Six to seven weeks into unemployment, participants were required to report to a job service orientation session. At the orientation, participants received information about IJSA services and scheduled an assessment interview. During the assessment interview, staff developed an individual service plan for the participant. Individual service plans varied, but the services specified in the plan were mandatory.
On average, participants completed services about two months after they began receiving UI benefits. A two-stage screening process first screened out UI claimants who were unlikely to face long periods of unemployment, then used a model that considered the local unemployment rate, job tenure, education, occupation, and industry to predict which of the remaining UI claimants were most likely to face long-term UI. The individuals identified as most likely to exhaust their UI benefits as a result of this two-step screening process were selected to participate in the demonstration program.
In addition to fulfilling the usual requirements for UI, individuals in IJSA were required to complete this program to continue receiving their full UI benefits.
The IJSA program was implemented in Washington, DC, and in multiple UI offices in Florida. IJSA was implemented along with two similar programs for UI claimants: the Structured Job Search Assistance (SJSA) and the IJSA with Training (IJSA+).
The IJSA program provided unemployment insurance (UI) recipients with personalized services to help them find a new job at an early point after entering the UI system.