Policy Chapters and Sections

Automatic Exit in IWDS 2.0

Chapter: 3 Section: 5
Effective Date: 7/13/2026
Expiration Date: Continuing
Published Date: 7/14/2026 2:29:29 PM
Status: Current
Version: 2

  1. For the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, an exit occurs when a customer has not received a WIOA Title I service for ninety (90) calendar days, and no further services have been planned.  The official exit date is the last date of a qualifying staff-assisted service. However, this exit cannot be determined until ninety (90) consecutive calendar days have passed without qualifying services and there are no planned future services. At that point, the Illinois Workforce Development System (IWDS) 2.0 automatically applies the exit retroactively to the last date of qualifying service.
  2. A qualifying service is a staff-assisted service that keeps a customer active in WIOA.  Examples include:
    1. Basic Staff-Assisted Career Services;
    2. Individualized Career Services;
    3. Training Services; or
    4. Work-Based Learning Activities such as On-the-Job Training (OJT) or work experience.
  3. Services that do not extend participation include:
    1. Self-Service Activities;
    2. Information-Only Services or Contacts;
    3. Supportive Services;
    4. Follow-up Services;
    5. Routine Contact Attempts (such as reminder calls);
    6. Administrative Case Notes;
    7. Training Paid by Non-WIOA Title I Funds; or
    8. Youth Cash Incentives.
    9. Note: Basic career services that are not provided with staff assistance (self-service activities or information-only services) may occur prior to enrollment or during active participation in WIOA.
  4. Per Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 10-16, Change 3, Performance Accountability Guidance for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Programs, supportive services (e.g., transportation assistance, childcare, work tools, uniforms) are not classified as a “program service” for purposes of determining participation. Only training, career services, or other participation‑level services count toward extending participation. Therefore, since supportive services are not considered a service that extends participation, they do not delay or reset the ninety (90) calendar day exit clock.
    1. For the Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker programs, only enrolled customers may receive supportive services. Additionally, for the Title I Youth program, supportive services can be provided as a follow-up service and, therefore, can take place after exit without delaying the exit date.
  5. Automatic exits are generated on the one hundredth (100th) calendar day after the customer’s last qualifying service, allowing a ten (10) calendar day lag for data entry. Once the system generates the exit, Career Planners cannot reverse it.
    1. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s Office of Employment and Training recognizes that there will be rare situations in which an auto exit must be reversed to continue serving an actively engaged customer. These situations should occur only in extenuating circumstances, specifically when the required data was not entered to show active participation. Any reversal will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by Local Administration and OET. All requests will be documented (with a reason) and will be tracked for compliance with state policy.
  6. If a customer has been automatically exited from the program because they have not received a qualifying service within ninety (90) calendar days, and they are seeking additional services, a new application must be entered since it would be a new period of participation for the customer.
  7. IWDS 2.0 displays the exit information on the Exit Status tab of the Follow-Up Section on the Customer’s Profile page. Career Planners can update any outcome information here, and it will populate the appropriate Outcomes Section on the Customer’s Profile page.
  8. Local Workforce Innovation Boards (LWIBs) should have policies and procedures in place to collect supplemental information post-exit on wages and employment (where there is not an Unemployment Insurance (UI) wage record match for contractors or self-employed customers), O*NET codes of employment after exit, any training-related employment, and any credentials earned up to twelve (12) months post-exit. 
  9. Exit-based performance measures are determined by the customer’s Exit Quarter, which is based on the retroactive exit date. Subsequent post-exit quarters used for performance calculations and follow-up tracking are measured from that quarter. For example, a customer who exits between January 1 and March 31 would have a second quarter after exit that runs from July 1 through September 30.