The links below take you to that section of the frequently asked questions.

Note regarding all COVID-19 FAQs: The Department of Labor issued these FAQs throughout the spring and summer of 2020. Many were updated in the fall of 2020. The formal declaration of the COVID-19 public health emergency ended on May 11, 2023. Questions that are no longer relevant are archived for reference and are no longer in effect. Some clarifications provided by ETA on existing flexibilities during the pandemic remain and are noted as such below.

All Grants – Leave and Stipends

Q1: Are the costs of a grantee’s leave policy that provides paid leave to employees (including part-time employees and employees of subrecipients) when their work hours have been reduced due to COVID-19 closures or disruptions (e.g., if a grantee’s offices are shut down due to COVID-19) allowable costs of the federal grant?

Response: Beginning November 1, 2020, grant recipients and subrecipients must make every effort to provide services remotely or, where feasible and consistent with state and local laws, in-person. Any paid leave to staff beyond this time must be approved by the Grant Officer.

Yes. 2 CFR 200.431(b) states that a leave policy is allowable if is an established, written policy that applies equitably and consistently to all staff regardless of employee class, and if it is reasonable. However, a state or grantee may only charge an employee’s paid-time-off to the Federal grant if it is the state’s/grantee’s overarching policy to pay all employees in this situation, regardless of the funding source used to cover such an expense. If a grantee amends its existing leave policy or develops a new emergency leave policy applicable to all employees affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, costs incurred under that policy would be allowable provided they meet the requirements in 2 CFR 200.431(b). For any change in policy that impacts the budget, competitive or discretionary grantees may need to submit a budget realignment request. If the change in policy impacts an approved indirect cost rate or cost allocation plan, the grantee must request a change or obtain an extension from its federal cost negotiator. Grant recipients and subrecipients must maintain appropriate records and cost documentation as required by 2 CFR 200.302 - Financial management and 2 CFR 200.333 - Retention requirement of records to substantiate the charging of any salaries and other project activities costs related to interruption of operations or services. Salary and Bonus limitations (Pursuant to P.L. 115-141, Division H, Title I, Section 105) remain in effect. At this time, no additional funds will be provided by ETA to cover these expenses. Should the need for such leave be longer than 60 days, ETA will provide additional guidance on these paid leave policies.

2023 Update - Archived: Q1 and its response are archived and is no longer in effect as of May 11, 2023.

Q2: Can WIOA formula and competitive grants continue to pay wages or stipends if program participants were actively being served prior to the pandemic or if they were in a work experience placement (e.g., subsidized employment, OJT, paid internship) which has been recently cancelled due to COVID-19?

Response: If the program participant’s time commitment, stipend structure, and/or other academic or work terms were established prior to the national health emergency declaration, grantees should continue to pay the participant for the remainder of the established term.

2023 Update - Archived: By the end of the pandemic, May 11, 2023, no program participants should have been in work experience that had begun prior to the pandemic. Therefore, Q2 and its response are archived and is no longer in effect as of May 11, 2023.

Q3: Can grantees who are interested in applying for a Small Business Administration Payroll Protection Program loan use ETA grant funds to pay back the loan?

Response: No. A grant recipient or subrecipient should not use grant funds to repay the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan. There should be no need to take out a PPP loan to cover grant payroll expenses because ETA grant funds can be used to cover salaries and fringe benefits and paid leave during this emergency. See the published FAQs located at https://www.workforcegps.org/resources/2020/03/18/23/35/Coronavirus-COVID-19-Resources. For further information on PPP, please see the interim final rule at https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2020-04/PPP--IFRN%20FINAL_0.pdf.

2023 Update - Archived: Q3 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q4: During the pandemic, can grantees charge the grant for an employee's sick or family leave if such costs were originally to be allocated to the subrecipient contract.

Response: No. Any pandemic-related paid leave must be charged to the contract from which the employee is paid. If a grantee has a contract with a subrecipient and the employees of the subrecipient are paid sick leave or family leave, the cost must be billed and charged to the subrecipient contract.

2023 Update - Archived: Q4 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q5: Can grant recipients, subrecipients, and service providers continue to pay participants and/or employers if their work site is still shut down or training or work cannot be provided?

Response: No. At the beginning of the pandemic, ETA allowed grantees to continue to pay WIOA title I participants for work experience (e.g., subsidized employment, on-the-job training, or paid internship) even if that work experience was curtailed, as long as the program participant’s time commitment, stipend structure, and/or other academic or work terms were established before the national health emergency declaration, and only so long as the remainder of the established term. WIOA title I grantees have now had time to shift service strategies, and most participants are no longer working under terms established before the pandemic. Therefore, grantees can only pay participants for work experience when they are actually in a virtual, remote, or in-person work experience.

2023 Update - Archived: Q5 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

All Grants – Allowable Activities in Transitioning Services

Q6: Can grantees use funds to purchase cleaning supplies?

Response: Yes, to the extent that the supplies are used for the benefit of the grant program (e.g., in grantee spaces, or a proportionate share of shared spaces).

2023 Update - Active: Q6 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q7: Is it an allowable charge to a grant if an employee works on COVID-19 related functions (i.e., sanitizing the building, etc.) and not grant-related functions?

Response: Assisting in the cleaning and sanitizing of dedicated and common space that is used to house and serve program staff and participants is an allowable grant function.

2023 Update - Active: Q7 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q8: Can grant programs purchase food to participants seeking assistance?

Response: Generally, grant funds from the Employment and Training Administration cannot be used to provide food assistance to individuals in the grantee’s community. On a limited basis and in certain situations, food at a reasonable cost may be provided to youth-serving program participants as a supportive service. Food may be provided to eligible youth when it will assist or enable the participant to participate in allowable youth program activities funded through one or more of our programs and to reach his/her employment and training goals, thereby achieving the program’s overall performance goals. The focus of the programs is to train youth, and the use of grant funds for food should be limited to reasonable and necessary purchases that are coordinated with other community, state, or federal services that provide food for low-income individuals.

2023 Update - Active: Q8 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q9: How can grantees adjust services to maintain the safety of staff and customers?

Response: Grantees should adhere to state and local government directives on health and safety, even when this means closing in-person services. Grantees can adapt their services to provide services online. Grantees that maintain limited in-person services should review OSHA guidance on healthy and safe workplaces, available at www.dol.gov/coronavirus.

2023 Update - Active: Q9 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q10: Can grantees pay for mass transportation costs, e.g., subway or bus, for participants?

Response: To the extent that the costs are linked to participants and their service strategy, they are allowable. Competitive grantees can refer to their Funding Opportunity Announcement and grant agreements for allowable costs. WIOA formula grantees can refer to the Supportive Services desk reference.

2023 Update - Active: Q10 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q11: For grants that pay participants stipends during training, can grantees pay stipends to participants for distance learning or other remote activities?

Response: Yes, stipends directly tied to program services, even those conducted remotely, are allowable if such stipends were permitted under the grant Statement of Work.

2023 Update - Active: Q11 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q12: Can grants purchase food that can be made available to individuals seeking assistance?

Response: ETA grant funds cannot be used to provide general food assistance to individuals in the community, regardless of the age of the individual. Employment and training programs are not intended as and cannot be converted to income or food support programs. At times, certain supportive services and needs related payments may be issued to a participant, in general, to allow them to participate in training and employment services that will allow more of their personal funds to be used to cover food purchases. Written policies and procedures must be in place that outline the factors or criteria that will be considered by the case manager or staff person to ensure fair and equitable distribution of such expenses to participants is also reasonable, necessary, allowable, and allocable to the ETA grant award.

In programs specifically serving youth, on a limited basis and in certain situations ETA grant funds may be used on food for youth program participants as a supportive service. Food may be provided to eligible youth when it will assist or enable the participant to participate in allowable youth program activities and reach his/her employment and training goals. The focus of the programs is to train youth and the use of grant funds for food should be limited to reasonable and necessary purchases and must be coordinated with other community, state, or Federal services that provide food for low-income individuals.

2023 Update - Active: Q12 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. Additional guidance may be found in TEGL 09-22.

Q13: If grantees, subrecipients, or service providers have to rely on their own personal cell phones and computers to administer services from home, would these expenses be an allowable cost? If so, how should grantees document these types of costs?

Response: The additional cost of data or cellular service incurred by the employee or staff person may be charged to the program. Documentation must be retained to show how such costs were determined and paid for and are in excess of their personal monthly charges. A written policy must be in place to ensure consistency in application among employees and programs. The policy should also address the safeguarding and protection of personally identifiable information. Such costs are expected to be temporary and only for the time of this emergency.

