OMB
No.: 1290-0NEW
Expiration:
TBD
Note to US DOL: We want to ensure we capture both AJC operations information (e.g., infrastructure costs) and RESEA program management information (e.g., staff salaries). However, we expect AJC management structure to vary between states and AJCs; for example, large urban AJCs may have an AJC director who oversees all AJC programs/operations and an RESEA manager who oversees RESEA only (in which case we would conduct two separate interviews) whereas small rural AJCs may have an RESEA manager who functions in both roles (in which case we would ask all questions to this manager). We are including all questions here for OMB package submission, and once we have identified our study sites, we will tailor these protocols and questions to the appropriate parties as we come to better understand their roles.
AIR Team:
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Participant Name: |
Location:
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Date and Time:
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Note to Interviewer:
Approach the interview with empathy and understanding
Keep the tone conversational and comfortable
For each question, be sure to note the time frame that you’re discussing (e.g., during an appointment, in an average week, in the past year).
Introductory statement to respondents: We work for the research firm, [Insert Name]. The U.S. Department of Labor has hired us to help them understand the state, local, and participant costs associated with administering the RESEA program. We invited you to speak with us because of your work in the RESEA program as a/an [job title] for [state name].
Today, we will be asking you about the job duties related to the RESEA program performed by you and people you work with as they relate to the RESEA program to better understand the types of state and local resources that are used to run the RESEA program. For example, we would like to learn about your role in supporting RESEA program activities, such as orientation and initial meetings, as well as RESEA staff at this AJC.
Study Background
We will use this information to understand the costs of running the RESEA program and its components. We will also use this information to understand how the costs of running the program compare to any changes in unemployment insurance benefits paid because of claimants’ participation in the RESEA program.
[Interviewer
note: Customize this paragraph to focus on the components of interest
for the interview.] There are 5
program components that we are interested in learning more about
today. The first is RESEA Program Administration, the second is
selecting and scheduling RESEA participants, the third is AJC
Orientation, the fourth is the Initial RESEA meeting, and the fifth
and final component is subsequent RESEA meetings.
If the interviewees ask about the study, feel free to share any of the following information:
The study aims to use the information gathered from interviews, questionnaires, and other sources to understand the RESEA program’s impact on UI benefits as well as the average per-participant costs, component costs, and claimant costs of the RESEA program.
We are conducting up to 30 interviews with State Unemployment Insurance (UI) and American Jobs Center (AJC) staff who administer, evaluate, or otherwise work on aspects of the RESEA program in your state.
Interview Logistics
Today we’d like to ask about your activities, experiences, and perspectives as staff who work on the RESEA program. The interview will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete.
Before we begin, I want to assure you that all your responses will be used only for this research study. Your name will not appear in any written reports we produce. We will try to describe any responses you give in a way that will make it impossible to identify you. The interview itself is voluntary and you may choose not to answer any specific question.
We may also send you a brief follow-up survey to collect additional information or to clarify the information that you provide today.
We would like to record our conversation so we can have a back up to our notes. The recording will remain private we will de-identify your information if we cite quotes from this discussion in our reports by removing references to any personal identifying information. We will erase the recording before the end of the project. Is it okay for us to record?
[If YES, thank the respondent and wait to record until you have confirmed everyone’s name, department and job title.]
We’d like to begin by understanding your role at [AJC name] and the nature of your work with RESEA participants.
To
start, we would like to learn a little bit more about you. Please
tell us your name, title, and role at [AJC Name].
[Interviewer note: Start recording after this information has been collected. Consider adding an introduction to the recording like: “This is an interview recorded on [date] by interviewer [name].”
1a. Could you tell us about responsibilities here at [AJC name]?
Please tell us about your educational and employment experience.
Probes: What credentials, qualifications, and/or training are required for someone in your role?
Do you work, either directly or indirectly, with the RESEA program? This could include things like working directly with RESEA participants, supporting RESEA program activities like AJC orientation, supporting RESEA program staff in their work, or attending RESEA-related trainings or professional development opportunities offered by [state name].
If so, about what percent of your full-time equivalent time do you spend working on RESEA?
