To inform state workforce agencies (SWAs) of the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA’s) intention to eliminate its authority to pay the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) directly for “employment security” postage costs beginning Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. These plans include the following:

• Phasing out ETA payment to the United States Postal Service (USPS) for state agency penalty mail and postal management costs beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 for states volunteering to be early implementers; beginning in FY 2008, all states will assume responsibility for paying their own postage costs as well as any postal management services currently provided to states through the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Supplemental Budget Request (SBR) process;
• Implementing new procedures to fund UI, Foreign Labor Certification (FLC), Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), and Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) postage beginning with FY 2008;
• Implementing new procedures to fund Wagner-Peyser (WP) and Workforce Information Grants (WIGs) beginning with Program Year (PY) 2008;
• Providing guidance on the payment of postage costs for programs conducted by SWAs in cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS);
• Providing information on technical assistance available to states in converting from the (penalty mail) Official Mail Accounting System (OMAS) to commercial mail to improve general mail practices; and
• Soliciting UI SBRs from states for the purpose of implementing commercial mail programs and improving postage management.

To announce the release and availability of Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws 2006.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is pleased to announce commencement of a SUTA study to examine state implementation of section 303(k) of the Social Security Act (SSA) in selected states. ETA has contracted with Coffey Communications, LLC (Coffey) of Bethesda, Maryland to conduct the study. The study will examine the status and effectiveness of state actions to meet the requirements of the law and operating guidance, and discuss whether the Secretary of Labor should recommend additional Congressional action to improve the effectiveness of section 303(k) of the SSA.

To provide states with WIA Title I Adult and Youth Activities Programs final allotments for PY 2006 and related additional PY 2006 WIA Section 173(e) funds for eligible states.

To announce anticipated FY 2007 funds for selected State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) to continue to operate REA programs and for additional states to implement REA programs; to invite the submission of state proposals; and to provide the guidelines for developing the proposals and criteria governing the use of these funds.

To notify state workforce agencies (SWAs) of the availability of FY 2006 UI funds for the priority initiatives listed below and for implementation of additional optional projects if states have already received funds for or implemented the priority initiatives.

Priority initiatives include:

1) Access to the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH);
2) UI Data Validation;
3) Interstate Benefits (IB), Combined Wage Claim (CWC), Liable/Agent Data Transfer (LADT) Applications and Interfaces;
4) Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE) Electronic Application; and
5) UI Required Reports (UIRR) Corrective Action.

1) Training for Adjudication Staff;
2) Improved Occupational Coding Quality;
3) Debit Cards and/or Direct Deposit for UI Benefit Payments;
4) Social Security Administration “Real Time” or Batch Data Exchange;
5) Upgraded Wage Record Databases to Record and Maintain Full Names;
6) Agent State Database for Interstate Claimants; and
7) Improved Performance.

To inform State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) of anticipated funds in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 that provide the opportunity to submit supplemental budget requests (SBRs) for activities to prevent and detect cases of unemployment insurance (UI) fraud due to identity theft.

To announce the grant application process and to transmit guidance for the development and management of the PY 2006 Workforce Information Core Products and Services Grant

To provide grantees with updated information on the Payment Management System (PMS) subaccounts for Program Year (PY) 2006 funds.

To announce additions to the schedule for FY 2006 BTQ Nonmonetary Determination Evaluation Training Seminars.