September 2026

ACP Team News

The Adult Career Pathways (ACP) Team would like to thank our grantees for their patience and partnership as previous programs closed out, monitoring visits were completed, and we worked through the many deadlines associated with the end of the state fiscal year.

Beginning September 9, the ACP team will offer Wednesday Help Sessions from 9:00-10:00 a.m. Grant Coordinators will be available during this time for drop-in assistance.  

Five Quick Checks Before Submitting Your RPR 

Before submitting your monthly Reimbursement Payment Request (RPR), make sure you are using the updated Year 2 RPR Template and your participant records and supporting documentation are complete. 

1.   Check Employment Plans

Before billing participant-related training or support services, make sure:

• The participant is enrolled in Workforce One (WF1).
• The Employment Plan (EP) is signed and dated by both the participant and Career Navigator.
• Training, classes, and support services are included in the participant’s EP.

Costs cannot be incurred or obligated until both enrollment and the signed EP are complete. Use whichever date is later.

Quick tip: Check the WF1 enrollment date and EP signature dates before incurring participant-related costs.

2.   Check Eligibility Documentation

Make sure you have documentation showing that each participant meets the eligibility requirements for the program. Required participant eligibility documents must be uploaded into WF1’s Electronic Document Storage (EDS). Required eligibility includes:

• Proof of:
  • citizenship or right to work
  • name and age/date of birth
  • Minnesota residency
  • Social Security Number

3.   Document Receipt of Support Services

When a participant receives tangible goods as a Support Service (e.g. books, computers, tools, or vendor cards), make sure you have documentation that includes the participant's name, item received, the value, date received, and the participant's signed and dated acknowledgement of receipt. Written documentation is preferred, but an email or text containing the required information is also acceptable.

4.   Make Sure Participant Costs Match WF1 Enrollments

Before billing costs related to providing services to participants, make sure the participants receiving those services are enrolled in WF1, have pertinent WF1 Activities opened, and have related case notes.

Quick tip: If your RPR includes participant-related costs, your WF1 enrollment, Activities, and case notes should support those costs.

5.   Review How Costs Are Allocated

If a cost benefits more than one program or funding source, make sure you have a clear method for determining the amount charged to the ACP grant and that you use that method consistently.

Costs must be appropriately allocated and consistently applied. Purchases that benefit multiple programs must be prorated, and staff salaries must be allocated across programs when staff do not spend 100% of their time working on the grant.

Quick tip: Your financial records should make it clear how you determined the amount charged to the ACP grant.

Before you Hit Send…

Ask yourself:

Do the participant records in WF1 support the participant-related costs on this RPR, and do our financial records clearly support how each cost was charged to the grant?

For additional information, please review the ACP Operations Guide and ACP Cost Category Guidance, or contact your ACP Grant Coordinator.

ACP Webpage

Visit the ACP home page for resources and tools to assist in the administration of your ACP grant.

• ACP Operations Guide – Updated Partnership Section defining a formal written agreement (pp. 30-31); Expanded the list of ACP documents required to be uploaded into EDS in the Workforce One section (pg. 44).
• Documentation Needed to Support Participant Eligibility - Added SSA.gov print-out as an alternative document for social security number in Social Security section (pg. 13); Clarified the I-9 application/worksheet in the (USCIS Form I-9) Employment Eligibility Verification section (pg. 14).
• Cost Category Guidance and ACP Workforce One User Guide – No updates this month

ACP Successes 

We'd love to learn about the amazing work you're doing and how it is positively impacting the lives of individuals throughout the State of Minnesota! To submit a success story, please fill out this brief ACP Success Stories Form.

