Finding
Finding 2: MDE does not have sufficient procedures in place to collect and report on the percentage of participants who are co-enrolled in two or more WIOA core programs.
States are required to report annually on the SPR the percentage of title II participants who received services under two or more WIOA core programs. A review of MDE’s SPRs for PYs 2017 through 2020 reflected a co-enrollment rate ranging from 2.23% to 18.83%. These rates were in the top 10 percent nationally each year; however, discussions with MDE staff revealed that the co-enrollment rates were collected in conjunction with the employment in the second quarter after exit (Q2E) unemployment insurance (UI) data match. The Q2E cohort is based on participants who exited from the program during the previous program year rather than the most recent program year. This means the co-enrollment values reported by MDE are representing a different program year than what is intended. MDE must develop procedures to collect co-enrollment information from the participants, or data match with other WIOA core programs, in time to produce accurate co-enrollment information for annual reporting which are representative of the current program year.
Sections 116(d) and 212 of WIOA; 34 CFR §§ 463.3 and 463.160