dear [FIRST NAME] [LAST NAME]:
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is sponsoring a study to learn about the experiences of
people who applied for and received unemployment compensation benefits in recent years, since
new legislation and provisions have been in place. The study, called the Evaluation of the
Unemployment Compensation Provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of
2009, is being conducted by Mathematica Policy Research on behalf of DOL. As part of this
study, Mathematica will survey unemployment insurance (UI) recipients from around the
country. You have been chosen to represent UI recipients in your state. We need to interview you
even if you are no longer collecting benefits. The study will help DOL improve its services to
assist jobseekers.
For your convenience, you can complete the survey in one of two ways—either on the web,
or by telephone with one of Mathematica’s professional interviewers. The survey will take about
30 minutes to complete. After you complete the survey, Mathematica will mail you a check to
thank you for your participation. You will be mailed $50 if you complete the survey on the web
or $40 if you complete it on the telephone. The survey is available in both English and Spanish.
To complete the survey, please follow the instructions below.
1.

By web: Go to https://www.xxxxxsurvey.xxx and enter the following
case-sensitive login information:
Username: [XXXX]
Password: [XXX]

2.

OR

By telephone: Call toll-free xxx-xxx-xxxx and ask for the UCP study.

Your participation is voluntary, but we encourage you to complete the survey as soon as
possible. Any information that we collect from you will be used for research purposes only and
will be kept private to the fullest extent provided by law.
Thank you in advance for your participation. An information sheet about the study is
enclosed. If you have any questions about the survey, please call Mathematica toll-free at
xxx-xxx-xxxx and ask for the UCP study. Mathematica is an independent research company
based in Princeton, New Jersey. You can learn more about Mathematica by visiting its website at
www.mathematica-mpr.com.
Sincerely,

Federal Project Officer
Enclosure
F.3

INFORMATION SHEET
EVALUATION OF THE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION PROVISIONS
OF THE AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT ACT OF 2009
WHO/WHICH AGENCY IS SPONSORING THE STUDY?
This study is being sponsored by the United States Department of Labor (DOL).
WHO IS CONDUCTING THE STUDY?
Mathematica Policy Research, an independent research company, is conducting the study on behalf of DOL.
Mathematica has more than 40 years of policy research and program evaluation experience. You can learn more about
Mathematica by visiting its website at www.mathematica-mpr.com.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY?
The purpose of the study is to learn about the experiences of people who applied for and received unemployment
compensation benefits in recent years.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY?
People who applied for and received unemployment compensation benefits in the last few years are eligible.
HOW DID YOU GET MY NAME?
Your name was scientifically selected from among people in your state who filed for unemployment insurance benefits in
the past several years.
WILL THE INFORMATION FROM THE SURVEY BE KEPT PRIVATE?
All of the information we collect in the survey will be kept private and will be used for research purposes only. Your
answers will be combined with the answers of other survey participants. Your name will never be used in any reports.
Only members of the study team will have information about you.
HOW LONG WILL THE SURVEY TAKE?
The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete. You can complete it on the web or by telephone with a professional
interviewer.
WILL I BE PAID?
Yes, we will mail you a check for $50 for completing the survey on the web, or $40 for talking to us on the telephone,
within two weeks of completion.
WHY ARE THERE DIFFERENT PAYMENT AMOUNTS?
Because it costs us more resources to contact participants and conduct the interview by telephone, we are able to offer a
higher incentive to those persons who complete the survey on the web.
WHO GAVE YOU THE AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT THE STUDY?
This study is being sponsored by DOL and has been approved by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
under OMB Control Number XXXX-XXXX. Without this approval DOL would not be able to conduct this study.
WHO CAN I CONTACT FOR MORE INFORMATION?
For more information about the study or to schedule a time to complete the survey, you can call Mathematica toll-free at
XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Prepared by Mathematica Policy Research

F.4

U.S. Department of Labor

c/o Mathematica Policy Research
P.O. Box 2393
Princeton, NJ 08543-2393
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is conducting a survey of people who filed
for unemployment insurance benefits in recent years. We need to hear about your
experiences and will use the information to improve services.
You can complete the survey in one of two ways:
1. By web – You Will Receive $50: Go to https://www.xxxxxsurvey.xxx
Enter the following (case-sensitive) login information.
Username:XXXX

Password:XXX

OR
2. By Telephone – You Will Receive $40: Call toll-free xxx-xxx-xxxx
Ask for the UCP study.
Thank you!
We will keep your responses private to the fullest extent provided by law.
Mathematica Policy Research is conducting the survey for DOL under Contract No.
DOLJ081A20678 and OMB Control No. xxxx-xxxx, expiring xx/xx/xxxx.

F.5

DOL Letterhead

REMINDER LETTER
[DATE]
Dear [FIRST NAME LAST NAME]:

Recently we sent you an invitation to participate in a special study that the U.S. Department
of Labor (DOL) is sponsoring. The purpose of the study is to learn about the experiences
of people who applied for and received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in recent years,
since new legislation and provisions have been in place. The study will help DOL improve its
services to assist jobseekers. Mathematica Policy Research, an independent research company, is
conducting the study for DOL. For this study, Mathematica is surveying UI recipients in
different parts of the United States. Your name was scientifically selected for this study from UI
recipients in [fill STATE].
To date, we have not received your completed survey. It is easy to participate. You can
complete the survey on the web or by telephone with one of Mathematica’s professional
interviewers. On average, the survey takes only about 30 minutes to complete. To show our
appreciation, you will receive a payment of $50 if you complete the survey on the web, or $40 if
you complete it by telephone with an interviewer.
To complete the survey, please follow the instructions below.

By web: Go to https://www.xxxxxsurvey.xxx and enter the following (case-sensitive)
login information.
Username: XXXX
Password: XXX
By telephone: Call toll-free xxx-xxx-xxxx and ask for the UCP study.
Your participation is voluntary, but we encourage you to complete the survey as soon as
possible. Any information that we collect from you will be used for research purposes only and
will be kept private to the fullest extent provided by law.
Thank you in advance for your participation. An information sheet about the study is
enclosed. If you have any questions about the survey, please call Mathematica toll-free at
xxx-xxx-xxxx and ask for the UCP study.
Sincerely,

Federal Project Officer
Enclosure

F.6