1. DEI Orientation Part 1: Setting the Stage for Round VI DEI Projects
Hosted/Facilitated by: Laura Gleneck, NDI Technical Assistance Team
Presented by: David Jones, National DEI Program Office and
Miranda Kennedy, NDI Technical Assistance Team
DEI Orientation Series – 2016

2. Host / Moderator Host / Moderator: Laura Gleneck
Title: Project Manager for the DEI, NDI Technical Assistance Team
Organization: NDI Consulting, Inc.
Laura

3. Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)
DEI is jointly funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
Training and Technical Assistance to DEI Projects on implementation of the DEI is provided under U.S. DOLETA contract with NDI Consulting, Inc. and the National Disability Institute (NDI), the NDI Technical Assistance Team.
Evaluation of the impact of the DEI Projects implementation and outcomes of the DEI will be provided under U.S. DOL ODEP contract with Social Dynamics and its partners.
Laura

4. Presenters Presenter: Miranda Kennedy
Presenter: David Jones
Title: Workforce Analyst, Disability Employment Initiative (DEI)
Organization: U.S. DOL, Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Presenter: Miranda Kennedy
Title: Director of Training and Technical Assistance
Organization: National Disability Institute (NDI)
Laura

5. Agenda I. An Overview of the DEI and how it Connects with WIOA
II. DEI History and Current Administration
III. DEI Outcomes – Lessons Learned
IV. Foreseeable Opportunities and Challenges for Round VI Grantees
V. Clarifying National DEI Roles and Responsibilities
VI. Resources
David

6. DEI Overview
DEI

7. DEI Grantees
Since 2010, there have been 6 rounds of DEI grantees awarded just under $110 million covering 43 projects in 27 states:
Round 1 in Program Year 2010 at $22 million: Alaska, Arkansas (youth), Delaware (youth), Illinois, Kansas, Maine, New Jersey (youth), New York and Virginia
Round 2 in Program Year 2011 at $21 million: California, Hawaii, Ohio, South Dakota (youth), Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin
Round 3 in Program Year 2012 at $21 million: Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota (youth) and Rhode Island
Round 4 in Program Year 2013 at $18 million: Alabama (youth), Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho (youth), Illinois, Maine, New York and Virginia
Round 5 in Program Year 2014 at $15 million: California, Illinois (youth), Kansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, South Dakota (Round V grantees had all received previous rounds of DEI funding)
Round 6 in Program Year 2015 at $15 million: Alaska, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, New York, Washington
David 7

8. The DEI Landscape
David 8

9. DEI Strategic Service Delivery
DEI implements different service delivery strategies:
Partnerships and Collaboration
Integrated Resource Teams
Blending and Braiding Funds / Leveraging Resources
Customized Employment
Self-Employment
Guideposts for Success
Asset Development Strategies
David –

10. Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)
WIOA was signed into law on July 22, 2014, by President Obama. WIOA is designed to streamline and improve the coordination of employment and training services across federal agencies and to strengthen collaboration. Several key provisions to highlight include:
Seamless Customer-Focused American Job Centers (AJCs)
Aligns the “core” programs to provide coordinated, comprehensive services
Career Pathways
David 10

11. WIOA Career Pathways Definition
The term “career pathway” means a combination of rigorous and high quality education, training, and other services that-
aligns with the skill needs of industries in the economy of the State or regional economy involved;
prepares an individual to be successful in any range of secondary or postsecondary education options, including apprentices registered under the Act of August 16, 1937;
includes counseling to support an individual achieving the individual’s education and career goals;
includes, as appropriate, education offered concurrently with and in the same context as workforce preparation activities and training for a specific occupation or occupational cluster;
organizes education, training, and other services to meet the particular needs of an individual in a manner that accelerates the educational and career advancement of the individual to the extent practicable;
enables an individual to attain a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent, and at least one recognized postsecondary credential; and
helps an individual enter or advance within a specific occupation or occupational cluster.
David 11

12. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM)
On April 16, 2015, five new proposed rules were released for public comment to fully implement WIOA. One of the five proposed rules focused on joint regulations on Unified and Combined State Plans, Performance Accountability, and the One-Stop Joint Provision.
The One-Stop Joint Rule Provision had the following cluster of proposed regulations in the NPRM:
General Description of the One-Stop System
One-Stop Partners and Responsibilities of Partners
MOU for the One-Stop Delivery System
One-Stop Operators
One Stop Operating Costs
One-Stop Certification
David 12

