selects participants for national effort to expand employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities | U.S. Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor has officially announced the selected participants for its National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network, known as NEON, for the 2026 fiscal year. Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, New York, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia are the designated core states for this initiative. Each of these locations will receive technical assistance designed to improve job outcomes for individuals with mental health conditions.

The project aims to bridge the gap between various government agencies. By improving collaboration across vocational rehabilitation, mental health services, and workforce agencies, the initiative seeks to remove common barriers that prevent people with mental health conditions from securing stable employment. The effort focuses on evidence-based practices that allow state agencies to use actual data to guide their policy decisions.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy, Julie Hocker, noted that many individuals with mental health conditions or co-occurring disabilities have faced systemic hurdles to employment for too long. The initiative works toward creating environments where these individuals can live and work in their communities with increased financial security. By partnering with state intermediaries and national mental health organizations, the program addresses the specific, complex needs of this population.

This marks a continuation of the ODEP initiative, which has been in operation since its launch in 2019. The department has secured support from Economic Systems Inc. to manage the technical services required for this program. These states will now move into a phase of deepening their partnerships, aiming to turn policy changes into measurable employment results for their residents.