To assist State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) or agencies designated by Governors as “Cooperating State Agencies” (CSAs) and States in providing services to TAA program participants through the American Job Center network. This guidance supersedes TEGL No. 5-00, Attachment B, incorporating the changes to the program since the issuance of that TEGL, including the expanded funding source options.

To transmit the updated Agricultural and Food Processing Clearance Order, ETA Form 790; Agricultural and Food Processing Clearance Memorandum, ETA Form 795; and the instructions for both forms.

To inform State Workforce Agencies (SWAs), SWA liaisons, and National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP) grantees of the 2013 National Monitor Advocate Training Sessions, which will take place March 17-20, 2013, at the MAFO 2013 National Farmworker Conference in San Antonio, Texas

To provide an update on the UI Excellence in Action initiative and announce the availability of exciting new tools designed to help states improve business processes in their unemployment insurance (UI) programs

To ensure states are aware of the revised Schedule of Remuneration for the UCX program that reflects the military pay increase and is effective April 1, 2013.

To issue the revised Federal poverty guidelines for SCSEP eligibility determinations.

To ensure states are aware of the Federal military retired pay annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) provided by the Department of Defense.

To publicize the availability of funds for the 2012 Employment and Training Administration (ETA) Research Papers Program. This initiative will provide approximately $80,000 to fund approximately 10 projects of Doctoral students interested in writing scholarly, policy-relevant research papers on topics of interest to the public workforce investment system.

To alert State Workforce Agency Administrators and Local Workforce Investment Board (LWIB) Executive Directors that a study of TBL in the public workforce system is being implemented and their completion of the State TBL Survey and Local TBL Survey, respectively, will support this effort. The primary purpose of these surveys is to gather up-to-date information on TBL opportunities and usage at the state and local levels, and factors that influence its adoption and design in the public workforce system.

To clarify the applicability of the able and available and work search requirements under section 303(a)(12) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to participants in demonstration projects permitted under section 305, SSA.