Six to seven weeks into unemployment, participants were required to report to a job service orientation session. At the orientation, the participants were given information about the services available to them and were scheduled for an assessment interview. The orientation for IJSA+, unlike for IJSA and Structured Job Search Assistance (SJSA), included a coordinated effort with the local Economic Dislocation and Worker Adjustment Act staff to enroll interested participants in training. During the assessment interview, staff developed an individual service plan for the participant and emphasized the opportunity for training. 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 identified UI claimants who were permanently separated from their previous job and then selected individuals who were most likely to exhaust their UI benefits (using a model that considered the local unemployment rate, job tenure, education, occupation, and industry).
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. The IJSA+ program was implemented in the same evaluation as two similar programs for UI claimants: the SJSA and the IJSA.
The IJSA+ program provided unemployment insurance (UI) recipients with personalized services and training to assist them in finding a new job at an early point after entering the UI system.