13. Joint One-Stop Vision Guidance
On August 13, 2015, the core partners and Administration of Children and Families (ACF) of U.S. Department of Health Human Services (HHS) jointly released “Vision for the One-Stop Delivery System Under the WIOA” (TEGL 4-15) which reinforced the following principles:
One-Stop Centers provide excellent customer service to job seekers, workers, and businesses
One-Stop Centers Reflect Innovative and Effective Service Design
One-Stop Centers Operate with Integrated Management Systems and High-Quality Staffing
David

14. DEI – A Vehicle for Innovation
Based on WIOA statute, proposed regulations to implement WIOA, and DOL guidance issued, the DEI is a perfect vehicle to be innovative. Thus, the DEI can:
Model Service delivery strategies for all participating systems
Participate in small scale pilots that explore larger WIOA systems issues
Use expertise around multiple systems to develop operational models
David 14

15. DEI History and Current Administration
Miranda

16. When you are aiming at a moving target, shoot at where it’s going
and not at where it has been.
Miranda –

17. Historical Retrospective
Previous ETA and ODEP grants to improve employment outcomes of youth and adults with disabilities:
ODEP Employment Service Models
Customized Employment Grants (CEG)
Workforce Action (Olmstead) Grants
START-UP Initiative
State Intermediary Youth Grants
Guideposts for Success
ETA Systems Change Models
Work Incentive Grant (WIG) Projects
Disability Program Navigator (DPN) initiative
Miranda –

18. Historical Retrospective
The DEI has evolved over its short history:
Rounds I-IV ( ) – Laying Down the Foundation of the Service Delivery Strategies
Round V (2014) – Introduction of Career Pathway Component; Stronger Partnerships to implement job-driven strategies, Targeting 3 different populations (Adults, Youth, and Significant Disabilities), Ticket/Workforce EN Component, and Elimination of random assignment
Round VI (2015) – Builds on the changes from Round V. Two states received funding focused on capacity building and service delivery targeting individuals with significant disabilities.
Miranda –

19. DEI Administration
The DEI grants are funding a PROJECT and NOT a program: specifically the DEI is a SYSTEMS CAPACITY BUILDING PROJECT
DEI grants help expand the capacity of the American Job Centers (AJCs) to serve customers with disabilities
Miranda – 19

20. DEI Administration
The mission of DEI is to expand the capacity of the workforce system to better serve job seekers with disabilities by:
Improving training and employment of persons with disabilities focusing on career path which lead to economic self-sufficiency;
Building effective partnerships that leverage public and private resources to better serve persons with disabilities; and
Expanding the public workforce development system’s capacity to become Employment Networks for beneficiaries under the Social Security Ticket to Work (TTW) Program.
Miranda – 20

21. DEI Administration Responsibilities of the DEI Project Lead include:
Coordinating with local DEI workforce development boards implementing sites to ensure issues are addressed and common goals are achieved
Representing the state in administrative communications and facilitating state and local DEI participation in training and TA activities
Establishing and coordinating partnerships with other state level agencies
Coordinating implementation of Ticket to Work
Facilitating implementation of additional data collection and process evaluation requirements
Miranda 21

22. Ticket to Work (TTW)
Participating as an Employment Network in the Social Security Administration's (SSA) Ticket to Work Program to provide SSA beneficiaries with disabilities with expanded choices regarding services and supports needed to enter, re-enter, or maintain employment and to generate additional funding for service delivery at the AJCs.
EN activity will be operational (Tickets assigned and first payment received) by end of DEI grant year 1.
Miranda 22

23. Workforce 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.
All DEI EN Tickets Assigned by Quarter (NYESS data not included )
Qtr end 3/31/14
Qtr end 6/30/14
Qtr end 9/30/14
Qtr end 12/31/14
Qtr end 3/31/15
Qtr end 6/30/15
Qtr end 9/30/15
2357
2564
2910
2572
2747
2984
3075
$2,432,716
$2,956,465
$3,399,409
$3,429,058
$3,923,330
$4,192,694
$4,576,295
*Information made available from data collected from Ticket Program Manger

