September 2022
 Dislocated Worker and Federal Adult Programs (DWFAP)
RETAIN at the MN State Fair:
We are excited to share that MN RETAIN is exhibiting at the MN State Fair. Please refer your family, friends, and colleagues to visit the booth and learn more about RETAIN and visit our booth; Booth # 40, Education Building.
New Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) Grantees:
The MN SCSEP is welcoming two new grantees to provide services to MN’s older workers: National Able Network and Somali Community Resettlement Services! If you have any questions regarding SCSEP services in the state, please reach out to Enock.Kakuuku@state.mn.us.
Upcoming Meetings:
- Minnesota Job Skills Partnership (MJSP) Board: Monday, October 24, 2022. State DW supplemental funding request is due 30 days before on September 12, 2022.
- Monthly Meeting with COVID-19 DWG Grantees: September 21, 2002.
- Monthly Meeting with OMNI DWG Grantees: September 28, 2022.
- Monthly Meeting with Small Layoffs Independent Grantees (SLIGs): September 22, 2022.
Monthly Financial Status Report (FSR) / Monthly Reimbursement Payment Request (RPR):
- Due 20 days after month end. For example, the June RPR (June 30 end date) is due July 20, 2022.
- Report accrued monthly expenditures.
- A monthly RPR/FSR is required even if no funds were expended.
Quarterly Progress Report (QPR):
- Due 30 days after quarter end. For example, the Quarter 1 report (September 30 end date) is due October 30.
If you have any questions or need additional information, please send an email to the DWFAP general inbox: dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us
 Performance Updates for Dislocated Worker and WIOA Adult
IMPORTANT UPDATE: There was a two week extension provided by the United State Department of Labor to all states for their Program Year 2021 Quarter Four reports (original due date was 08/15/2022). Minnesota was able to submit all Participant Individual Layout Reports (PIRLs) prior to the extended due date of 08/30/2022. However, this has caused a delay to the performance scorecard release date. We anticipate these reports will be available and emailed to local area management teams during the week of September 5, 2022.
ALERT: Program Year 2022/2023 Local Area Negotiations The Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Performance Management team updated the PY22/23 Local Area Statistical Adjustment Models (SAMs) for the upcoming negotiations! Huge shout out to Michael Prideaux and Scott Godfrey for their amazing work on these tools!!
On Monday, August 29, 2022, local area management teams received the following information along with a request to submit their PY22/23 performance standard proposals.
- DEED’s PY22/23 AD/DW Rationale from the state’s negotiation with the DOL and confirmation letter.
- Local Area Negotiation Timeline and Procedure.
- Scheduling timesheet (DUE 5:00 PM SEPTEMBER 9, 2022).
- Local area performance standard proposal spreadsheet (DUE 5:00 PM SEPTEMBER 9, 2022) and instructions.
- Two Excel spreadsheets (10 SAMs) and WIOA Local Area Statistical Adjustment Model Write-up
- WIOA Adult document with 5 tabs (SAMs for each performance indicator) and
- Dislocated Worker document with 5 tabs (SAMs for each performance indicator)
- All SAMs (160 statewide) include program participation percentages falling in each indicator’s cohort during Program Years PY18 – PY20.
- To assist each local area, these models also include percentages of participants falling in each indicator’s cohort during program year 2021.
REMINDER, a local area manager from each Workforce Development Area needs to contact Akiatu.Pratt@state.mn.us and amy.carlson@state.mn.us to schedule their negotiation conference call no later than September 9, 2022. Please provide your top 3 choices.
PY2020 Dislocated Worker (DW) and WIOA Adult (AD) Allocation Closeout The team appreciates all the wonderful collaboration and efforts counselors put into updating their case records in order to roll continuing services into active funding streams prior to the mid-August 2022 mass closeout.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding cases involved in the mass PY20 closeout, please let us know.
Should you have any performance or data entry questions, please contact the State Program Administrator Coordinator for ETP Adult programs, Amy Carlson, at amy.carlson@state.mn.us
 Adult Career Pathways
Adult Career Pathways Team Updates
Please join me in welcoming three new ACP Grant Coordinators to DEED! Kelly Kleppen, Meng Moua, and Zukiswa Mpande-Olson joined our team in July.
Please help us in congratulating Vanessa Roman on the birth of her baby girl on July 11th! Vanessa and baby Rosalia are doing well, and we anticipate Vanessa’s return in early October.
The ACP team is excited to move in to this new grant period! We are witnessing great work happening across the State and know the next year will bring lots of training opportunities to Minnesotans. Your ACP Coordinator is here to assist you. Please be sure to reach out to them with any questions, concerns, or suggestions.
We have heard from Grantees that they are bringing on new staff. The ACP is anticipating facilitating 2 ACP Specific Workforce One Training sessions in Late September or early October. However, it is important that any new staff attend the ETP Programs Case Management Training as soon as possible after receiving WF1 access. This training offers users an overview and navigation of the site. The ACP specific WF1 training will be facilitated in a train-the-trainer model and will have limited space. All registrants must attend the ETP case management training prior. Watch out for an email to register for the ACP WF1 training session.
We encourage grantees to begin preparing for the end of COVID waivers. Please be sure to review the current waivers and reach out to your Coordinator if you have any questions.
The ACP team has partnered with CareerForce MN to give our Grantees the opportunity to post their free trainings on the CareerForce website; https://www.careerforcemn.com/training-programs . This is an excellent opportunity to market your courses to the thousands of users that visit the site every month. Feel free to reach out to the CareerForce help desk at careerforce@state.mn.us to request access or any additional assistance.
Mn Family Resiliency Partnership
(Federally known as Displaced Homemaker Program)
The ACP Team is excited to announce that Workforce Development Inc. (WDI) has been chosen to begin providing services to MFRP eligible participants in the SE Minnesota area on July 1, 2022. WDI will join five current MFRP providers. For more information about the Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership program check out DEED’s ACP webpage.
Workforce One- ACP Programs
Your ACP Coordinator is available assist you and your team with mapping participant activities, to align the approved work plan with ACP Workforce One activities. Activities are used to record the things a participant is working on to achieve employment, training or other identified outcomes from their Individual Employment Plan/Action Plan. Activities entered on the participant record in Workforce One must be in line with the participant plan. Grantees should connect with their Grant Coordinator.
As a Reminder: Participants engaged in employment or employment-related activities at the time of enrollment must have those activities captured as an Activity in WF1.
The ACP Team updated the ACP Workforce One Guide is now posted to the ACP Webpage!
SNAP E&T 50/50
This program has reimbursed its Grantees over $55,000 so far in SFY22! If you are interested in adding SNAP E&T 50% Reimbursement program to your organization and have not heard from us, please contact Ann Meyers at ann.meyers@state.mn.us.
Adult Career Pathways Guides
A reminder to all SFY22-23 ACP Grantees: Please be sure you are using the most updated version of the DEED required Equal Opportunity of the Law (Complaint Discrimination) and How We Use Your Personal Information (Data Privacy) forms. These forms are available in multiple language from the links below:
Forms must be dated within the current grant cycle. For participants exited “Program Type Transfer” at the end of one grant cycle (SFY 21, for example) and re-enrolled into the next grant cycle (SFY 22, for example), new forms must be signed and dated when participant is re-enrolled.
Grantee must:
- Print Equal Opportunity is the Law and How we Use Your Personal Information back-to-back.
- Have participant initial both “I Have read the…” attestations located above the signature line.
- Have participant print his/her/their name, sign, and date the form.
Retain a copy of this form in the participant’s file.
This information may be found on the ACP Webpage, within the ACP Documentation Needed to Support Participant Eligibility.
The ACP Operations Guide has been updated for August and posted at the ACP home page. If you have any suggestions for the guide, please submit those to your Grant Coordinator.
Please contact your Adult Career Pathways Grant Coordinator directly with any questions regarding Adult Career Pathways Programs.
 Trade Adjustment Assistance
Staffing Update
Tamika (Tami) Brewer is relocating to Iowa due to her husband’s job. She has been on the TAA team for over 3 years, and with the State of Minnesota for nearly 10 years. Tami’s last day with TAA is September 2. Tami’s caseload will be distributed among the other TAA Specialists.
Sunset Provisions/ Reauthorization
As highlighted in the July and August Partner Express newsletters (available at this link: https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/dislocated-worker/counselors/news/), the TAA Program entered a phased termination on 7/1/22. Although this impacts worker eligibility, it does not immediately impact State operations. Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 13-21 provides guidance on the impact of TAA program termination and continued operation of the TAA program. Link to TEGL 13-21: https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?docn=7913
Funding has been allocated through September 2024; even if there is no Congressional action, the funding will continue into 2027 at reduced rates in order for TAA to fund the benefits that were already approved for customers. Congress could extend or reauthorize the program at any time as happened in 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2015.
For further information from U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), refer to these resources:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What are sunset (also known as termination) provisions?
Answer: Congress hasn’t reauthorized the TAA program so states are implementing the termination provisions as outlined in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 13-21. This guidance outlines the States’ responsibilities on how to continue to serve customers through the TAA program.
- Is the TAA program still available to customers?
Answer: Yes. TAA is available to customers, and operations haven’t changed for Dislocated Worker (DW) Counselors. TAA needs to be the primary source of funding for any DW/TAA customer seeking training, and/or job search and relocation assistance. Dislocated Worker Counselors should follow the usual process of submitting all applications to deed.taa@state.mn.us
- Who is eligible for TAA at this point?
Answer: For the most part, anyone who received an eligibility letter from TAA and is not suitably employed is eligible to apply for TAA. Eligibility criteria for 2015 Law have not changed. For other versions of the program (such as Reversion 2021), please contact TAA with the customer’s name for guidance. TAA staff (not DW) needs to make determinations (i.e. if person is eligible for TAA, if TAA has funding, if person is suitably employed, etc.)
- Will a customer currently in TAA-funded training have funds to finish that training?
Answer: Yes. TAA will continue to fund training benefits for everyone who is approved for training.
- Do customers still get Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA)?
Answer: The eligibility criteria for TRA did not change; TRA staff will continue to make determinations on a person’s TRA.
- Can customers still apply for Alternative/Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (A/RTAA)?
Answer: For all customers, the first A/RTAA payment had to have been made by 6/30/22. Those who received a payment by 6/30/22 can continue to receive A/RTAA payments. Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) staff determines a customer’s A/RTAA eligibility and processes the payments. Although the sunset provisions indicate A/RTAA payments cannot be made unless the customer has received a payment before 6/30/2022, TAA recommends that the DW Counselor still have the customer complete the application. The DW Counselor should then follow the usual process and submit the required documents to deed.taa@state.mn.us. TAA/TRA will hold all A/RTAA applications for processing in the event of reauthorization.
- Can a customer who is laid off this fall still apply for TAA benefits?
Answer: If the customer’s petition is under 2015 Law, then it’s likely the person can apply for TAA benefits. If the customer’s petition is under 2021 Reversion, please contact TAA for a review of the customer’s eligibility. Contact TAA if there are questions about what Law or petition the customer is eligible under.
- What will happen if TAA is not reauthorized?
Answer: Department of Labor will provide guidance to the States. As of now, the program has full funding through September 2024 and then states would continue to receive reduced funds into 2027 in order to fulfill benefits that had been approved for customers.
Petitions
Currently, Minnesota does not have any pending petitions with DOL. Petitions can still be filed, but DOL’s investigation is paused until reauthorization occurs. Here’s the link to check the status of all petitions with U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitioners/taa_search_form.cfm
Please email all questions and customer applications to the Trade Adjustment Assistance general email at deed.taa@state.mn.us
 CareerForce
Highlight your no-cost training programs on the Training Program Finder
Check out the Training Program Finder on CareerForceMN.com—and make sure to add your no-cost training opportunities to this easily searchable listing. Partners using this tool to promote their training programs have told us they have seen an increase in enrollment after listing their programs.
The Training Program Finder is a great opportunity for partners who offer occupation-based training programs to market upcoming opportunities that will assist job seekers on their career pathway. Content added must be for no-cost-to-the-customer training, funded by programs such as:
- Pathways to Prosperity
- Direct Appropriation
- Adult Career Pathways
- Other state-funded training grants
- Funding from city, county, or workforce development boards
- Foundation or other training grants
 If needed in an alternative format, please contact Lena Balk at lena.balk@state.mn.us.
For information about how to get your training programs listed on the Training Program Finder on CareerForceMN.com, see instructions posted on this page in the staff and partner section of CareerForceMN.com (you need to be logged into your staff and partner CareerForceMN.com account to access that page).
Contact the CareerForce Information and Assistance line at 651-259-7500 or careerforce@state.mn.us if you have questions.
 Labor Market Information
By the Numbers – Labor Market Information
At 1.8%, the state of Minnesota set a new record for lowest unemployment rate in June and July. It was not just the lowest rate in state history, it was also the lowest rate any state has ever reported! By several measures, Minnesota is proving to have one of the tightest labor markets in the U.S., with nearly 4 job vacancies for every unemployed jobseeker. Employers added more than 19,000 jobs in July, and is up by more than 78,500 jobs over the past year.
While Minnesota's official unemployment rate is a useful indicator of the health of the state’s economy, it does not tell the whole story. We can get a more complete picture of Minnesota's labor market by looking at alternative measures of unemployment, and by providing the rates by age, gender, and race. Unfortunately, employment recovery has not been consistent for all Minnesotans. In July, the labor force participation rate ticked up two-tenths of a point to 68.6% for white Minnesotan's and three-tenths of a point to 80% for Hispanic Minnesotans, but fell eight-tenths of a point to 68.1% for Black Minnesotans. The unemployment rate remained level at 2.4% for white Minnesotans, fell one-tenth to 7.3% for Black Minnesotans and rose one-tenth to 3.2% for Hispanic Minnesotans in July.
The newly released report on Minnesota’s Moment: A Roadmap for Equitable Economic Expansion stresses that “By many accounts, Minnesota’s economy is strong. It has weathered the pandemic better than most states. But the economy’s strengths are not evenly accessible to everyone – and this is the key to true economic expansion. We must specifically focus on Black, Brown, Indigenous and all communities of color as well as historically and currently underserved communities.”
If you have questions about Labor Market Information, please email deed.lmi@state.mn.us
This newsletter is meant for DEED Grantees, Providers, and Employment Counselors. We want this e-Newsletter to meet your needs! We encourage you to send your comments and suggestions deed.taa@state.mn.us. Find past issues of Partner Express.
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