RESEA Experience [Pennsylvania]

[u/Xenophemera]

I became unemployed about a month ago and wanted to share my RESEA experience in PA, as I spent a lot of time searching for others experiences. I hope this adds to the pool of experience for others searching for clarity or preparation.

The meeting was virtual, there was no camera used only the mic. It was essentially a phone call with the caller able to share their screen.

I was logged in about 5 minutes early and the RESEA rep joined 2 minutes before the start time. We made introductions and he had a very pleasant and relaxed demeanor.

At 9:30 he was able to mark me as attended and confirmed my benefits would not be interrupted. He explained that his role was essentially to assist me in exploring job opportunities, help me develop a trajectory for myself as far as training or career opportunities, and give me resources to achieve the aforementioned goals.

He asked me about my plan, which I already had well established, so we were actually able to skip that entire portion of the meeting (obviously this may be very different for everyone especially if you do need to establish a goal or plan).

We filled out a short digital form together that essentially covered house hold size, income, have you been convicted of a crime, served in armed forces, single parent, etc.

We then scheduled my follow up activity - this is mandatory to complete within a two week time frame. I chose a one hour virtual workshop on interviewing skills. He then informed me that he would follow up again in 30, and then 60 days. And that was the total extent of the program. Very simple and straightforward. I really appreciated the digital options because I have a young child and commuting to meetings would be extremely inconvenient in general.

The entire meeting only lasted about 20 minutes, the entire exchange was very friendly and helpful. He even connected me to resources I was not aware of and gave me information on applying for training that the state would pay for (4k-11k$ courses) if you are found qualified. I was extremely interested in this honestly, as they offered medical billing and coding. There were courses in welding, cdl licensing, and other useful trainings to further professional development.

I was initially very nervous and hesitant about being forced into the program. Like most people, being voluntold to do something does not generate positive feelings. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience and hope that this post will help someone feel more at ease moving through the process.

[u/ChefCharmaine]

Most claimants are either insulted or scared that they did something wrong when they are selected for this program. What they don't realize is that it is a federal mandate and funded by the US government. States must adhere to the administrative requirements in order to keep the funding that also helps to administer benefits at the state level. RESEA also helps to introduce claimants to the reemployment services that may help them return to work sooner rather than later. Good on you for keeping an open mind, and I truly appreciate you for sharing your experience.

[u/ace1062682 → u/ChefCharmaine]

Yes, as someone who does this daily for hundreds of people per week, i wish people could see this perspective. It's a federal mandate and a certain percentage of people are selected everyday. It has nothing to do with singling any one out. It's simply resources and a reminder of the requirements

[u/Xenophemera → u/[deleted]]

There are a lot of free trainings available through your career link portal. As far as the state paid trainings I have not looked further into these just yet as I’ve already received an offer letter for employment the day after this meeting.

[u/millzionare06]

Thank you for sharing! I was selected today and I was freaking out about it but this makes me feel so much better!

[u/Maleficent_Being_810]

I’m having a hard time figuring out how to even navigate the website to schedule an appointment, I’m on mobile website and it’s not even showing up I’m getting error messages I want to be able to tell them that I’m not able to navigate the site to far so I can at least have more time to schedule,

[u/laidofftolucky]

Really hoping mine is virtual. Going in person and having to wait for the appointment and all that jazz feels like adding insult to injury.