Trade Adjustment Assistance

Presenter: Mershal Noble

This federally funded program originally enacted in 1974 and has been amended numerous times. For those trade-affected workers who have been laid off or received a job threat due to foreign competition may be eligible to receive an array of services and benefits if covered under a certified petition.

Trade Adjustment Assistance

As outlined under the current amendment, Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act (TAAEA) of 2011 which ends December 31, 2013 provides the following:

Training for up to 130 weeksRemedialPrerequisite

Trade Adjustment Assistance (cont’d)

Occupational SkillsOn-the-Job Customized

*Including a comprehensive assessment and reemployment services

Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) Basic AdditionalCompletion

Trade Adjustment Assistance (cont’d)

Health Coverage Tax Credit AdvanceEnd-of-year

Job Search AllowanceRelocation AllowanceWage Subsidy for Older Workers

Trade Adjustment Assistance

The current amendment allows for eligible trade-affected workers laid off or who received a job threat due to foreign competition to be part of the following industries:

ManufacturingService sector

Group Eligibility

Effective January 1, 2014, the worker group petition filing submitted on or after this date will revert to the 2002 amendments that will include some of 2011 benefits which are:

Continue with the three waiver reasonsEliminate the additional weeks of TRA for

approved remedial and/or prerequisite training

Upcoming Changes

Authority to retain the 13 weeks of Completion TRA

Note: The reversion after this current amended will remain from January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014

Upcoming Changes (cont’d)

The State of Florida Funding for the following Program Years:

PY 2013 $7,377,433.00PY 2012 $4,346,287.10PY 2011 $1,445,934.00PY 2010 $2,381,291.00PY 2009 $3,924,709.98

State-Level Funding Trend

The State of Florida’s certified petitions by amendment:2002 (Manufacturing) = 10950,000 – 69,999 series (November 4, 2002 – May 17, 2009)2009 (Manufacturing and Service) = 6570,000 -79,099 series (May 18, 2009 – December 31, 2010)2002 (Manufacturing) = 380,000 – 89,999 (January 1, 2011 – October 20, 2011)2011 (Manufacturing and Service) = 6781,000 and up (October 21, 2011 – December 31, 2013)

Florida’s Certified Petition History

The Department of Economic Opportunity recently restructured some areas within the central office to streamline processes, prevent duplication of efforts, proper staffing etc.

As a result of this organizational restructuring, the TAA (training) and TRA (Reemployment Assistance) components were consolidated under one unit.

Recent Program Merger

As a result, the unit is now fully staffed, we have subject matter experts reviewing TRA and RTAA applications and making determinations, CONNECT expert, training and waiver, policies, etc.

Recent Program Merger (cont’d)

On October 15, 2013, the Department of Economic Opportunity launched a new system that replaced the Unemployment Insurance (UI) mainframe called CONNECT.

Reemployment Assistance System - CONNECT

CONNECT was designed to allow users to have the following access:

• Staff evaluate information, authorize payments, adjudicate issues and maintain data

• Third party representatives are granted access by the claimant, use to search, view information and act on behalf of the claimant for appeal purposes.

Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)

• Claimants to file for benefits and have access to their claim, file appeals, view and send correspondence.

• Employers to file an appeal, view and send correspondence

Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)

• Upload the trade-affected worker list• Maintain all certified petitions• Send out official Trade Program Packets• Allow trade-affected workers to apply for TRA

benefits on-line through the system

Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)

• Establish claims on-line• Apply for the wage subsidy benefit on-line• View payment history, claim weeks, view the

status of weeks claimed• Eliminate the manual processes• Provide for 100 percent total automation

Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)

• Perform all calculations and allow claimants to receive those benefits for which they qualify automatically via the system

• Update claimant’s address, if applicable• Enter work search information

Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)

• Report income from other sources• View monetary determinations• Access claimant inbox

Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS