TAA May Newsletter

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TAA Contacts

651-259-7543
1-888-234-1330
deed.taa@state.mn.us
Fax: 651-296-0288 

Anthony Alongi, Director
651-259-7528
anthony.alongi@state.mn.us

Margie Jones, Assistant
651-259-7543
margie.jones@state.mn.us

Cindy Boyle (1,2)
651-259-7551
cynthia.boyle@state.mn.us 

Carrie Fink (3,4,0)
651-259-7252 
carrie.fink@state.mn.us 

Kelly Källi  (5,6)
651-259-7527
kelly.kalli@state.mn.us 

Deb Schlekewy, Lead (7)
651-259-7570
debra.schlekewy@state.mn.us 

Jason Wadell (8)
651-259-7552
Jason.wadell@state.mn.us

Amy Carlson (9)
651-259-7542
amy.carlson@state.mn.us 

Trade Readjustment Allowance deed.tra@state.mn.us

 Director's Corner 

A happy Spring to all! We hope you are enjoying the warm weather. This month, I would like to highlight the upcoming Joint Counselor Training on June 11 and 12 in Rochester. Whether you have worked with TAA customers, “traditional” dislocated workers, Minnesota Family Investment Program participants, veterans seeking employment, or disadvantaged adult job seekers, this is an event you should attend!

We will post registration information to this mailing list as it becomes available – but please be sure to mark off these dates and stay tuned. We look forward to seeing you there!

Alert: Trade Readjustment Allowance Issues

If your Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) clients have received a “Wage Cross Match Letter” from our agency’s Unemployment Insurance division indicating they are going to be audited, please have them contact TRA by calling 651-296-3644 and ask for a TRA Specialist. 

Many clients have also been calling about their TRA status. These calls increase as we move from one quarter to the next. All we require is for the individual to follow instructions on his or her account page to apply for benefits. Anyone needing help should call the number above and ask for a TRA Specialist.

JCT 2014 Award Nominations

 The JCT 2014 Joint Counselor Training Awards nominations are due this Friday, May 9th. The categories relevant to this unit’s programs are:

  • Dislocated Worker Counselor of the Year: This award will be given to one Dislocated Worker (DW) counselor who has made a unique and significant contribution to the quality of services received by customers in the DW or TAA programs during the past year.  
  • Lifetime Achievement Award:   This award will be given to one Dislocated Worker Counselor who has made outstanding contributions to the well-being of customers and of the DW/TAA programs generally over the course of their career.  All counselors are eligible for this award, not only those that are close to retirement. 
  • Exceptional Performance by a Team:  This award will be given to a provider or team of individuals that has functioned effectively as a team to improve the quality of the DW/TAA programs.  

Nominations are submitted online at http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/1610815/2014JCT-Nominations

For more information, please contact Carrie Fink at Carrie.Fink@state.mn.us or 651-259-7252. 

Dislocated Worker Program vs. TAA

We still see occasional confusion about how DW and TAA interact, particularly in regards to training plans. Here is a summary of where similarities and differences lie.

Both DW and TAA are re-employment programs with the goal of getting people back to work as soon as possible. Whereas DW is available to most people who lose their job permanently through no fault of their own, TAA is only available to those individuals who lose their job permanently due to foreign trade (as determined and certified by the U.S. Department of Labor). Individuals who are eligible for TAA can either enroll in the Dislocated Worker program only, or be co-enrolled in the TAA program. No customer may enroll in TAA without enrolling in DW.

TAA will pay for training if the eligible individual is coming from an occupational area that has less than 5 percent growth and is interested in training toward an occupational area that shows greater than 5 percent growth.

TAA program participants must meet all of the following six eligibility criteria to qualify for training:

  1. There is no suitable employment available for the adversely affected worker.
  2. The laid off individual would benefit from appropriate training.
  3. There is reasonable expectation of employment following completion of training.
  4. Approved training is reasonably available from either governmental agencies or private sources.
  5. The laid off individual is qualified to undertake and complete such training.
  6. Such training is suitable for the laid off individual and is available at a reasonable cost. 

Individuals are only allowed one training plan in the TAA program and that training must result in a credential. Individuals can't request a second training plan after completion of the initial plan. Training plans in DW are more flexible and don't need a credential; that said, we always encourage counselors to help customers seek training that will result in industry-recognized credentials, wherever possible. DW training needs to be WIA approved or through a school with a MOHE code (Minnesota Office of Higher Education.)

If a TAA eligible individual accepts a full-time, permanent position at 80 percent or greater than their last wage from the certified employer, prior to enrollment in TAA approved training, they will not be eligible to request or receive TAA benefits. The same applies if the individual returns to the trade certified employer. Should the individual find themself not “suitably” employed at a future date, benefits could be requested at that time.  Due to various timelines, the only benefit often available at a later date is TAA training. (The TRA benefit window closes 26 weeks after the layoff or certification date, whichever is later, unless a waiver is in place. The waiver must accompany a plan.)

If an individual is participating in TAA approved training and accepts “suitable” employment, that individual can continue with the training program.  (Individuals can switch from full-time to part-time training as long as they have enough remaining weeks to complete their program. Individuals cannot exceed 130 training weeks per 2011 law.)

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Why TAA Needs Labor Market Information (LMI) 

LMI is one of the guidelines TAA uses to ensure federal regulations are followed in approving training plans. In order for TAA to authorize training in a new occupation, TAA looks for a minimum of 5% job growth. Conversely the LMI for the trade affected job needs to be down trending or showing less than 5% growth. If the trade affected job is 5% or above, TAA requires additional justification for training such as job ads that are requiring a certain level of education or additional certifications.

This can be complicated by regional data or sudden changes in a specific job type. When this occurs, it is best to use regional resources such as Iseek.org for a more accurate LMI within Minnesota. If ONET is used, TAA needs the state statistics, not national. If the state is other than Minnesota, the client needs to indicate a willingness to relocate to the state that is experiencing growth.

TAA not only looks at growth but also the number of jobs that statistic represents. For example, an occupation may show 20% growth but only 20 jobs are being offered in the region. This plan would not be approved. Or in another example, a future occupation may show growth but the educational requirements exceed what can be accomplished within the TAA timeline.

What kind of LMI information does TAA need to accompany a training plan?

TAA only needs a single page showing either regional or state growth percentages and salary ranges for the trade affected position as well as another page with the same data listed above for the occupational goal. TAA doesn't need all of the additional pages outlining skills, education and other qualities needed for the desired position.

You, as Dislocated Worker Counselors, know your clients best. TAA relies heavily on the information you have obtained from meeting with your client along with data from skill and interest assessments. TAA needs accurate LMI information but we do look at the big picture and ultimately your opinion can be instrumental in whether a plan is approved or not. 

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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: cynthia.boyle@state.mn.us and type “TAA Newsletter” in the subject line.