To announce the release and availability of ETA Occasional Paper: The Power of Partnership: American Regions Collaborating for Economic Competitiveness, 2009 Generation I WIRED Interim Evaluation Report

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the release and availability of four reports on the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program:

• Initial Implementation of the Trade Act of 2002;
• Assessment, Case Management, and Post-Training Assistance for TAA Participants;
• Linkages between TAA, One-Stop Career Center Partners, and Economic Development Agencies; and
• Rapid Response and TAA.

To request Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 166 grantees to submit nominations for consideration by Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, for appointment to fill expiring terms of membership on the Native American Employment and Training Council (Council).

To advise states of an amendment relating to unemployment compensation (UC) modernization incentive payments.

The Department of Labor (DOL) invites the workforce development system to participate in the Tools for America’s Job Seekers Challenge (hereafter called the “Challenge”). The Challenge seeks to help jobseekers and workforce development professionals identify and use online job search and career advancement tools. The Challenge utilizes an innovative method called crowdsourcing to allow jobseekers and workforce development professionals to recommend and comment on job search and career advancement tools. The effort is a collaboration among the White House, the Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA), IdeaScale.com, job-related online tool providers, workforce development professionals, and jobseekers.

To respond to states’ questions about the further expansion of the EUC08 program.

To provide a correction to the formula for calculating Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) payments and to respond to questions from State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) about administration of Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) and RTAA under the new Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, as amended in 2009.

To announce the release of the ETA-approved Job Service Complaint System poster.

This guidance contains instructions regarding changes in the BAM Paid Claims Accuracy (PCA) and Denied Claims Accuracy (DCA) programs and updates for the State Operations Handbook, ET Handbook No. 395.

To increase awareness of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and inform states and local areas about resources available to assist dislocated workers, businesses, and partners in understanding the new law. Most of the language in this notice is identical to TEN 42-08, and is repeated because two important groups of addressees have been added. For those who received the previous notice, all of the new material is highlighted in boldface type. Most of the additions are in Section 5 (Action Requested) and Section 7 (Attachments).