A Note from the Director
Elsewhere in this issue, you’ll see a schedule for counselor
training. I strongly encourage each and every Dislocated Worker counselor
to attend at least one of these trainings, if at all possible. The topics
we cover here through presentation and discussion will save you time, for that
part of the caseload you hold with TAA customers. The training does not
take long, is interactive, and is a great opportunity to put “names with
faces”. It’s also a terrific chance to help us understand your
perspective on TAA issues. I’m personally attending two or three of these
– I’ll hope to see you there!
Autumn Counselor Training
Counselor Training has begun and
the feedback to date has been positive. If you have not already RSVP’d to Amy Carlson, please consider doing so or
just show up. This is an opportunity to get the latest updates on program
changes and to ask some of those perplexing questions.
Ramsey County
Friday, November 1st, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
2098 11th Ave E
North St. Paul, MN
Washington County WFC
Monday, November 4th, 9:00AM – 11:00AM
2150 Radio Drive
Woodbury, MN
Stearns Benton
Tuesday, November 5th, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
St. Cloud Technical College, Door 2
1540 Northway Dr.
St. Cloud, 56303
Northeast MN
Thursday, November 7th, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
Hibbing Park Hotel
1402 E Howard St
Hibbing, 55746
Rural MN CEP
Friday, November 8th, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
204 Laurel St., Suite 21
Brainerd, MN
MN Valley Action Council
Tuesday, November 12th, 1:00 – 3:00PM
706 N. Victory Dr.
Mankato, MN
MN Teamsters Service Bureau
Monday, November 18th, 2:30PM – 4:30PM
2829 University Ave SE, Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN
Workforce Development Inc.
Wednesday, November 20th, 2:00PM – 4:00PM
1302 Seventh St NW
Rochester, MN 55901
Quality Career Services
Thursday, November 21st, 2:00 – 4:00PM
2515 Wabash Ave, Lower Level 1
St. Paul, MN 55114
How to Check on Available RTAA Funds
Customers can check their available RTAA funds as soon as their application is approved.
1) Log onto their Unemployment Insurance (UI) account
2) On My Account Home Page, select View and Maintain My Account on the left hand navigation.
3) Select Payment Information and then select Search.
4) The account balance is listed near the top of the screen in the Payment Information area.
5) Scroll down to see a listing of payments made (sum of Net Payment and Other Distributions).
6) The Program Type begins with the letter R, such as R002.
7) If the person alternates between RTAA and standard UI payments, you may see program type STUI. Please email deed.tra@state.mn.us for more information regarding the RTAA payments.
These are the steps a counselor should take throughout an active RTAA case.
1) As soon as the RTAA benefit is approved by the TRA unit, the assigned TAA Specialist will open an RTAA activity in WF1. The counselor can look in this activity to get the initial estimated length of RTAA benefits.
2) In addition to the required communication check-ins, it is highly recommended that counselors contact their customers every few months to specifically request that customers log into their Unemployment Insurance account and provide them with the remaining dollar amount left on the account.
3) You can calculate the remaining timeframe by dividing the remaining dollar amount by the average RTAA weekly payment (sum of Net Payment and Other Distributions). This will give you an unofficial and estimated exhaustion date.
4) As the estimated end date approaches, the counselor should email the TRA unit to confirm the actual RTAA exhaustion date. (deed.tra@state.mn.us)
5) Once the exhaustion date is confirmed and the date has past, the counselor should email the exhaustion date to the customer’s appropriate TAA Specialist and request they close the RTAA activity and term the customer’s case in WF1 as of that date.
6) The counselor will be able to exit their customer out of the Dislocated Worker program one day following the entered TAA term date.
Progress
Reports
Don’t Forget – Progress Reports are due!
All students in TAA approved training longer than 6 months are required
to submit a Progress Report to their DW Counselors at mid-term and grades at
the end of each term. The Progress Report must be signed by a school official
and is necessary documentation to assure compliance to TAA Benchmark
requirements.
While it is the student’s responsibility to submit the report to the dislocated
worker counselor for placement in his or her file, sometimes things slip
between the cracks. We encourage DW Counselors to send their clients in TAA
training, a reminder with another copy of the report (found in the Forms
section of the Counselor Portal website.)
If the student does not provide this report or maintain monthly
check-in with their DW Counselor, the counselor should notify the appropriate
TAA Specialist. TAA will then send the student notification of non-compliance
to TAA approved training program requirements through email or regular mail.
Failure by the student to complete Progress Reports could jeopardize
the student’s TAA funding and TRA benefits.
Please check out the new Department of Employment and Economic Development website which you can find at http://mn.gov/deed
We strive for the information in this newsletter to be relevant and
useful, and we encourage you to provide feedback and suggestions for future TAA
Topics or TAA Success Stories. To contact the TAA team regarding this
newsletter, please e-mail: deed.taa@state.mn.us and type “TAA
Newsletter” in the subject line.
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