Do you work directly with RESEA claimants? Please tell us more about your work with them.
Probes: Do you schedule RESEA appointments for selected claimants? Do you conduct outreach or follow-up for claimants scheduled for RESEA meetings? Do you lead AJC Orientations? Do you meet one-on-one with claimants to provide RESEA-related services?
Tell us more about your staff/staff at the AJC.
Which staff members work with RESEA claimants? What are their titles?
[for each staff member] What percent of their full-time equivalent time do they work on RESEA?
Probes: How many staff in your AJC work with RESEA claimants? What are their titles and roles? What services do they provide? On average, how much of their time weekly is spent serving RESEA claimants?
Tell us more about the population your AJC serves. Approximately what percentage of the people you serve are unemployment insurance claimants who have been selected for RESEA?
One of our goals is to learn more about how much time AJC staff spend on different components of the RESEA program, including RESEA program administration, selecting and scheduling RESEA participants, AJC Orientation, and initial and subsequent (if applicable) RESEA meetings. Next, we’d like to ask you some questions about how much time you spend on these activities, as well as which other AJC staff are involved in them.
Note to interviewer & note-taker: It is very important to take careful note of the time unit (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) used to assess role responsibilities in each question.
Working with RESEA Staff: Does any of your work involve supporting RESEA program managers, staff, or program activities (for example, providing training to RESEA staff, developing website material about RESEA, creating videos or handouts)?
If so, tell us more about what you do to support RESEA program activities/staff.
Probes: In a typical week, do you supervise these staff members, help them troubleshoot problems, provide guidance on how to help specific claimants, hold staff check-ins or other meetings, etc.? Are there activities that you engage in with staff that happen on a monthly or annual basis like performance reviews or staff training related to RESEA? Do you provide training to RESEA staff, develop website material about RESEA, or create videos or handouts?
In a typical week, roughly what percent of your time do you think you spend supporting RESEA managers, staff, or activities you described above, compared to staff and activities for other AJC programs?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] About how many hours do you spend on this in an average week?
Which other AJC staff are involved in supporting RESEA program managers, staff, and/or program activities?
Please tell us their names, titles, and education/experience.
In a typical week, about what percent of full-time equivalent their time do they spend on supporting staff who work on RESEA?
Do you use any other resources to help manage/support RESEA program activities and staff? This could include things like paper for printing materials, Zoom licenses or software subscriptions (e.g., SurveyMonkey), etc.
[If yes] How much does [each item they list] cost?
On a monthly basis, how much does it cost to in monthly rent your [AJC name] space?
What percentage of this cost is applied to RESEA?
On a monthly basis, how much does [AJC name] spend on utilities?
What percentage of this cost is applied to RESEA?
Do staff at [AJC name] use other materials to implement RESEA?
[If yes] Please describe each material and its dollar value.
Reporting:
Do you do any data collection or performance reporting related to the RESEA program (for example, performance reports to the local workforce development board or the [central office name])? If so...
[If yes] About what percentage of your time spent on RESEA each month do you spend on this?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] About how many hours do you spend on this in an average week/month/year?
Do any other AJC staff do performance reporting related to RESEA?
[If yes] How many staff members contribute to performance reporting? What are their titles?
[For each staff named] Approximately what percent of their full-time equivalent time each month do they spend on reporting related to RESEA?
Do you use any other resources to complete reporting activities? This could include things like Zoom licenses or software subscriptions (e.g., Canva).
If so, how much does [each item they list] cost?
Trainings and Professional Development
Did you participate in any trainings related to RESEA in the past year? If so...
[If yes] About how many RESEA-specific trainings did you participate in?
[If yes] About how long did each training last?
Do you meet with state RESEA staff as a part of your regular job duties? For example, do you meet with state RESEA staff for check-in calls, provision of technical assistance, training and professional development, or other purposes?
[If yes] What percentage of your time spent on RESEA each month do you spend in these meetings?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] How frequently do you meet with state RESEA staff in a given month? How much time, on average, does each meeting take?
Do you use any resources to participate in training and professional development? This could include things like Zoom licenses or travel to off-site trainings.
