Participants received financial incentives, in the form of waivers, once their earnings reached $200 or self-employment exceeded a total of 40 hours. The provisions of the waiver were in effect for 12 months. During this period, the waivers allowed participants to circumvent mandatory special disability or blindness reviews for SSI applicants earning over $500 per month, which could lead to the determination that the applicant was no longer disabled. The waivers also prohibited employment from counting as a trial work period for SSDI recipients, and prevented an interruption of benefits..

Case managers helped participants by arranging for necessary assessments, developing individual employment plans, and identifying and arranging for rehabilitation and employment services that the participants needed to achieve the goals in their plans. Participants received financial incentives, in the form of waivers, once their earnings reached $200 or self-employment exceeded a total of 40 hours. The provisions of the waiver were in effect for 12 months.

Individuals who enrolled in PCPP received accelerated instruction and academic advising by participating in one or more of three health care skills academies. The academies provided basic skills remediation and occupational training along with academic advising, instructional supports, access to emergency funds for one-time expenses, such as car repairs, and continued support after program completion. Each skills academy lasted for one semester, although students were able to enroll in up to three academies for a possible total duration of 1.5 academic years.

IPS gave people ongoing support to find work based on their own preferences, a vocational assessment, and job development. Employment specialists gave individualized support to participants as well as counseling and help with transportation. There was no time limit on IPS services; employment support was given as needed. IPS was provided to unemployed individuals who were living in an urban neighborhood that was low income and who had severe mental disorders that kept them from finding employment for at least two years.

AF was a small-group, one-week program in which participants (veterans with felony histories) described their work aspirations, drafted resumes, and discussed employment challenges. After AF, participants moved into IPS, a program founded on a set of core principles—including small caseloads and rapid job searches—with the intention of helping people find and keep jobs. During IPS, supported employment specialists (SESs) provided individual job search services and worked with local employers to find positions for participants.

The program provided a life-skills course and internet-based instruction designed to improve math and reading skills to the ninth-grade level. After completing the initial education, participants could enroll in occupational training in certificate courses, including courses in the administrative support, health care, and manufacturing fields. Participants began with a life-skills course that lasted 17 hours, progressed to occupational training courses that lasted between 2.5 and 16 weeks, and finished with 24 hours of career-readiness training.

I-BEST offered occupational training courses in a variety of areas, including allied health, welding, and clerical fields. I-BEST integrated basic skills and occupational training through the use of a team teaching model whereby a basic skills and occupational instructor team taught (for at least 50 percent of class time) an occupational training course.