2023 Update - Active: Q13 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q14: Some grantees are experiencing termination costs (e.g., meetings or flights canceled) due to the health concerns related to COVID-19. Descriptions of termination costs in the Uniform Guidance generally deal with terminating grants and leases, which generally are allowable with conditions. But, are cancellation costs associated with the virus an allowable cost?

Response: Recipients who incur costs related to the cancellation of events, travel, or other activities necessary and reasonable for the performance of the award, or the pausing and restarting of grant-funded activities due to the COVID-19 public health emergency may charge these costs to their award without regard to 2 CFR 200.403, Factors affecting allowability of costs, 2 CFR 200.404, Reasonable costs, and 2 CFR 200.405, Allocable costs. Any future credits from cancellations must be applied to the grant or Federal funding source used to make the initial purchase. It is a good business practice to examine the terms and conditions of any future or new contract to ensure that termination or cancellations due to natural or federally declared disasters are kept to a minimum. This is effective from March 1, 2020, through June 30, 2020. ETA will further evaluate at that time.

2023 Update - Archived: Q14 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q15: Should states or local areas suspend all youth and adult work experience during this crisis, or determine the best course of action depending on the youth/adult and employer situations?

Response: States and local areas should follow CDC and state and local government guidance in making determinations related to whether youth and adults should still be participating on work experiences, and should consider the environment in which the work is being conducted, and the chance for virus transmission. ETA understands that many activities including work experience may be suspended or impacted.

2023 Update - Archived: Q15 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q16: Can grantees shift to virtual services, such as e-learning, phone calls, and virtual meetings?

Response: ETA programs provide flexibility to grantees in how they provide services. Grantees can choose the best method of continuing to deliver program services. Security of customer data and its transition as well as ease of customer access must be considered.

2023 Update - Active: Q16 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q17: Can grantees purchase laptops and tablets for participants so they can continue their education and training from home. Are laptops and tablets equipment? Do grantees need prior approval from the grant officer to purchase these?

Response: Yes, grant funds can be used to purchase supplies or equipment to assist in providing program services and training in a virtual setting during this time. The definition of equipment is found at 2 CFR 200.33. The definition of supplies is found at 2 CFR 200.94. Laptops and tablets usually fall within the definition of supplies, which do not need grant officer approval. The Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.302 and § 200.303 requires that all funds, property, and other assets be safeguarded against loss from unauthorized use or disposition. The grant recipient and its service providers must have sufficient internal controls and policies in place to account for all assets. Grant recipients should use safety precautions to protect personally identifiable information and use sound fiscal prudence to maximize the value of taxpayer dollars spent. Grantees should weigh the length of time remaining in the period of performance against the reasonable benefit to the program for purchases of new supplies or equipment.

2023 Update - Active: Q17 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q18: Can ETA grant funds be used to pay for broadband internet services and support distance learning?

Response: WIOA funds can be used to pay for devices and broadband internet service that will allow a participant to create or maintain a wireless connection for distance learning, searching for jobs, and other employment and training services where such services are already allowable. Grant recipients are expected to use sound fiscal prudence to maximize value for each taxpayer dollar spent by reaching as many participants as possible while also considering the cost and length of time remaining in the period of performance. Please note that ETA grant funds cannot be used to enhance or build the infrastructure needed to support local broadband internet service.

2023 Update - Active: Q18 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q19: Is there flexibility to offer academic courses and/or training in a distance learning platform?

Response: ETA programs provide flexibility to grantees in how they provide services. Grantees can choose the best method of continuing to deliver program services. The security of customer data and its transmission, as well as ease of customer access, must be considered.

2023 Update - Active: Q19 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

All Grants – Administrative Flexibilities

Q20: Can grantees get extensions to submit closeout packages to ETA?

Response: Requests for extensions must be submitted to the Closeout Unit within 30 days of the expiration of the grant award.

2023 Update - Active: Q20 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q21: Will grantees get extensions to file Single Audits?

Response: Grantees may have an extension of six months beyond the normal due date if they did not file their single audits with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse as of March 19, 2020. The single audits that have fiscal year-ends through June 30, 2020, may also delay the completion and submission of the Single Audit reporting package, as required under Subpart F of 2 CFR 200.501-Audit Requirements, to six months beyond the normal due date. No further action by awarding agencies (such as ETA) is required to enact these extensions. These extensions do not require individual recipients and subrecipients to seek approval for the extensions by the cognizant or oversight agency for audit; however, recipients and subrecipients should maintain documentation of the reason for the delayed filing. Recipients and subrecipients taking advantage of these extensions would still qualify as a "low-risk auditee" under the criteria of 2 CFR 200.520(a).

