Pennsylvania's Common Individual Employment Plan (Reemployment Systems Integration Grant)

Pennsylvania Pinnacle Award for Business Development Nomination: Common Individual Employment Plan (Reemployment Systems Integration Grant)

Contact Information of Individual Submitting Nomination

Nominator: Eileen Cipriani

Agency Name: Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry

Pennsylvania's Common Individual Employment Plan (Reemployment Systems Integration Grant)

The PA Dept. of Labor & Industry has developed a "common Individual Employment Plan (IEP)" for all the American Job Center case managers. It will allow case managers to provide information, such as barriers, goals, employment outcomes, and training opportunities for a shared customer.

This project was a collaborative effort between Title I, Title II, Title III, and staff from the PA Dept. of Human Services. These partners will now have the capability of working from one participant plan with the ability to share real-time information. The initiative has eliminated the use of duplicative plans that were developed on behalf of the customer. The common IEP has built in capabilities for a case manager to make a referral on behalf of a customer to an internal/external organization in the community. (Referrals can be tracked to measure effectiveness/outcomes). Customers have access to their plans by login in to their online account (smartphone compatible). The goals, next steps, and action items are highlighted, giving the customer a clear picture of what is to come next in their "roadmap" to reemployment.

Case managers have new dashboards that will help with ensuring that the goals, barriers, and training outcomes are being addressed timely.

Statement of results, accomplishments, impacts and any other appropriate information that demonstrates why the nominee's efforts were an exceptional contribution.

The Common IEP went live on October 5th 2018. PA used over 50 case managers from Title I, Title II, Title III, and DHS to test this new feature on our system of record (CWDS). PA made sure that workforce partners were engaged during the design, development, and rollout of this initiative. By allowing stakeholders to be a part of the entire process, it has allowed partners to embrace this new tool for case management.

PA also ensured that a robust training program followed the release of this tool. In a span of two weeks, the PA Dept. of L&I trained over 430 case managers, with live trainings and a champion network made up of case managers who are stationed throughout the 57 AJC's in PA.

The results of this initiative are showing a gradual increase in customer engagement with reemployment services, coenrollment, and stronger collaboration between partner agencies.

Other significant contributions

The CWDS 2.0 Enhanced IEP/ISS project is submitted under the Innovative Set of Services criteria, by addressing customers goals. By using one Individual Employment Plan multiple partners can work together to achieve the customers goal of finding a job. The project also is an example of Innovative Service Delivery, changing from partners each operating from their own Individual Employment Plan, to one plan for a jobseeker, streamlining service delivery and offering opportunities to braid funding.