TAA Newsletter- March/April 2017
IN THIS ISSUE:
- Coordinator’s Corner
- JCT 2017
- Incomplete Training Programs and Technology/Tools
- Technology and Quote Requirements
- Tools and Quote Requirements
- More Webinars are On the Way
- Summer Coursework
- TAA Success Stories
- Performance/Policy Updates
Coordinator's Corner
Welcome, Spring
– a time of constant change! Perennials
are just starting to peek out of the ground in the central and southern parts
of Minnesota, and the possibility of another snowstorm (or two) is constantly
in the air. Just like the seasons change,
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) team is currently in the midst of transitions.
After over three and a half years with TAA, our bubbly and
energetic staff member Kelly Kalli
has returned to Unemployment Insurance.
She will be missed greatly by all of us.
Thank you, Kelly, for your service to Trade-affected workers, and your
collaboration and idea sharing with peers!
Laurie Larson,
our follow-up specialist, has inherited Kelly Kalli’s former caseload, the
“5s”. Laurie sent out notices to
affected program participants and their Dislocated Worker counselors on March 6th
announcing the transition.
Finally, I wanted to say that it has been an absolute
pleasure to work with all of you during the past five and a half years. Starting in April, I will begin a four-month
mobility assignment with DEED’s Agency Fiscal Services (AFS) as the interim
Grant, Client, and Cash Management (GCCM) Director. During this time, I will stay connected to
the TAA team, as all program payments are made through this team! We are currently working on a transition plan
to fill my role, and will make an announcement as soon as possible.
Deb
5th Annual Joint Counselor Training- Partners for Equity
May 17-18, 2017 at the
Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, Minnesota
TAA will again be offering reimbursement for 1
night hotel and round trip mileage to JCT for DW Counselors and Managers that attend a TAA breakout session. Watch for more information to
participate in this offer.
Incomplete Training Programs and Technology/Tools
You may recall that in our November/December TAA Newsletter,
TAA stated that tools and technology must be returned if the participant drops
out of the TAA approved training program. This
is no longer the case. As of January 23, 2017 per state requirements,
technology and tool items become the property of the TAA funded participant
upon receipt. Two TAA policies, Tools
and Supplies & High Technology Tools, have been updated to reflect this
change.
You may wonder why this happened. The DEED Agency Financial
Services department reviewed TAA practices and found that due to liability,
data privacy, maintenance, inventory, and depreciation, TAA could no longer
request that the items be returned. Was this a hard pill for TAA teammates to
swallow—yes, as TAA desires to be fiscally responsible, and does not want to
encourage possible fraud by those who would choose to participate only to
obtain items and then quit the program. TAA continues to look for creative ways
to handle this new process.
As a result, TAA has started returning those working
computers that were collected over the last few months to participants who quit
the training program. Notice of ownership transfer will be emailed to those
participants and their prior DW Counselor that the computer will be sent
directly to the former program participant’s place of residence.
Technology and Quote Requirements
In revising TAA policies, computer quotes are not necessary
unless the participant wishes to exceed the $750 cap. In that case, two quotes
are necessary. In this situation, the participant’s training plan will be
reviewed to determine why the additional cost.
For all other eligible participants, submission of the technology
application along with computer requirements from the training institution is
sufficient for TAA to obtain quotes for a suitable computer.
Tools and Quote Requirements
DEED’s financial unit will obtain quotes once TAA receives an
official list of supplies from the training institution. For those who submit a
tool list along with their training application, make sure the list is current,
official and is on school stationary/letterhead. TAA continues to receive plans
with tool lists dated 2015 or earlier. This creates huge problems when the
participant continues to submit additional tool lists as the original one
received is no longer complete or a true reflection of the program’s
requirements.
More Webinars are On the Way
TAA has scheduled the next webinar for Wednesday, April 19
at 10:30 a.m. The topic will be TAA Benchmarks. Join us at 1-888-742-5095, with
conference code 2941450048.
Summer Coursework
Remember to advise your TAA training participants that they
need to take at least 6 credits (if attending a MNSCU institution—other rules
may apply for what is considered full time at other training institutions) in
order to receive TRA (extended unemployment).
If the institution offers two sessions, the participant will
need to spread coursework between both sessions to assure that a 30 day gap
does not occur in training causing the loss of TRA.
TAA Success Stories
TAA is again looking for participant success stories. Any
time you have a participant successfully complete their training and find
employment, please ask if they will submit their success story. These are
inspirational to all of us—those who complete their training and the DW
Counselors and TAA Specialists who work with these folks.
Please include the
following information: (only complete
submissions will be published):
Customer’s Name: _____________________________________________________________
Location of Workforce
Center / Service Provider: ____________________________________
Name of Counselor:
____________________________________________________________
Customer’s previous
occupation (if any), including company and layoff date:______________
Other details that
participant is comfortable sharing:__________________________________
TAA Benefits the
participant received:
Occupational Skills Training
/ On-the-Job Training / Apprenticeship /
Extended Unemployment Benefits (TRA)
/ Transportation Assistance / RTAA
/ Job Search Allowance /
Relocation Allowance / Health Coverage Tax Credit
Customer’s new
occupation, including company, wage, hours, benefits:__________________
Include a narrative
story. How did the individual benefit from the TAA program? (Please limit to 175 words.)
In order for this
story to be published, please include:
1. A good-quality photograph of the customer
2.
A copy of
the “DEED Consent to Share Information”
form signed by the individual
Performance/Policy Updates:
Workforce One (WF1) changes for PIRL Mapping
Please see the attached PDF for specific changes coming to WF1 for the WIOA Adult
and Dislocated Worker programs on March 30, 2017 at 4:30PM. If you have program
questions related to these changes, please contact the Performance and Data
Lead, Amy Carlson, at amy.carlson@state.mn.us
or the Senior Performance and Grants Specialist, Abdul Mohamed, at Abdiwahab.mohamed@state.mn.us .
Request for WIOA Performance topics
We will be presenting a WIOA Performance breakout session at
this year’s Joint Counselor Training! If there are specific areas of WIOA law
you are interested in receiving information on, please email Abdul Mohamed with
your suggestions. (Title your email “JCT Performance Breakout Topic”)
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.
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