The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) defines competitive integrated employment (CIE) as work performed on a full- or part-time basis for which an individual with disabilities is:

• Compensated at or above minimum wage and comparable to the customary rate paid by the employer to employees without disabilities performing similar duties and with similar training and experience.
• Receiving the same level of benefits provided to other employees without disabilities in similar positions.
• At a location where the employee interacts with other individuals without disabilities.
• Presented opportunities for advancement similar to other employees without disabilities in similar positions.

The Office of Employment Disability Policy (ODEP) operates the CIE Transformation Hub to collect resources across the federal government that are working to increase the participation of people with disabilities in CIE, such as:

• VOICE (Visionary Opportunities to Increase Competitive Employment)
• Veterans RICE (Returning to Integrated Competitive Employment)
• NEON (National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network)
• ASPIRE (Advancing State Policy Integration for Recovery and Employment).

ODEP resources provide guidance, policy information, and evidence-based best practices used by people with disabilities and their families, employers, employment service providers, and state agencies. Since 2012, ODEP has provided technical assistance on aligning state policies across multiple service systems.