Overview of the Disability Employment Initiative Setting the Stage for Round 5 DEI Projects December 2014 1.

Overview of the Disability Employment Initiative Overview of the Disability Employment Initiative

Setting the Stage for Round 5 DEI Projects Setting the Stage for Round 5 DEI Projects

December 2014

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Disability Employment Initiative Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)(DEI)

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According to Congress: ◦ “These funds…will improve the accessibility and accountability

of the public workforce development system for individuals with disabilities.

◦ The Committee further expects these funds to continue promising practices implemented by disability program navigators, including effective deployment of staff in selected States to: improve coordination and collaboration among employment

and training and asset development programs carried out at a State and local level, including the Ticket to Work program

and build effective community partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve individuals with disabilities.”

Learning ObjectivesLearning ObjectivesUpon completion of this webinar, Round V DEI grantees will know:

•The Impact of the DEI and Lessons Learned to Date

•What is the same versus what is different between Round 5 and previous Rounds of DEI Projects

•The Challenges and Opportunities for Round 5

•Roles and Responsibilities of local, state and federal level DEI stakeholders

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AgendaAgenda• What have we done?

• What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 – 4

• What have we learned?• DEI Lessons Learned from Rounds 1-- 4

• What are we doing now?• What is the same versus what is different for Round 5

• What are we hoping to accomplish?• Addressing challenges/embracing opportunities in Round 5 DEI

• Defining National DEI Roles and Responsibilities

• Resources

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What have we done?What have we done?

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DEI GranteesDEI GranteesSince 2010, there have been 5 rounds of DEI grantees awarded over $95 million covering 37 projects in 26 states:

1. Round one in Program Year 2010 at $22 million: Alaska, Arkansas (youth), Delaware (youth), Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey (youth), New York and Virginia.

2. Round two in Program Year 2011 at $21 million: California, Hawaii, Ohio, South Dakota (youth), Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin.

3. Round three in Program Year 2012 at $21 million: Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota (youth) and Rhode Island.

4. Round four in Program Year 2013 at 18 million: Alabama (youth), Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho (youth), Illinois, Maine, New York and Virginia

5. Round five in Program Year 2014 at 15 million: California, Illinois (youth), Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Dakota (*Note: Round V grantees had all received previous rounds of DEI funding)

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What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 - 4What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 - 4

Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Access

•Established a strong foundation for increasing access to WIA Intensive and Training at the on-set of grant implementation in Local Areas through targeted training and technical assistance site visits

•Significantly increased the number of job seekers with disabilities accessing WIA Intensive and Training Level Services

•Projects have effectively positioned customers with disabilities to not only access but to also achieve outcomes through WIA Intensive and Training services utilizing DEI intervention strategies

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Workforce Performance OutcomesWorkforce Performance OutcomesDEI Pilot SitesDEI Pilot Sites

• The data on these charts from Round 1 DEI Projects show positive trends indicating that adult and youth customers with disabilities who gain access to WIA services are meeting performance outcome measures.

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DEI Round 1 Youth Pilot SitesYouth Common Measure for Youth with Disabilities

 Youth

Common Measures

DEI Round 1 Youth Projects

 All States /All LWIAs

Collective Average Round 1 DEI YouthAR DE NJ

Exit Rate for Older Youth 5.2 18 32.4 8.7 19.8 Exit Rate for Younger Youth 11.3 35.8 52.7 16 36.9 Entered Employment Rate for Older

Youth50 75 68.4 61.5 69

Workforce Employment NetworksWorkforce Employment Networks

The comprehensive nature of the American Job Centers makes them a natural service provider as an EN.

• Job Centers are employment support providers that can help Social Security disability beneficiaries return to work.

• Participation as an EN provides an additional revenue source to leverage funding to maximize services for customers with disabilities.