Below is a letter from a participant in Workforce Development Inc.’s (WDI’s) Direct Appropriation – Bridges to Healthcare grant:

“Hello, I would like to share a little about my journey that has led me here, and how Workforce Development, Inc. programs have helped me and my family. My wife and I moved from Togo Africa to Austin Minnesota in 2022, and did not know anyone. We knew the best way to get acclimated to our new community was to become fluent in English, so we got connected with the Austin Adult Learning program to work on improving our language skills. We were both working opposite shifts in general production so we could care for our baby, and attend English classes. In 2023, through Austin Adult Learning, we were introduced to the Bridges to Healthcare programs offered through Workforce Development, Inc.. We knew this could be a great opportunity since we both came from nursing backgrounds, and our goal was to eventually work as healthcare professionals. We worked with a career navigator at WDI to start this process, got enrolled into CNA classes, and completed CNA and TMA training. I started working part-time as a CNA/TMA in Spring 2024, and we both were accepted to Riverland’s RN program starting August 2024. The biggest challenge for us has been how to balance working, managing the bills, caring for our two young children, and going to nursing school full-time. Workforce Development, Inc. has helped us financially in many ways, from helping pay bills such as rent and utilities, assisting with daycare payments, gas vouchers, school tuition, books, and testing fees. Without this financial assistance and the ongoing support and encouragement of our career planners, we would have struggled even more. It has been a difficult journey, but I am happy to say that my wife and I both just graduated from the RN program, and now I am officially licensed. I will start a full-time job in July at St. Mary’s in Rochester. I am also continuing in my education and hope to earn my Bachelor’s degree in Nursing next, and my career goal is to work as an anesthesiologist. We are very grateful for the many programs offered through Workforce Development, Inc. that help people achieve their career goals and become successful and stable. Pursuing a nursing degree required a huge commitment of time, energy, and resources, and there were times when it felt very overwhelming. The support provided helped remove barriers and alleviate financial stress, and allowed me and my wife to stay focused on completing our education. My journey from CNA classes to graduating from nursing school is an example of what can happen when people are given the support and opportunity to reach their full potential. I hope my story shows the value of these programs, as well as the impact they have on individuals, families, employers, and our community. Thank you for continuing to support programs that open doors and create opportunities for people like me.”

Please contact your Adult Career Pathways Grant Coordinator directly with any questions regarding Adult Career Pathways Programs.

New Mass Layoff Project Awarded

Dakota-Scott Workforce Services has been awarded a non-compete project to assist affected workers of OneMain Financial, regarding the closure of its facility and the layoff of approximately 78 employees at the Mendota Heights, MN, location. Employee layoffs are expected to occur in three phases. The first phase is scheduled to begin on September 18, 2026, followed by a second phase on November 13, 2026. The final phase, culminating in the complete closure of the facility, is scheduled for December 11, 2026. The notice further indicates that all remote workers associated with the operation will be affected, with employment ending no later than December 31, 2026.

If any dislocated workers from OneMain Financial apply for services at your location, please refer them to the following locations:

• West St. Paul CareerForce, 1 Mendota Rd W., West St. Paul, MN 55118 | Phone: 651-554-5955
• Burnsville CareerForce, 350 Burnsville Pkwy Ste 375, Burnsville, MN 55337 | Phone: 651-703-3100
• Shakopee CareerForce, 200 Fourth Ave W GW-200, Shakopee, MN, 55379 | Phone: 952-496-8310

Project Start Up Grants: Essential Guidance for Providers

Project Start Up Grants (PSGs) offer Dislocated Worker providers up to $10,000 in rapid, short-term funding to support workers affected by plant closures or mass layoffs. These funds allow providers to begin delivering critical early services while the need for full Mass Layoff Project funding is still being evaluated.

Providers may request a PSG after being awarded a Mass Layoff Project and must demonstrate immediate need. Eligible activities include outreach and intake, assessments, early readjustment assistance, job counseling, job search support, job development, labor market information, relocation assistance, and employer partnered early intervention.

Key requirements include:

• A maximum grant period of 90 days.
• Administrative costs limited to 10 percent.
• Prohibition on using PSG funds for training.
• Return of any unspent funds to DEED at the end of the authorized period.

