Welcome to ODEP's National Expansion of Employment Opportunities
Network (NEON) Initiative Core State Application Portal for 2025-2026
National Expansion of Employment Opportunities (NEON) Core State Applications
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) is announcing a solicitation for states and state government agencies to apply to become a core state through ODEP’s National Expansion of Employment Opportunities Network (NEON) initiative in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026.
NEON aims to improve employment outcomes within statewide systems that serve individuals with mental health conditions, including those with co- occurring significant disabilities. States selected through the competitive application process to become NEON core states will receive intensive policy technical assistance and ongoing mentoring (onsite or remotely) to support strategic efforts to increase employment of individuals in their state.
ODEP contracts with Economic Systems Inc. (EconSys) to manage, support, and coordinate this project. EconSys is a small business in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area providing technical assistance and support in the policy area of employment of people with disabilities.
Below are deadlines and other important dates for the application process and execution of NEON core state initiative.
- Solicitation Release: December 29, 2025, 3 p.m. ET
- Virtual Informational Session: January 7, 2026, 3 p.m. ET
- Questions Due: January 16, 2026, 9 p.m. ET
- Application Due: January 30, 2026, 11 p.m. ET
- Core State Selection Announcement: Selected Core States will be notified and announced before February 20, 2026
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Base Year Period of Performance:
January 1, 2026 - September 11, 2026
- Option Year 1: September 12, 2026 - September 11, 2027 (Expected)
- Option Year 2: September 12, 2027 - August 31, 2028 (Expected)
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In-Person NEON Meeting and Orientation
(Participation required for one representative from each selected Core State):
January 7, 2026, 3 p.m ET
- To register for the orientation plesase click here!
You can exit any time to complete your application later. All your entries will be saved in the portal but not submitted to the evaluation team.
For technical difficulties, contact EconSys at neon@econsys.com