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What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 - 4What has the DEI accomplished: Rounds 1 - 4

Sustainability (of DRC positions AND DEI strategies)

• Developed a workable sustainability model that was anchored on three of the service delivery strategies (EN Revenue, WIA Performance and Partnership and Collaboration).

• Translation of Active Resource Coordination and the Integrated Resource Team approach beyond the DEI pilot sites and target population of job seekers with disabilities.

• Asset Development strategies embraced and benefiting both individuals with and without disabilities accessing the AJCs.

• LWIBs recognized the value of DRC positions and DEI strategies as demonstrated by WIASRD data and welcomed income from serving Ticket Holders through the Workforce EN.

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What have we learned?What have we learned?

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DEI Lessons-LearnedDEI Lessons-Learned• The DEI is a PROJECT and NOT a program

• 3 years isn’t long enough for systems-change, but it’s a start

• DEI intervention strategies are designed to increase outcomes via WIA and the Workforce EN

• DEI Projects that have open lines of communication with national DEI staff and hold regular meetings with their TA Liaison create a stronger state work plan. This practice enhances continuity while also driving creativity among the state DEI team.

• DEI Benchmarks and Outcome Indicators tool proved a useful guide for activities that result in improved WIA and Ticket outcomes for job seekers with disabilities

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DEI Lessons-Learned continuedDEI Lessons-Learned continued• All systems change starts with the demand created by the needs of

actual customers. DRCs are most successful when they have first increased the number of customers with disabilities seeking WIA core, intensive and training services.

• The flexibility of DEI Funds helped many projects facilitate access to WIA Intensive and Training services. The DEI Training Funds prioritized serving ticket holders (but did not limit these funds to ticketholders). Additionally, these funds were tied to the promotion of the IRT approach and serving individuals with more significant challenges to employment. The use of these funds, along with guidance and support from the DRC, provided a powerful model to WIA on how to achieve outcomes for job seekers with disabilities.

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DEI Lessons-Learned continuedDEI Lessons-Learned continued• ENs that invest in Benefits Planning training are more successful,

including those who invested in having the DRC have this skill set or a plan with certified work incentive specialists outside of the AJC.

• There are benefits to co-enrolling Ticket Holders in WIA.

• Sustainability can take many forms. Whether its sustainability of the DRC position, the DEI intervention strategies being integrated into the AJCs, etc… Sustainability can be at the state level or at the local level.

• Ticket/EN funding is key for sustainability of DEI efforts and the EN operation needs to be a priority at the beginning of the grant in order to have it functioning during year 2 and 3 of the grant.

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What are we doing now?What are we doing now?

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Differences between Round 5 Differences between Round 5 and previous Rounds of DEIand previous Rounds of DEI

• Introducing Career Pathways component which represents DOL policy direction and is aligned with the passage of WIOA in July 2014.

• Stronger partnerships to implement job-driven strategies with other federal, state and local partners in Education, Health and Human Services, Vocational Rehabilitation, Community Colleges and Universities, Business and Industry

• Major focus on job-driven strategies that emphasizes work experience, on-the-job training, apprenticeship and integration of work with learning

• 3 populations: Adult, Youth, and Individuals with Significant Disabilities

• Ticket/Workforce EN component requires either the state or one of the participating LWIBs to be a Workforce EN or agree to apply within 60 days

• Elimination of random assignment that now allows for grantee selection of DEI workforce investment areas

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Round V DEI GoalsRound V DEI GoalsRound V DEI goals use the services of the AJCs, in partnerships with educational institutions, businesses, and other resources, to achieve the following individual, program, and system level goals: 1.Improve employment outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities and maximize their economic self-sufficiency through existing career pathways approaches implemented in the public workforce system;

2.Build on available core, intensive, and training services provided in the AJCs and existing successful career pathways programs to add flexible and innovative strategies that increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in these programs; and

3.Create systemic change by expanding the capacity of the public workforce system to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in existing career pathways programs, including the necessary partnerships, policies, and practices to sustain this capacity, and replicate these strategies throughout the public workforce system.