If so, how much does [each item they list] cost?
Component 2: Selecting and Scheduling RESEA Program Participants
Note to interviewer & note-taker: It is very important to take careful note of the time unit (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) used to assess role responsibilities in each question.
Please describe how many RESEA claimants are scheduled for RESEA meetings?
Are you involved in the scheduling and rescheduling of RESEA appointments?
If so, about what percent of your time on RESEA do you spend on this scheduling claimants in an average week?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] In a typical week, how many hours do you spend scheduling claimants for RESEA meetings?
Which AJC staff members are involved in scheduling RESEA appointments? Please provide their names and titles.
[For each staff named] About what percent of their time spent on RESEA is spent on scheduling meetings each week? This may include scheduling initial RESEA meetings and subsequent meetings but may also include rescheduling meetings for claimants that did not attend their RESEA appointment.
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] In a typical week, how many hours does each staff member spend scheduling claimants for RESEA meetings?
Aside from staff time, what other resources are used to schedule RESEA participants? This could include things like scheduling software or other technology used for this.
If so, how much does [each item they list] cost?
Component 3: AJC Orientation
Note to interviewer & note-taker: It is very important to take careful note of the time unit (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) used to assess role responsibilities in each question.
What does in-person AJC Orientation look like in your AJC? How long does a typical AJC orientation last?
Are you involved in delivering AJC Orientation to RESEA participants?
If so, about what percent of your time spent on RESEA do you spend on delivering AJC Orientations in a typical week? This includes time spent preparing for orientation (e.g., preparing PowerPoint slides or handouts) as well as actually delivering orientation to participants.
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] In a typical week, how many hours do you spend delivering AJC orientations for UI claimants who have been selected for RESEA?
Which AJC staff members are involved in delivering AJC Orientation to RESEA participants?
How many staff members are involved in delivering AJC orientations?
Please tell us the names and titles of staff involved in AJC orientations.
[For each staff named] About what percent of their time spent on RESEA is spent on delivering AJC orientations each week?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] In a typical week, how many hours does each staff member involved spend delivering AJC orientations for UI claimants who have been selected for RESEA?
Do you or your staff use any other resources to deliver AJC Orientation? This could include things like Zoom licenses or paper handouts.
If so, how much does [each item they list] cost?
Is there an option to deliver orientation virtually?
[If yes] What is involved in delivering a virtual orientation?
[If yes] Which staff deliver virtual orientations? What are their job titles?
[If yes] How many minutes does a virtual orientation take for the average claimant? How many minutes does it take to prepare for delivering a virtual orientation?
[If yes] In a typical week, what percentage of orientations are delivered virtually? In a typical week, how many claimants participate in AJC orientations virtually?
What nonpersonnel resources, including Zoom licenses or other technology, do you use to deliver virtual meetings?
What is the dollar value of [resource]?
Component 4: Initial RESEA Meeting
Note to interviewer & note-taker: It is very important to take careful note of the time unit (e.g., weekly, monthly, quarterly) used to assess role responsibilities in each question.
What do initial in-person RESEA meetings look like in your AJC? Please note that we are specifically interested in initial meetings here, or the first meeting staff have with an RESEA participant after they are selected. We will ask about any additional meetings you have with participants later.
Are you involved in conducting initial meetings with RESEA participants?
If so, about what percent of your time spent on RESEA is spent on delivering initial RESEA meetings in a typical week?
Which AJC staff members are involved in conducting initial meetings with RESEA participants?
How many staff members are involved in delivering initial RESEA meetings?
Please tell us the names and titles of staff involved in providing initial RESEA meetings.
[For each staff named] Approximately what percent of their time spent on RESEA is spent on conducting initial meetings in a typical week?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] In a typical week, how many hours does each staff member involved spend delivering initial RESEA meetings?
Do you or your staff use any other resources to conduct initial meetings? This could include things like Zoom licenses or paper handouts.
If so, how much does [each item they list] cost?
Is there an option to conduct initial meetings virtually?
[If yes] What is involved in delivering a virtual initial RESEA meeting?
[If yes] Which staff deliver virtual initial meetings? What are their job titles?