24. DEI Outcomes – Lessons Learned

25. DEI Outcomes – Quantity of Individuals Served
Rounds 1 and 2 grantees made a significant impact on the enrollment of individuals with disabilities into AJCs
David

26. DEI Outcomes – Partnerships
Building relationships between staff at AJC and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Offices resulted in improved efficiencies of operations between partners and improved service delivery to our consumers.
Opening lines of communication early in the DEI process; Educate and increase awareness
Ensuring trust that will improve the efficiency of the administration of Ticket to Work amongst partners.
David

27. DEI Outcomes- Integrated Resource Teams (IRT)
Integrated Resource Teams (IRTs) have facilitated the blending and braiding of resources across public and private providers.
Though blending of funding streams is difficult due to state and federal program requirements, DEI grantees examine the individual needs of job seekers with disabilities and determine which funding streams address those needs.
Using the IRT approach at the individual job seeker level has contributed to DEI staff learning more about the resources and expertise that is available through WIOA mandated partners. This knowledge has been used to increase the efficiency of services at a systems level by reducing programmatic duplication.
David – with assistance from Miranda

28. DEI Outcomes – Ticket to Work
States that have established or accessed an Administrative Level Employment Network (EN) have seen economies of scale that have influenced the ability of local staff to administer Ticket to Work program.
Skillful administration of the Ticket to Work (TTW) program is time intensive. States, such as New York, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Iowa that have established State Level EN to shoulder the administrative burden of the TTW program. Additionally there are national level Administrative ENs that are approved by DOL and can be accessed for this support. This allows LWIAs to focus on what they do best, which is career exploration and job placement.
Miranda

29. DEI Outcomes – Sustainability
Administrative EN supports can advance DEI project efforts significantly improving goals of sustainability.
Advancing EN efforts quickly is one way to make sustainability possible
A number of Round 1, 2 and 3 DEI project sites are still active ENs with revenue supporting full-time DRC staff
Additionally a number of states and local areas that have adopted the project model have gone on to sustain and grow many of the DEI strategies (e.g. Integrated Resource Teams and Asset Development strategies) within their existing programs and among their partners, both for people with AND without disabilities.
Miranda

30. Foreseeable Opportunities and Challenges for Round VI Grantees
David

31. Foreseeable Opportunities
Be “Innovative”- Opportunity to assess procedures in place and advocate for change; Thinking outside the box to improve on how things get done
Building Partnerships- Building and expanding a network with professionals in other agencies with common mission
Making a Difference- Working towards an end goal to help improve the lives of individuals with disabilities through systems change
David

32. Foreseeable Challenges
Period of Transition – New learning occurring in transition from WIA to WIOA; Finalizing the proposed regulations
State and Local Administration of DEI Project
No Cookie-Cutter Approach – Each LWIA is unique and a wide variety of structural issues might need to be addressed to maximize seamless operations
Documentation- Documenting the work to support DEI
Mission Creep– Expansion of DEI focus beyond its original goals (increasing access/outcomes to Career Pathways) when DRCs are faced by unmet needs of job seekers with disabilities entering centers not interested in Career Pathways.
Pace of Change – Building the capacity of systems to better serve job seekers with disabilities takes time; Patience
David 32

33. Roles and Responsibilities
Laura

34. A Recap of DEI National Roles
National DEI Program Office
ETA
ODEP
ETA Federal Project Officers
Regions 1 – 6
Contractors
NDI Technical Assistance Team
DEI Evaluation Team
David 34

35. DEI Leadership
“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”
-Franklin D Roosevelt
David 35

36. Questions If you have a comment or question you can:
A: Submit it to the host in writing via the Chat or Q&A Box to the right, or…
B: Click on the “raise hand” icon to have your line un-muted and ask your question/make your comment.

37. Additional Resources https://www.workforcegps.org/
DEI Technical Assistance Project (
For grant implementation tools and ongoing support for state-level project staff, go to the State Leads resources page:
ment-Initiative_Project_Leads_Tools_and_Resources
For resources, tools and information on DEI and Career Pathways programs and systems, go to:
s_and_Career_Pathways
Disability and Employment Community of Practice provides disability and employment resources for the public workforce system
ODEP

38. Contact Information
David Jones, National DEI Program Office
Title: Workforce Analyst
Phone:
Miranda Kennedy, DEI Technical Assistance Team
Title: Director of Training and Technical Assistance
Phone: