Giving Compass' Take:

• Social Programs That Work profiles Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment program, which aims to help people get jobs; a randomized controlled trial (RCT) showed promising results.

• The trial was conducted after a severe recession, so the report recommends conducting another RCT. In the meantime, what can other workforce development programs glean from the success in Nevada?

• Here's more on how to standardize employment outcomes data.


Nevada’s Reemployment and Eligibility Assessment program (REA) is a mandatory program for new Unemployment Insurance claimants who (i) have received one week of UI benefits under the new claim; (ii) have no work return date (i.e., are not on temporary layoff); (iii) are not active in other training programs; and (iv) are not attached to a union hiring hall. At the time the study below was initiated (2009), such individuals comprised approximately 20% of new UI claimants in Nevada.

The program is delivered by trained staff at One-Stop Career Centers across the state, who provide the following mandatory services during a single interview session:

  • A UI eligibility review to verify that the claimant is eligible for benefits (e.g., has been actively seeking employment) and prevent overpayment;
  • Labor market information (e.g., on job openings, wage trends);
  • Development of an individual reemployment plan; and
  • Provision of reemployment services (e.g., job search and resume assistance, job match against automated labor exchanges, referral to job training).

The Nevada program is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, which also funds REA programs in most other U.S. states. However, the actual program — i.e., specific program design and features — varies substantially from state to state. The Nevada program, including delivery of all items described above, costs approximately $234 per participant (2017 dollars). A more detailed description of the Nevada program can be found on pages 4-6 of the 2012 report on the Nevada REA study.

Read the full article about Nevada's reemployment and eligibility program at Social Programs That Work.