[If yes] How many minutes does a virtual initial RESEA meeting take for the average claimant? How many minutes does it take to prepare for delivering a virtual initial meeting?
[If yes] In a typical week, what percentage of initial meetings are delivered virtually? In a typical week, how many claimants participate in initial meetings virtually? What nonpersonnel resources, including Zoom licenses or other technology, do you use to deliver virtual meetings?
What is the dollar value of [resource]?
Component 5: Subsequent RESEA Meeting (if applicable)
What do in-person subsequent RESEA meetings look like in your AJC?
Are you involved in conducting subsequent meetings with RESEA participants?
If so, about what percent of your time spent on RESEA do you spend on delivering subsequent RESEA meetings in a typical week?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] In a typical week, how many hours do you spend delivering AJC orientations for UI claimants who have been selected for RESEA?
Which AJC staff members are involved in conducting subsequent meetings with RESEA participants?
Please provide their names and titles.
About what percent of their time spent on RESEA is spent conducting subsequent RESEA meetings each week?
[If staff are unable to give a percentage estimate] For each staff member, approximately how many hours do they spend delivering subsequent RESEA meetings in a typical week?
Do you or your staff use any other resources to deliver subsequent meetings? This could include things like Zoom licenses or paper handouts.
If so, how much does [each item they list] cost?
Is there an option to conduct subsequent meetings virtually?
[If yes] What is involved in delivering a virtual subsequent RESEA meeting?
[If yes] Which staff deliver virtual subsequent meetings? What are their job titles?
[If yes] How many minutes does a virtual subsequent RESEA meeting take for the average claimant? How many minutes does it take to prepare for delivering a virtual subsequent meeting?
[If yes] In a typical week, what percentage of subsequent meetings are delivered virtually? In a typical week, how many claimants participate in subsequent meetings virtually?
What nonpersonnel resources, including Zoom licenses or other technology, do you use to deliver virtual subsequent RESEA meetings?
What is the dollar value of [resource]?
We’d also like to hear your thoughts about how many AJC resources in general are used to support the RESEA program.
AJC Budget: We’d like to know more about the resources required to operate an AJC. Could you give us an idea of the facilities and infrastructure costs required to run this AJC?
Probe: This could include items like the following: IT support; Security systems (e.g., alarm system, keycards); Computers + software subscriptions; Printing; Phones/Fax/Internet/Wi-Fi hot spots; Office/desk supplies; AV Equipment (e.g., projectors, video cameras), or other similar resources.
Roughly what share of these resources do you think are used by RESEA program services, activities, and staff?
Alternate phrasing: Roughly what percent of your total customers are RESEA participants?
Are there are other resources that are necessary to support RESEA program operations that we haven’t asked about yet?
At a later time, could you provide us with budgetary information for this AJC? We don’t need the exact numbers right now, but if we asked you that question in a follow-up questionnaire, would that be something you could share with us?
What factors do you consider when allocating RESEA funds?
a. How do you decide which specific RESEA activities or interventions to invest in or scale up/down?
b. How does this decision-making process take into account fiscal effectiveness, efficiency, and expected impact?
c. Who is involved in the allocation decision making process?
What metrics or data do you rely on to guide your allocations?
a. What challenges have you faced in recording or using metrics/data related to costs or cost-effectiveness? [If yes: what steps did you take to resolve these challenges?]
In what ways, if any, do you braid funding from multiple sources?
What external factors (like state budgets) impact your resource allocation?
How does your organization assess return on investment for the RESEA program?
Is there anything else you would like to share with us that we have not already covered?
Thank you for answering these questions. You have been extremely helpful in sharing your experiences with us. If you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to share anything with us that we did not discuss, please feel free to contact us.
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Public reporting burden for this data collection instrument is estimated to average 1 hour and 45 minutes per response. The burden estimate includes the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and submitting the survey. This collection of information is voluntary. You are not required to respond to this collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. Please send comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information to the U.S. Department of Labor, Chief Evaluation Office, 200 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20210, or ChiefEvaluationOffice@dol.gov and reference OMB control number 1290-0NEW.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Rege, Gee |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2025-09-19 |