2023 Update - Archived: Q21 and its response are no longer applicable and are archived.

Q22: May I get an extension to submit, update, or revise my negotiated indirect cost rate?

Response: ETA allows grant recipients to continue to use the currently approved indirect cost rates (i.e., predetermined, fixed, or provisional rates) to recover their indirect costs on Federal awards. A recipient’s request for an extension on the use of the current rates for one additional year without submission of an indirect cost proposal must be submitted within 90 days before the expiration. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Division of Cost & Price Determination will also approve grant recipients requests for an extension of the indirect cost rate proposal submission to finalize the current rates and establish future rates.

2023 Update - Archived: Q22 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q23: Can programs enroll new participants using electronic or digital signatures?

Response: Yes. The Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.335 allows the use of digital or electronic means to collect, transmit, and store information.

2023 Update - Active: Q23 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q24: Can states or grantees waive procurement requirements?

Response: In accordance with OMB Memorandum M-20-17, grantees may conduct procurements under the public emergency provision (2 CFR 200.320(f)(2)). Grantees can waive the procurement requirements contained in 2 CFR 200.319(b) regarding geographical preferences and 2 CFR 200.321 regarding contracting with small and minority businesses, women's business enterprises, and labor surplus area firms. Grant recipients are expected to use sound fiscal prudence to maximize value for each taxpayer dollar spent. These exceptions are time limited and will be reassessed by ETA within 90 days of the OMB Memo M-20-17 dated March 19, 2020, that is, by mid-June.

2023 Update – Archived: Q24 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q25: Can a state that has imposed additional requirements in ETA programs (e.g., performance, spending thresholds, services, etc.) relax requirements for those provisions?

Response: Any state with additional requirements that go beyond what is expressly required by ETA can research and pursue waiving or eliminating those requirements in accordance with state law and policy.

2023 Update - Active: Any state that has imposed additional requirements beyond those required by the law or ETA can at any time consider waiving or eliminating those requirements. ETA encourages states and grantees to regularly review its policies to ensure that any additional requirements imposed are fully necessary to grant implementation.

Q26: Can grantees repurpose grant funds to offset additional expenses related to COVID-19 such as increased paid time off or overtime for staff?

Response: At this time, grantees cannot pay overtime in addition to paid time off to the same individual. For grantees considering paying overtime, agencies must have a written approved policy on overtime that outlines the conditions and criteria to authorize, approve, and earn overtime during this time. All salaries and fringe benefits must be within the Salary and Bonus limitations (P.L. 115-141, Division H, Title I, Section 105; P.L. 115-245, Division B, Title I, Section 105; and P.L. 116-94, Division A, Title I, Section 105). Grant recipients must maintain appropriate records and cost documentation as required by 2 CFR 200.302 - Financial management and 2 CFR 200.333 - Retention requirement of records to substantiate the charging of any salaries and other project activities costs related to the interruption of operations or services. Grant recipients should not place their staff in danger or a hazardous setting.

2023 Update - Archived: Q26 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q27: Will ETA provide grantees with cash advances to supplemental grant funding or new grant awards because services will decrease, yet grantees will need the additional funding for paid time off?

Response: With the exception of additional funds for Dislocated Worker Grants and provisions to increase administrative cost limits for WIOA local workforce investment areas and Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees, Congress has not appropriated supplemental funds for grantees. Therefore, ETA does not expect to release additional or supplemental funds to grant recipients that may incur pandemic related expenses. Such costs must be recorded and documented.

2023 Update - Archived: Q27 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q28: Can grantees pay subgrantees—such as the WIOA Youth provider to a state—for monthly expenses, such as salaries, utilities, even while the program is temporarily closed?

Response: Grantees, where possible, may continue to provide services remotely or virtually. Under existing law and the Uniform Guidance, grantees may continue to charge salaries and benefits to currently active Federal awards consistent with the recipients’ policy of paying salaries (under unexpected or extraordinary circumstances) from all funding sources, Federal and non-Federal. Grant recipients may charge costs to the Federal award necessary to resume activities supported by the award, consistent with applicable Federal cost principles and the benefit to the project. Grant recipients must maintain appropriate records and cost documentation as required by 2 CFR 200.302 - Financial management and 2 CFR 200.333 - Retention requirement of records to substantiate the charging of any salaries and other project activities costs related to the interruption of operations or services. Salary and Bonus limitations should not be waived and remain in effect. Recipients must maintain appropriate records and documentation to support the charges against the Federal awards.

