(a) The department shall evaluate the program and shall collect data on program cost, caseload movement, and program outcomes, including data on all of the following:
(1) The numbers of voluntary and mandatory participants in each program component.
(2) The amount of time that each participant remains in each component and the types of services, including supportive services, each participant receives.
(3) The number of recipients in each component that move to each of the other components.
(4) The number of participants sanctioned as well as the amount and duration of the sanction, the reason for the sanction, and the amount of time the participant was in the program prior to the sanction.
(5) The number of participants who go off aid, and to the extent possible, the reason they have gone off aid.
(6) The number of applicants who reapplied for and received aid after having gone off aid during the time they were participating in the program.
(7) The starting salary of employed participants.
(8) Participants’ job retention rates.
(9) The appropriateness of the categorization of participants.
(10) The appropriateness of assessments and employment plans.
(11) The appropriateness of preemployment preparation assignments, including a periodic review of the appropriateness of these assignments.
(12) The effectiveness of training components based upon the number of individuals placed in employment.
(13) The timeliness of preemployment preparation assignment reviews.
(14) The appropriateness of sanctions applied under this article.
(b) The department may use standard statistical sampling methods to conduct the evaluation. The department shall maintain this data for the state and for each county. The department may contract with a qualified organization for the evaluation required by this section. The department shall submit a plan for implementing this evaluation to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. To the extent possible, the data collection system for this evaluation shall be designed to collect data in the least expensive and least time-consuming manner possible.
(Amended by Stats. 2001, Ch. 745, Sec. 243. Effective October 12, 2001.)