A Conversation About Equitable Distribution

To put it plainly, Equitable Distribution requirements are the guard rails put in place to make sure everyone who is eligible for SCSEP has a fair chance to participate in the program. Equitable Distribution is based on Census data and is how Authorized Positions are allocated to each state and their counties. This means that even though some counties are easier to serve than others, Equitable Distribution ensures eligible individuals residing in all counties are afforded the opportunity to participate in SCSEP.

Achieving Equitable Distribution is not that complicated. However, complications can arise when there is not an intentional recruitment strategy in place. ED requires grantees to have a plan that outlines an effective, proactive strategy to recruit individuals with the intention to fill these positions with eligible participants.

The ED reports in GPMS display Authorized Positions (AP) and Modified Positions (MP) by state and by grantee. The reports provide a snapshot in time of AP/MP based on enrollment for all counties within each state, and identifies those counties that have not been fully enrolled during a specific quarter and those counties that are over- or under-served during a quarter. Grantees are required to use the ED data to determine any variances and produce solutions to address these variances to ensure full enrollment in every county that has authorized positions.

To get technical, the Equitable Distribution reports provides grantees and sub-recipients access to information about the number of SCSEP AP and MP), the number of current Enrollments (E), and the Variance between the two (V) for each county in the country. State and national grantee reports display authorized positions based on program year. Set-aside grantee reports display the authorized positions for the grant award period; these set-aside positions are separate from, and in addition to, any positions authorized by ED.

Because Equitable Distribution is required by law, Congress ties Equitable Distribution to the funding they appropriate for SCSEP each year. Consequently, all grantees, state and national, are required to submit the “ETA-8705B” ED report(s) every year. In addition, state grantees are required to submit a second report each year, the “ETA-8705A” statewide report that addresses all SCSEP positions within the state.

One final note: Equitable Distribution data will be important for developing the Program Year 2024-2027 four-year State Plan. As the state grantees, in conjunction with the national grantees, prepare their four-year State Plan, the ED data will be a necessary resource to incorporate into the state plan.

In summary: Equitable Distribution data is available within the SCSEP Grantee Performance Management System (GPMS). ED demonstrates Grantees are serving the SCSEP-eligible residents in each county with authorized positions as required by law. ED also helps grantees monitor their effectiveness to ensure they are meeting their grant requirements.

If you still have questions about Equitable Distribution, please contact your FPO and/or your NOL and copy SCSEPTechnicalAssistance@dol.gov.

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• Posted by: Kevin Mauro
• Posted in: Older Workers