2023 Update - Archived: Q28 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q29: Since grant funds for a competitive grant that were projected for students and participants will now not be fully used, can we make advanced purchases of supplies or use the money for sustainability purposes?

Response: No. Grant funds cannot be used for extra or advanced supplies or sustainability purposes. Grantees should already have existing plans to sustain the program after the grant has ended, which should be described in its Statement of Work.

2023 Update - Archived: Q29 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q30: Can grant recipients continue to manage fiscal monitoring of sub-recipients remotely?       

Response: Monitoring and oversight can take many forms and may include remote or desk monitoring. The transmission of PII data may be done through encrypted email or cloud services, with the appropriate protections to prevent inappropriate disclosure.

2023 Update – Revised Response: Monitoring and oversight can take many forms and may include remote or desk monitoring. The transmission of PII data may be done through encrypted email or cloud services, with the appropriate protections to prevent inappropriate disclosure. If programs have a statutory or regulatory requirement to conduct onsite monitoring, steps must be in place to perform the function in accordance with the requirements. This response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q31: If services are disrupted for a few weeks, will grantees be able to extend the period of performance so we can complete all planned grant activities?

Response: For competitive discretionary grants, ETA understands some grant functions might need to be suspended for health and safety reasons. ETA will consider period of performance extensions. Please contact your Federal Project Officer to request such an extension if your grant ends within the next quarter. Include details about how and why COVID-19 disruptions impact the ability of the grant to finish timely. Otherwise, grantees may wait until they resume normal submit period of performance extension requests when they return to normal operations.

2023 Update - Archived: Q31 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023. While generally periods of performance cannot be extended, ETA Grant Officers can consider such extensions in some a circumstance when consistent with 2 CFR Part 200 and appropriation law. If you have questions about the period of performance of your grant, please discuss with your Federal Project Officer.

Q32: Will ETA extend the time to file required performance and financial reports for the quarter ending March 31, 2021, normally due May 15, 2021?

Response: ETA will allow grantees/recipients to delay submission of financial, performance, and other reports for up to three months beyond the normal due date. Grantees will be allowed to continue to draw down Federal funds without the expected submission of these reports. Grantees should communicate with their Federal Project Officers regarding an extension. These reports must be submitted by the end of the postponed period.

2023 Update - Archived: Q32 and its response, which referred to the year 2020, are archived was of May 11, 2023.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) – General

Q33: Can grantees use "presumptive eligibility" based on self-attestation for programs?

Response: There are multiple forms of acceptable source documentation for WIOA eligibility. Self-attestation may be used for a number of eligibility criteria as noted in ETA program and performance guidance; however, it should not be used as a first resort. Local areas and grantees should attempt to collect other source documentation demonstrating eligibility when possible. During this time where COVID-19 is impacting programs’ ability to physically collect documentation, documentation may be accepted verbally as long as it is clearly documented in the case file.

2023 Update – Revised Response: Additional details on the use of self-attestation are outlined in TEGL 23-19 Change 1 published October 25, 2022 and states that: “DOL encourages grant recipients to consider the impacts on equity and accessibility when developing their source documentation policies and procedures.” For example, grantees considering restrictions on the use of self-attestation should consider that while other documentation sources are preferred when practical, self-attestation is an important option for populations with barriers to obtaining eligibility and reporting documents (such as disconnected youth, American Indian and Alaska Native populations, individuals experiencing homelessness, justice involved individuals, refugees, disaster impacted individuals, and others) and help ensure such populations are able to equitably access services.” It also states that “Where self-attestation is listed as an option for source documentation in Attachment II, the lack of source documentation beyond self-attestation must not delay or prevent enrollment and receipt of services in a program. “This response came into effect on October 25, 2022, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.” Please also review TEGL 23-19 change 2, published May 12, 2023, which does not change this instruction, but does offer additional information on data validation for specific programs.

Q34: How can state workforce agencies or local areas use incumbent worker training (IWT) to assist businesses and workers impacted by the COVID-19 emergency?

