In January 2023, with funding provided by Arnold Ventures, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) partnered with Actus Policy Research (Actus) to evaluate the effectiveness of the RESEA (Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment) program. The program requires Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants to meet with job counselors at the start of their UI claims to undergo an eligibility review and receive job-search assistance services. Following the meeting, claimants are required to complete assigned service activities and then attend a follow-up meeting.
Actus implemented a randomized controlled trial (RCT) impact study, in which 76,796 UI claimants were randomly assigned either to the RESEA group (required to participate in RESEA) or to the control group (no RESEA requirements). The RCT intake period spanned from August 2023 through March 2025, a period of a historically strong labor market.
The Interim Report presents promising preliminary findings about the effectiveness of the RESEA program based on data halfway through the evaluation period. Notably, using data for about half the evaluation sample, these preliminary findings show that the RESEA program:
was very successful in facilitating claimant meetings with job counselors, with 80% of RESEA group claimants completing at least one meeting;
substantially increased service receipt, with 78% of RESEA group claimants receiving job counseling services;
reduced UI duration by 0.50 weeks and benefit amounts collected by $161 per participant, generating more than $1.8 million in UI savings; and
had positive but statistically insignificant effects on participants’ employment rates and earnings in the first quarter after UI entry.
Over the next 12 months, results will be updated to include the entire study sample and extend the follow-up period for UI outcomes, employment, and earnings.
Click here for the full Interim Report.