The purpose of this notice is to: (1) assist the American Job Center (AJC) network operators and partners in filing TAA petitions on behalf of worker groups; (2) assist the State Workforce Agencies designated by the Governor as "Cooperating State Agencies" (CSAs) (also jointly referred to as "states") in carrying out their responsibilities regarding the submission of complete TAA petitions filed with the Department of Labor (Department or We); and (3) improve the quality of TAA state-filed petitions by ensuring accurate information is disseminated to petitioners through partnerships with Rapid Response teams.

To provide State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) guidelines and key dates for the completion of IPIA 2015 UI BAM paid and denied claims sample cases and the publication of IPIA 2015 BAM data.

To correct the effective date of the federal military retired pay annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) published in UIPL No. 08-15, "Federal Military Pensions." The correct effective date of the military COLA increases is December 1, 2014.

To announce the release and availability of the Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws Effective January 2015.

This Training Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) lays out the vision for a revitalized transformed workforce system as a result of implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Further, it encourages workforce system leaders and partners to take action now to support successful implementation to fully realize the vision of WIOA. Finally, it provides an overview of upcoming guidance and technical assistance to support effective implementation of WIOA.

To expand and clarify the definition of significant barriers to employment (SBE) provided in Section 5 of Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 19-13, released on April 10, 2014.

To issue the revised Federal poverty guidelines for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).

To announce the availability of $100 million for American Apprenticeship Initiative Grants to public-private partnerships. The Department will award approximately 25 grants from $2.5 million to $5 million each, for a period of performance of 5 years from the date of award. The deadline for applying is April 30, 2015.

To disseminate the final report of a study to develop an enhanced military to civilian occupational crosswalk under the provisions of Section 222 of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act and to alert the workforce system and its partners of the availability of the study and resulting enhanced crosswalk. The enhanced crosswalk is designed to help transitioning servicemembers and veterans expand their potential options to transfer military skills and training to civilian careers and employment.

To inform the public workforce system and partners of the functionality and value of the government-wide Veterans Employment Center (VEC) available now through the eBenefits portal hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/jobs.