Response: IWT can be used in several ways to help ameliorate the impacts of COVID-19 by averting layoffs and upskilling workers. For example, grantees can use IWT to train workers for new roles that have arisen due to the COVID-19 emergency or to train workers on technologies that enable them to do work remotely that otherwise would be done in an office. Under WIOA title I, IWT may be funded locally, using statewide funds, or through Rapid Response funds.

TEGL 19-16, Section 13 sets forth the allowable uses of incumbent worker training funds, including layoff aversion and/or to assist individuals to acquire the skills necessary to retain their employment or advance in their careers. WIOA statewide activities funds from the Governor’s reserve may be used to provide incumbent worker training to achieve these program goals, and rapid response may be used if incumbent worker training is related to layoff aversion strategy or activity.

2023 Update - Active: Q34 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q35: Can states or local areas use WIOA On-The-Job-Training and Work Experience to place participants in a for-profit factory manufacturing respirators or face masks to help the factory increase production to meet the COVID-driven demand?

Response: On-The-Job-Training (OJT) and Work Experience are allowable services in this scenario, provided the individual meets the eligibility definition for a participant. Work Experience is an allowable service in all three WIOA title I programs, and for participants in the WIOA youth program, work experiences are one of the 14 program elements offered and may take place in the private for-profit sector, nonprofit sector, or public sector.

In the case of OJT for the Adult or Dislocated Worker programs, the individual must meet the additional requirements for placing an individual into training. As a reminder, individual adults and dislocated workers can be placed into training services if the American Job Center staff, including partner programs’ staff, determines after conducting an interview, an evaluation, or assessment, and career planning, that the individual:

  • Is unlikely or unable to obtain or retain employment that leads to economic self-sufficiency or wages comparable to or higher than wages from previous employment through career services alone;
  • Is in need of training services to obtain or retain employment that leads to economic self-sufficiency or wages comparable to or higher than wages from previous employment;
  • Has the skills and qualifications to successfully participate in the selected program of training services;
  • Is unable to obtain grant assistance from other sources to pay the costs of such training, including such sources as State-funded training funds or Federal Pell Grants established under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, or requires WIOA assistance in addition to other sources of grant assistance, including Federal Pell Grants (20 CFR 680.230 and WIOA Section 134(c)(3)(B) contain provisions relating to funding coordination);
  • Is a member of a worker group covered under a petition filed for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and is awaiting a determination. If the petition is certified, the worker may then transition to TAA approved training. If the petition is denied, the worker will continue training under WIOA;
  • Is determined eligible under the State and local priority system in effect for adults under WIOA Section 134(c)(3)(E) if training services are provided through the adult funding stream; and
  • Selected a program of training services that are directly linked to the employment opportunities in the local area or the planning region, or in another area to which the individual is willing to commute or relocate.

2023 Update - Active: Q35 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. OJT can also be used in other industry sectors to connect businesses to workers and to increase jobseekers’ experience and skills in specific occupations.

Q36: Does WIOA allow virtual and/or online training providers to be included on the state ETP list?

Response: There are no restrictions in WIOA statute, regulations, or guidance prohibiting states from approving virtual and online training programs from being included on their state list of eligible training providers. In fact, ETA’s ETP Performance reporting collection (ETA-9171) specifically allows states to report that a program format is “Online, E-Learning, or Distance Learning.” Many states have chosen to establish an agreement called the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), which creates a shared, regional approach to state oversight of postsecondary distance education that states have leveraged to easily identify and add online education and training programs to their state ETP list.

2023 Update - Active: Q36 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q37: Can ETA allow increased flexibility in providing participants with supportive services and needs-related payments, including for individuals that are not enrolled in training?

Response: Under WIOA title I, supportive services are available to enable individuals to participate in career or training services, with the exception of needs-related payments, which can only be used to enable a participant to participate in training. WIOA supportive services may not be used for general income support purposes for individuals not participating in career or training services. However, current participants may need additional supportive services to continue participating in the program, and the program may be enrolling more individuals who need career, training services, or supportive services. States and local areas have flexibility in developing policies for supportive services, and these state and local policies can be updated to respond to the COVID-19 emergency. Examples of allowable supportive services for WIOA title I participants include but are not limited to:

  • Linkages to community services;
  • Assistance with transportation;
  • Assistance with child care and dependent care;
  • Assistance with housing;
  • Needs-related payments, as described below;
  • Assistance with educational testing;
  • Reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities;
  • Legal aid services;
  • Referrals to health care;
  • Assistance with uniforms or other appropriate work attire and work-related tools, including such items as eyeglasses, protective eye gear, and other essential safety equipment;
  • Assistance with books, fees, school supplies, and other necessary items for students enrolled in postsecondary education classes; and
  • Payments and fees for employment and training-related applications, tests, and certifications.

