Gas Card Incentive Project - Our New Normal

In late 2019, Indiana worked to develop new ways to increase engagement of eligible workers due to an overall decline in engagement. We knew, if we could just get them in the door, we usually had them! Fast-forward to February 2020, Indiana submitted a proposal to USDOL requesting the use of gas cards to incentivize individuals to attend TAA informational sessions. GREAT TIMING (sense the sarcasm); our request was submitted 14 days before the first US COVID lockdown. The words “new normal” became household terms of how our personal and work lives would look. Even though we had DOL approval, we paused the pilot. Later, just as we were coming out of the pandemic, the TAA program entered into Sunset, and we again had to find our “new normal.” As we shifted our primary focus to outreach of previously certified workers, the pandemic experience gave us time to reimagine how we deliver services. We switched from the standard delivery of “sit here for an hour during the middle of the day and watch a PowerPoint presentation of an overload of information” to the Open House format.

Indiana officially launched the gas card pilot in March 2023 at our Open Houses, targeting workers covered under a 2015 certification who had not previously engaged.  As for the Open House format, think job fair but for TAA. The Open House is a four-hour event, often in “off” hours to provide attendees the opportunity to view a 10-minute video on available TAA benefits and services, receive informational packets, and meet one-on-one with a TAA case manager. Additionally, partner program staff are onsite to assist with those who may attend that are not TAA eligible. Basically, all they have to do is show up, be on an eligible worker list, complete a short survey, and get a $50.00 gas card!

Each Open House event has various outreach methods utilized, ranging from a postcard, email, social media campaigns, phone calls and text messages. Throughout this project, we identified successful methods and continually pivot with the information we learn. These changes have led to higher engagement rates at our events. For instance, we noticed that individuals who received an outreach call or text message the day before or day of an event were much more likely to attend than those we contact a week or two prior to the event. So, we developed a dedicated outreach team that conducts all of these calls and texts to eligible workers within a 24-hour window of each Open House event. Additionally, events are hosted in “neutral” territory, such as community centers, parks, and libraries because we experience a higher turnout rate. When people don’t come to you, you have to go to them!

In addition to providing gas cards to those that attend an Open House event, Indiana is offering gas cards to those who enroll in TAA. While meeting with a TAA case manager for program enrollment, staff require eligible individuals to complete a survey in order to capture information such as customer motivators, distance travelled to meet with case manager, and education/employment status.

All of these efforts have led to increased engagement in informational sessions and program enrollments. In three short months, Indiana engaged with over 120 eligible workers at informational sessions and increased our program enrollment by over 500% since beginning to offer the gas card incentive.

The moral of the story- challenge yourself and your team. As Oregon might say, Think Differently. Adapt to the new circumstances and find the “new normal.”

See our Related Content section for the data.

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• Posted by: Rachel Floyd-Nelson
• Posted in: Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers