December 2022

Dislocated Worker and Federal Adult Programs

WIOA DW and Adult

• Unspent WIOA DW and Adult funds for reallocated is in process. Please be on the lookout for communication from the team.
• Quarterly Progress Reports are due January 31^st (Oct-Dec 2022). Remember, a QPR is required if the grant is active.
• Many thanks to our grant partners for a successful PY20 formula grants program year! We are happy to share some basic program analysis with you:
  • PY20 WIOA Adult & DW
  • PY20 State DW – WDAs
  • PY20 State DW – SLIGs

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

• GPMS Newsletter: The 1st Edition for the GPMS Newsletter, featuring the latest news and updates for SCEP GPMS platform was released on November 11, 2022, by the SCSEP National office. Each edition of SCSEP GPMS e-News will also be available on the Older Workers Community of Practice (CoP)
• To receive WKGPS e-alerts, you must create a WorkforceGPS account and subscribe to the Older Workers CoP.
• In addition, to receive future editions of the SCSEP GPMS e-News, contact Byron Kline at kline.byron@dol.gov.
• GPMS Training: Visit the CoP page for all the available GPMS Training recordings, the newly published GPMS data Collection Handbook and other useful resources and materials. More GPMS training is being planned to roll out in January 2023, so stay tuned.
• Other: SPARQ was placed into read-only mode on Thursday, September 29th. And it will be taken completely offline on December 31st. Please use this time to download all needed reports and data, because once the application goes offline that data will no longer be accessible.
• If you missed the Webinar on Outreach and Marketing for Public Workforce Development System: Exploring the possibilities! please visit the CoP page for the Recording and PowerPoint presentation.
• For any related questions contact Enock Kakuuku, Grants Specialist Coordinator, at enock.kakuuku@state.mn.us.

Re-entry Pilot Grant

• The due date for proposals was changed from November 22, 2022, to December 1, 2022.
• The time eligibility requirement of the Target population has been changed from “within 0-3 months of release or have been released in the last 0-3 months from various correctional facilities in the state”. The criteria now read: “to within 0-6 months of release or have been released in the last 0-6 months from various correctional facilities in the state."
• We will continue to respond to questions and all responses will be posted weekly on Fridays at the following link: Competitive Grants and Contracts / Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (mn.gov) under the grant.
• For any related questions, send emails to our general mailbox at dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us

Retaining Employment and Talent after Injury/Illness Network (RETAIN)

• Do you or someone you know have an injury or illness that affects their work? Visit mnretain.com to see if RETAIN could help!
• More than 250 individuals across Minnesota are receiving services to help them stay at work or return to work with accommodations as they heal!

Please email all requests, reports, and technical assistance questions to the Dislocated Worker Federal Adult Programs general email at dwfaprograms.deed@state.mn.us

Dislocated Worker and WIOA Adult Performance Updates

DISCOVERED MISUNDERSTANDING ON REQUIRED WF1 DATA ENTRY RELATED TO ALLOCATED FUNDING

We noticed that some Dislocated Worker and WIOA Adult program providers are incorrectly performing annual WF1 data entry updates on participant activities. These are not needed and are unnecessarily increasing the amount of data entry case managers need to do at the end of each year and could result in audit/monitoring issues.                                                                                                                                    

Specific Issue Discovered Resulting in Incorrect Data Entry:

We’re not sure where this incorrect guidance originated, however, we understand that some program providers were told that case managers need to close all activities at the end of each program year if that activity had the funding stream within it in which the ending program year was titled. So that means activities are being closed at the end of Quarter 4 of an eight-quarter grant period (2 years).

Example of this incorrect guidance: Case managers and data entry staff were closing all activities that had a PY21 funding stream within it on June 30, 2022. Then they were to open a new activity with the newly allocated funding stream titled with Program Year 2022 because that is the year the participants are “rolling” into for services. Again, this is incorrect.

Grant Periods and THE CORRECT PROCEDURE for Required WF1 Activity Updates Due to Grants Expiring:

Every allocated grant has a two-year grant period. This means, all activities using the following grant allocations can use those funding streams for the full two years they are active.

• Allocated grants titled with “PY2020” had a grant period of July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022
• Allocated grants titled with “PY2021” have a grant period of July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2023
• Allocated grants titled with “PY2022” have a grant period of July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2024
• Allocated grants titled with “PY2023” have a grant period of July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2025

Every Local Workforce Development Areas (LWDAs) receives:

1 WIOA Adult, 1 WIOA Dislocated Worker, and 1 State Dislocated Worker allocation every year

Each of these allocations have a grant period of two-years

Small Layoff Independent Grantees (SLIGs) usually receive:

1 State Dislocated Worker allocation every year

This allocation has a grant period of two-years

Updating activities on or with an early date than the grant’s expiration date should never happen unless one of these three scenarios occurs:

1. The participant is no longer receiving that specific service.
   • Close the activity with the date the participant last received the service.
   • Do not open a new activity of the same type unless the participant begins to receive that service again.
   • If the participant begins to receive the service again:
     • Open a new activity with the start date the participant began receiving the service again.
     • Confirm the new activity has the funding stream selected within it that will actually be funding that service moving forward.
2. The grant is spent-out prior to its expiration date.
   • Local area management teams will need to alert their staff to the spent-out grant and the date it was spent-out.
   • Local area management teams will need to instruct staff to perform the following data entry tasks:
     • Open new activities for all cases that currently have open activities showing the spent out grant as its funding source by copying the old activity. There are 3 exceptions to this rule for the following activities with these scenarios.
       • “Employed, Pending Exit” due to the procedure for closing this activity requiring staff to use a retroactive date. (Start date and close date must be the same date.)
       • “Pending Exit, Other” due to the procedure for closing this activity requiring staff to use a retroactive date. (Start date and close date must be the same date.)
       • Training activities that were fully funded with the spent out grant due because no further funding will be applied to that service.
     • The new activity must have the date the new grant began supporting it as its start date.
     • The new activity must have the funding stream selected within it that represents the grant that will financially support that service as of its start date.
   • Email Amy.Carlson@state.mn.us requesting she mass close all open activities using the spent out grant and the date she should use as their close date.
     • Example email: Amy, please mass close all activities with the (grant name) supporting it them for (provider name) with a close date of (date the grant was spent out).
3. A funding stream has reached a specific cost category limitation, or a required cost category requirement has been met and local area management teams want to begin spending required cost category percentages for a newer grant.
   • Local area management teams will need to alert their staff to the spent-out cost category for the specific grant and the date it was spent out.
   • Local area management teams will need to instruct staff to perform the following data entry tasks:
     • Open new activities for all cases that currently have open activities classified as the type of service falling into the spent out cost category for the specific funding stream by copying the old activity.
       • The same 3 exceptions listed in #2 above apply to this scenario.
     • The new activity must have the date the new grant began supporting it as its start date.
     • The new activity must have the funding stream selected within it that represents the grant that will financially support that service as of its start date
     • Close the old activity.
       • Use the last date the funding stream that represent the specific grant was used as its end.
       • Close the activity with a completion status of “successful”.

Specific steps for WF1 Data Entry related to funding changes:

1. Go into the participant’s case record.
2. Click on “Activity” in the side panel.
3. Make sure you are looking at the correct program and program sequence activity dropdown list.
4. Find the activities needing to be updated, closed and/or copied by looking at the “Funding Stream” and “Start Date/End Date” columns.

STEP ONE: Find the "Start Date/End Date" column.

Note the activities with an end date after the grant's end date (or spent out date) AND note the activities without an end date entered (activities still open).

STEP TWO: Find the "Funding Stream" column.

• Looking at the activities you noted in Step One.
  • Disregard any activities with a different funding stream than the funding source you are investigating. If all activities have a different funding source, this case record has the correct funding streams supporting its services. No further action needed at this time.
  • If there are activities closed with an end date after the date the funding source was no longer available AND the participant has been exited from the program, start with Step Three.
  • If there are activities closed with an end date after the date the funding source was no longer available, but the participant is still enrolled, start with Step Four for guidance.
  • If there are activities still open after the date the funding source was no longer available, start with Step Five for guidance.

STEP THREE: Starting point if activities were closed with an end date after the date the funding source was no longer available AND the participant has been exited from the program.

• Submit a WF1 ticket requesting the WF1 team remove the exit from the case due to a required data cleanup unless you have someone on staff with this level of access.
• After the ticket is processed or the change is made, move on to Step Four.

STEP FOUR: Starting point if activities were closed with an end date after the expiration date of the funding source but the participant is still enrolled.

Edit the activity by clicking on “Edit” within the “Action” column of that activity.

• Scroll to the bottom of the screen.
• Note the activity End Date originally used.
• Change the End Date to the date the funding source expired.
• Click “Save”.

Move on to Step Six if there are activities on this case that are still open.

STEP FIVE: Starting point if activities are still open after the date the funding source is no longer available.

Edit the activity by clicking on “Edit” within the “Action” column of that activity.

• Scroll to the bottom of the screen.
• Use the date the funding source expired as the activity End Date.
• If you will move on to Step Six for this activity, close this activity as “Successful”.
• Click “Save”.

Move on to STEP SIX

STEP SIX: Participants continuing to access a service after the most recent funding source expires OR if for any reason the participant’s service will be funded by a different source.

Copy the activity the participant is/was continuing after the most recent funding source expired by clicking on “Copy” in the “Action” column of that activity.

• Most details from the old activity will be copied into the new activity details.
• Enter a “Start Date” that is one day after the date you used to close the old activity.
• Select the funding stream that is/was supporting the service after the old funding source expired or was no longer supporting the service.
• Click “Save”.

Keep in mind, if all currently open activities for a specific grant need to be closed at any time, please reach out to Amy Carlson (amy.carlson@state.mn.us) to perform a mass closure.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Official Performance is not based on the funding stream level.

When you hear the term “performance” in relation to funding streams, it is a simple comparison between what that grant’s planning documents said the money would be spent on compared to how many participants have their services financially supported by that grant in WF1. Examples of planning document categories are number of participants who will access the money and what specific types of services will be financially supported by that money/grant.

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

To better assist ACP Grantees when completing the quarterly reports, the ACP Team has posted to the ACP Webpage an instruction guide PowerPoint. This may be helpful to you when completing the reports each quarter.

While COVID waivers are still in place, Grantees MUST continue to collect eligibility documentation for participants at enrollment. This includes social security number, residency, name, proof of age/date of birth, and, if applicable, veteran status. The COVID waivers do offer alternative ways in which a participant will get that information to providers but does not waive the requirement all together. The ACP team has made available the ACP Documentation Needed to Support Participant Eligibility. We continue to 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.

Reminder: Now that many grantees have their SFY 23 contract running concurrently with the SFY 22 contracts, you need to be submitting the SFY 23 RPRs even if you’re still spending down the SFY 22 funds.  DEED requires grantees to submit an RPR for every contract, every month, regardless of if you’re requesting $0 reimbursement.

FREE MARKETING!! 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 MN Family Resiliency Partnership (MFRP) - federally known as Displaced Homemaker Program (DHP), assists individuals who have spent a substantial number of years in the home providing homemaking services and have been dependent upon the financial support of another. Due to divorce, separation, death, or disability of that person or no longer receive public assistance they no longer have that support and must find a job that can support themselves and the family. Services will help develop the marketable skills participants need to find and maintain a job.

For more information about the Minnesota Family Resiliency Partnership program check out DEED’s ACP webpage.

SNAP E&T 50/50

This program has reimbursed its Grantees over $87,000 in SFY22! Together with your ACP program, a SNAP E&T project can provide additional funds to your organization. If you are interested in more information or adding SNAP E&T 50% Reimbursement program to your organization, please contact Ann Meyers at ann.meyers@state.mn.us.

Workforce One- ACP Programs

Prior to entering a credentialed training activity for your participant(s), Workforce One will require you to enter an assessment. Some providers are still utilizing the Covid waivers and do not have the ability to administer an assessment at this time. If your organization is unable to provide an assessment in-person, you may enter an "Other" assessment, and enter the participants highest completed grade level in the Assessment page to be able to open the Credentialed training activity. Please ensure that you are case noting that you did not administer an assessment and are following the rest of the assessment waiver processes:

Procedures that must be followed in lieu of a standardized academic assessment are as follows.

• Providers must inquire about a participant's level of educational attainment.
• If a participant indicates that they have a GED, high school diploma, or higher, the provider must request and collect documentation to verify the highest level claimed.
  • Documentation may be provided by a cell-phone snapshot of the last transcript received. The participant's name must clearly visible.
• If a participant claims high school enrollment, but is unable to produce documentation, collect the name of the school and location of the school, and the year and month of graduation.
• For GED, collect the date, the provider, and the location.
• College work must be verified with a transcript.

The case manager will consider this information in determining whether to enroll the participant.

The process and/or findings of the assessment must be case noted in Work Force One.

Adult Career Pathways Guides

The ACP Operations Guide has been updated for October and posted to 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

TAA Co-enrollment Policy is Live

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Co-enrollment policy was finalized and posted at this link: https://apps.deed.state.mn.us/ddp/PolicyDetail.aspx?pol=570

Sunset Provisions/ Reauthorization

Previous Partner Express newsletters include articles related to the phased termination that the TAA Program entered on 7/1/22. Congress could extend or reauthorize the program at any time. Phased termination impacts worker eligibility, it does not immediately impact State operations. Previous articles are available at this link: https://mn.gov/deed/programs-services/dislocated-worker/counselors/news/ States are required to continue outreach efforts to people who are eligible to apply for TAA benefits. Please contact the Minnesota TAA office with outreach ideas for layoffs you’re seeing in your area.

Virtual Informational Sessions

Minnesota TAA is organizing and hosting virtual informational sessions for people who may be eligible to apply for TAA benefits. The team will be inviting people based on their petition and layoff dates. As always, TAA will refer attendees to enroll in the DW program to access their TAA benefits. Thank you in advance for your work to serve these shared customers, some of whom may have been laid off under a TAA petition years ago.

Petitions

Petitions can still be filed, but DOL’s investigation is paused until reauthorization occurs. Here’s the link to check the status of petitions with U.S. Department of Labor: https://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitioners/taa_search_form.cfm

Filed after July 1 (DOL’s investigation will start after program’s reauthorization)

• Torax Medical, St Paul
• Turck, Inc., Plymouth

Please email all questions and customer applications to the Trade Adjustment Assistance general email at deed.taa@state.mn.us

Labor Market Information

Friday, November 11 was Veterans Day. DEED’s Regional Analysis & Outreach unit put together a series of blogs focused on the contributions of veterans to our regional labor markets. DEED places a priority of service on our veterans - our representatives can help veterans with career planning, job search, and connecting with other resources. Current or former military members looking for work are encouraged to contact the dedicated Veterans Employment Specialist in their part of Minnesota for assistance. Learn more about resources for current or former military members.

And October was Manufacturing Month in Minnesota. All month long, DEED celebrated Manufacturing's vital place in the state's economy and labor force, including a set of blogs from our regional analysts. Employers, career seekers, teachers, and students learned all about the resources, data, and events related to Manufacturing Month through CareerForce. These events included hiring events and job fairs for career seekers, career exploration for students, training grant overviews for businesses, and introductions to apprenticeships and youth skills training.

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 to deed.taa@state.mn.us.

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