In 2021, the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation contracted Actus to conduct a third-party evaluation of the Nevada Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program. This program requires service-eligible Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants to meet with job counselors to undergo an eligibility review and receive services.
Actus implemented a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design to estimate the causal impacts of both the federally funded RESEA program and the state-funded REANV program, which operated concurrently with RESEA. From October 2022 through September 2023, a period characterized by a strong labor market and the lowest state unemployment rate in at least 20 years, 17,848 UI claimants were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
RESEA group (8,539 claimants): Required to participate in the RESEA program.
REANV group (1,638 claimants): Required to participate in the REANV program.
Control group (7,671 claimants): No RESEA or REANV requirements.
The Final Evaluation Report presents the findings of the RCT impact study, providing evidence on the causal impacts of the two programs on participants’ UI receipt, employment, and earnings during a low-unemployment period.
Key findings include:
The two programs were highly effective at increasing job counseling receipt, with 82% of RESEA participants and 81% of REANV participants receiving job counseling, compared with only about 9% of control group claimants. Importantly, nearly three-quarters of RESEA and REANV participants received a direct job referral, compared with only 7% of control group claimants.
The programs led to significant reductions in UI receipt, shortening UI durations by 1.91 weeks and reducing benefits collected by $668 per participant, resulting in nearly $6.8 million in savings for the UI program.
The programs had positive effects on participants’ employment and earnings over the seven quarters following UI entry. The program increased employment by 4-6% in five of the seven quarters after UI entry, resulting in a $2,135 increase in total earnings over the entire follow-up period.
There are no significant differences in implementation or impacts between the RESEA and REANV programs, suggesting that combining the two programs into one may reduce administrative burden and generate additional cost savings.
Click here for the Final Evaluation Report.