The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is pleased to sponsor the first annual Recognition of Excellence on behalf of the nation¿s workforce investment system. To recognize superior employment and training related programs and improve system performance, ETA has established a system to recognize high levels of success by entities managing and partnering with ETA funded programs. ETA recognizes that achieving commendable outcomes requires much more than statutory or regulatory compliance. Therefore, high levels of success should be recognized, and it is ETA¿s hope that this recognition process will facilitate the exponential replication of promising practices throughout the workforce investment system.

To inform the workforce investment system of the implementation of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Labor (DOL) Strategic Alliance Memorandum.

To provide State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) with additional information and documents to complete the project to exchange data with the Social Security Administration (SSA).

To advise State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) that the required operational date for the new ICON-IB6, Release 2 software, which is used for processing quarterly bills for unemployment claims that combine wages from two or more states, has been changed from the billing cycle for the quarter ending March 31, 2004, to the billing cycle for the quarter ending June 30, 2004.

To respond to inquiries from State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) and provide them with information about the Department of Defense (DOD) National Call to Service program that became effective October 1, 2003.

To transmit the subject computation for State Workforce Agency usage in computing minimum weekly DUA amounts for all major disasters declared during the third quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2004.

To provide states and outlying areas with FY 2004 Congressional Rescissions for WIA Adults and Dislocated Workers; WIA Title I Adults and Dislocated Workers and Youth Activities allotments for PY 2004; additional PY 2004 Dislocated Worker National Emergency Reserve funds for eligible states; final allotments for PY 2004 Employment Service (ES) activities, as required by Section 6(b)(5) of the Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended; and Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Welfare-to-Work (W-t-W) Tax Credit allotments for FY 2004.

To provide State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) with guidelines and key dates for the release of UI BAM paid and denied claims data for CY 2003 and to inform the states that the Department of Labor (DOL) will publish BAM program data in the CY 2003 UI Performs Annual Report.

To advise states of an amendment to the definition of wages in Federal unemployment compensation (UC) law related to the treatment of employer payments made for a Health Savings Account.

To educate workforce leaders about building new and successful partnerships between the WIA system and faith-based and community organizations (FBCO), and to announce a new grant opportunity for workforce investment boards (WIB) that successfully demonstrate the ability to partner with FBCOs.