Read the Project Start-up Grants Policy for additional information.

Minnesota Job Skills Partnership Board (MJSP) 

The next MJSP Board meeting is scheduled for October 26, 2026.  Grantees that plan to apply for supplemental funding should submit a request on September 25^th, (30 days before the meeting).

Reminders

• Quarterly Progress Report:
  • Reports for quarter ending June 2026 were due on July 30, 2026.
• Monthly Financial Status Report (FSR)/Monthly Reimbursement Payment Request (RPR):
  • Due to the 20^th day of the month following the preceding month-end. For example: the August RPR/FSR is due September 20, 2026.
  • Report accrued monthly expenditures.
  • A monthly RPR/FSR is required even if no funds are expended.
  • Do not round up on FSR’s (corrective action), report on what your general ledger actual expenses are. Rounding down on an FSR is an Area of Concern when the grant is monitored.

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

Performance Negotiations

Performance negotiations were held August 17 – August 28, 2026. The team is happy to share that 320 goals were negotiated statewide, including great conversation, discussion and learned knowledge on local area experiences.

Program Year 2026 and 2027 proposed performance goals for the WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker programs were received from all local areas.

Discussion topics included:

1. TEGL 11-19 Change 2
2. Minnesota’s negotiation with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Region V office
3. Local Area Negotiation Timeline and Procedure PY26-27
4. Agencies PY26-27 Performance Standard Proposal spreadsheet
5. 5 LSAMs for WIOA Adult and 5 LSAMs for Dislocated Worker:
   • Local Area Statistical Adjustment Models (LSAMs)
   • Instructions for using WDA LSAMs

Next steps:

• DEED will submit the agreed upon standards to the Department of Labor (DOL) by 4pm CST 9/30/2026.
• DEED will use the WDB negotiated performance standards and apply them as the Small Layoff Independent Grantees (SLIG) performance standards by 9/30/2026.
  1. The average of all metro area WDB standards will be applied to metro area SLIGs.
  2. SLIGs located in Greater MN will receive the performance standards from the WDB in their region.
• DEED will email each provider a confirmation letter showing the performance standards for their agency by 10/30/2026.
• DEED will email each Dislocated Worker and Adult provider a list of all performance standards negotiated statewide by 10/30/2026.   

Please email all requests, reports, and technical assistance questions to the performance team’s general email address: performanceap.deed@state.mn.us

September is Workforce Development Month

Contact the CareerForce Information and Assistance line at 651-259-7500 or careerforce@state.mn.us if you have questions.

The Data Validation Team will be offering both in-person and virtual training in October for Grantees! 

Choose the session that works best for you!

This interactive training will focus on Workforce One (WF1) data validation and include discussion and hands-on breakout activities where participants will apply data validation practices to their own program data and sharing approaches and best practices.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Executive Directors
• Program Managers
• Program Supervisors
• Program Data Staff

PROGRAMS COVERED

• WIOA Adult
• WIOA Dislocated Worker
• WIOA Youth
• National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG)
• Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
• Wagner-Peyser / Migrant Seasonal Farm Worker (MSFW)

IN-PERSON SESSION

Thursday, October 22, 2026

Check-in: 8:30 AM

Training: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Great Northern Building, 180 5th St E, St. Paul, MN 55102

Parking and additional event details will be included in the calendar invitation.

Register for the In-Person Training

VIRTUAL SESSION

Wednesday, October 28, 2026

Training: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Microsoft Teams

Register for the Virtual Training

If you have questions about Monitoring content, please email shannon.rolf@state.mn.us.

Unemployment Insurance Claims Statistics : This monthly data tool provides demographic statistics on people filing initial  (equivalent to applicants) and continued claims  for Unemployment Insurance benefits in Minnesota, including information on the occupation, industry, education level, race, sex and region of claimants.

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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