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DEI Round V ObjectivesDEI Round V ObjectivesThe Objectives of the Round V DEI are to:

1) Improve the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities2) Provide more and diversified job-driven training opportunities3) Increase the number of individuals with disabilities who earn credentials4) Facilitate academic and employment transitions5) Incorporate flexible approaches to designing and providing training6) Test customized employment services strategies within the public

workforce system7) Build effective community partnerships and collaborations 8) Promote more active engagement with the business sector 9) Promote and document the effective blending and braiding of resources 10) Create systemic change by establishing partnerships, processes,

policies, etc… 11) Strengthen the connection between the AJCs and Vocational

Rehabilitation (VR)

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DEI Round V OutcomesDEI Round V OutcomesOutcomes and Outputs for the Round V DEI are as follows:

Quantifiable measures for evaluating project success, including, but not limited to: • Number and percentage who enter training in career pathways programs; • Number and percentage who complete training in career pathways programs; • Number and percentage who attain credentials and the types of credentials; • Outcomes on the Common Performance Measures (i.e. entered employment

rate, employment retention rate, and average six months earnings).

Achievable set of anticipated outcomes for Social Security disability beneficiaries, including an increased:

• Number of State and local WIBs becoming Employment Networks; • Number of Tickets assigned; • Amount of Ticket revenue; and • Number of Social Security disability beneficiaries participating in career

pathways programs.

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What are we hoping to achieve?What are we hoping to achieve?

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What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5

• Improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities by increasing their participation in existing career pathways systems and programs.

• Full access to Career Pathways at any door which they choose to enter, but specifically, increased access and participation through AJC programs (WIA/WIOA).

• Pioneering promising practices that can be used under WIOA both for people with disabilities and for other populations with multiple challenges to employment.

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What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5continued.continued.

• EN activity will be operational (Tickets assigned and first payment received) by end of DEI grant year 1.

• Collaborating with community colleges and other educational institutions on integration or enhancement of accommodations, assistive technologies, and certification components that address the diversity of disability needs and expands career and employment options.

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What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5What are we hoping to achieve: Round 5continued.continued.

• Improving long-term income potential and economic self-sufficiency for youth and adults with disabilities through access to education, work experience, apprenticeship, or on-the-job training in sectors of regional and national economic growth. 

• Facilitating and enhancing service delivery integration and coordination across vocational rehabilitation, education, and adult literacy program systems.

• The national and regional DEI offices and the NDI-DEI technical assistance team will be providing support but will be LEARNING from Round 5 who will be paving the way under this new focus.

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DEI Roles and DEI Roles and ResponsibilitiesResponsibilities

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Defining DEI National RolesDefining DEI National Roles

1.National DEI Program Office• ETA• ODEP

2.ETA Federal Project Officers

3.Contractors• NDI Team• DEI Evaluation Team

Additional ResourcesAdditional Resources DEI Technical Assistance Project (http://www.dei-ideas.org/)

For grant implementation tools and ongoing support for state-level project staff, go to the State Leads resources page (requires you to be logged in):http://www.dei-ideas.org/chapter2-3/page01a_stateleads_private.cfm

For resources, tools and information on Career Pathways programs and systems, go to the Career Pathways resources page (Note development of this section is in process and will require you to be logged in):http://www.dei-ideas.org/chapter2-4/page01a_careerpathways_private.cfm

Disability and Employment Community of Practice provides disability

and employment resources for the public workforce systemhttp://disability.workforce3one.org

ODEP http://www.dol.gov/odep/

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Contact InformationContact InformationName Randee Chafkin, National DEI Program OfficeTitle Senior Program Specialist for Disability ProgramsPhone: 202-693-2723E-mail: [email protected]

Name Laura Gleneck, DEI Technical Assistance TeamTitle Program ManagerPhone: 781-899-0139E-mail: [email protected]

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