Draft TEN - RESEA State Plan

TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT NOTICE	NO.
	DATE

TO: STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

FROM: LORI FRAZIER BEARDEN

Acting Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT: Announcing Revisions to the Required Elements of Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Grant State Plan Template

1. Purpose. To announce the availability of the revised Required Elements of an Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Grant State Plan Template

2. Action Requested. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (Department’s) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) requests that state agency administrators provide information contained in this Training and Employment Notice (TEN) to appropriate staff.

3. Summary and Background.

1. Summary – RESEA is an evidence-based, formula-funded program supporting states’ provision of reemployment services and eligibility assessments to recently unemployed individuals receiving unemployment compensation. To receive RESEA funding, a state must complete an annual RESEA state plan process, as described by Section 306(e) of the Social Security Act (SSA). This TEN publishes the revised RESEA state plan template for Fiscal Years (FY) 2026-2028.

2. Background – The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, Public Law 115-123 (BBA), enacted on February 9, 2018, included amendments to the Social Security Act (SSA) creating a permanent authorization for the RESEA program. The RESEA provisions are contained in Section 30206 of the BBA, enacting new section 306 of the SSA. Section 306(e), SSA, provides the authorization and specific requirements for an annual RESEA state plan.

To receive an RESEA grant, a state must submit an annual RESEA state plan that responds to all required elements and is approved by the Secretary of Labor. In 2019, ETA developed this state plan data collection to align with the statutory annual report requirements detailed in section 306(e), SSA, and the essential administrative information necessary to complete the review, execution, and oversight of RESEA grants. Since implementation of this RESEA state plan ICR, the Department has conducted annual reviews of RESEA state plan submissions to identify possible changes to the RESEA state plan ICR that could reduce common errors and other challenges.

On May 13, 2025, ETA published a notice in the Federal Register (90 FR 20316) requesting public comment concerning the extension for the authority to conduct the information collection request using the RESEA state plan template. The requested comments were to review the applicable documentation as described in Section 306(e) and the proposed revision which included:

• Edits throughout the template to provide added technical clarity for each required element and help mitigate common submission omissions or errors;

• Short checklists of required narrative components incorporated into instructions to help ensure submitted narratives are complete; and

• New elements requiring states provide positive confirmation that all required supplemental documentation is attached.

In response to the notice, ETA received a public comment recommending the consolidation of multiple data entry tables into a single common table. ETA concurred with the commentor and integrated the recommended revisions into the final template.

4. State Plan Template.

As an information collection subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act, The Required Elements of an Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Grant State Plan template requires Office of Management and Budget approval which was obtained on (Date/OMB Approval number). The attached template will be used during FYs 2026-2028 to meet requirements of Section 306, SSA and to provide ETA with essential administrative information necessary to complete the review, execution, and oversight of RESEA grants.

The approved template is attached for reference and available online at (insert link). Specific instructions for state plan submission will be included in forthcoming annual RESEA operating guidance.

5. Inquiries. Please direct inquiries regarding the information in this TEN to [email protected] and copy to the appropriate ETA Regional Office.
   
   

6. References.

• Section 306 of the Social Security Act (SSA) (42 U.S.C. 506);

• 90 Fed. Reg. 20316, Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; Required Elements of an Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments (RESEA) Grant State Plan, published May 13, 2025, https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-08372

7. Attachment(s).

• Attachment I – Elements of an Unemployment Insurance (UI) Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) Grant State Plan contains the required data collection items to determine a state’s eligibility for funding.

EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20210