Needs-related payments are designed to provide a participant with financial assistance to enable them to participate in training services. ETA recognizes that many individuals in need of training services may not have the resources available to participate in the training. Needs-related payments can help individuals meet their non-training expenses and help them to complete the training successfully. The maximum level of needs-related payments must be established by the local workforce development board and must follow criteria in 20 CFR 680.970. A participant must be enrolled in a training program described in Section 134(c)(3) of WIOA to receive needs-related payments. Specific criteria for Adult and Dislocated Worker eligibility can be found in 20 CFR 680.940 and 20 CFR 680.950.

For more information, please visit the Supportive Service Desk Reference available here: https://ion.workforcegps.org/resources/2017/07/14/09/22/Supportive_Services_Desk_Reference.

2023 Update - Active: Q37 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q38: As many businesses adapt to a delivery model for many occupations, can WIOA funds pay for vehicle-related costs or vehicle insurance costs of participants?

Response: WIOA funds can be used to pay for reasonable participant supportive service costs such as vehicle-related expenses. The state or local area must maintain a written policy that outlines the criteria or factors that a case manager must consider in deciding the reasonableness and appropriateness of such supportive service. Grantees or subgrantees must maintain documentation to support the reason for payment such as valid driver’s license, valid insurance policy, coverage of the individual on that policy.

2023 Update - Active: Q38 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q39: How can grantee staff determine customer eligibility remotely/virtually for ETA-funded programs? Can staff view eligibility documentation (e.g., birth certificates, driver’s license, etc.) via Skype to determine eligibility and temporarily sign a self-attestation that they viewed the documents?

Response: Eligibility determination is a critical and non-waivable function of ETA programs, and grantees should keep documentation files used to determine eligibility. There are multiple mechanisms to review and save such documentation. For example, program staff can obtain and save a screenshot of the eligibility documentation to a particular participant file, if the grantee policy allows. Whatever mechanism is used, appropriate information security and privacy must be maintained. Grantees are ultimately responsible for ensuring the accuracy and validity of documents. Eligibility processes should include some type of validation. For more information, see TEGL 07-18, Guidance for Validating Jointly Required Performance Data Submitted under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

2023 Update – Revised Response: Eligibility determination is a critical and non-waivable function of ETA programs, and grantees should keep documentation files used to determine eligibility. There are multiple mechanisms to review and save such documentation. For example, program staff can obtain and save a screenshot of the eligibility documentation to a particular participant file, if the grantee policy allows. Whatever mechanism is used, appropriate information security and privacy must be maintained. Grantees are ultimately responsible for ensuring the accuracy and validity of documents. Eligibility processes should include some type of validation. Additional details are outlined in TEGL 23-19 and its Changes 1 and 2 published on October 25, 2022, and March 12, 2023, respectively. This revised response became effective on October 25, 2022, with the publication of TEGL 23-19 Change 1, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q40: Can local workforce areas increase the 10% WIOA administrative cost limitation?

Response: Under Sec. 3515 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), local workforce areas can use up to 20% of the local allocations for programs funded under subtitle B of title I of WIOA for administrative costs. Please review the definition of administrative costs in the WIOA regulations at 20 CFR 683.215.

2023 Update - Archived: Q40 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q41: Can ETA or a state extend the timelines for WIOA Local Plan submission, review and approval processes, including local performance negotiations?

Response: States have the authority to set deadlines related to the submission and/or extension of local plans and local performance negotiations. According to TEGL 11-19, Negotiations and Sanctions Guidance for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Programs, September 30 is the deadline for the local negotiations: “The local board, the Chief Elected Official, and the Governor must negotiate and reach agreement on local levels of performance for two program years at a time, based on the state's negotiated levels of performance, no later than September 30 in each year in which state negotiations occur. The state must notify its DOL-ETA Regional Office that negotiations are complete.” ETA recognizes that due to the current shift to COVID-19 related priorities, some states and locals may not be able to meet that deadline. States may consider extending current local plans, and may adjust the time frame for negotiating local levels of performance. States planning these changes should notify the ETA Regional Office of their plans; the notification should include the expected timeframe for negotiating local levels of performance.

2023 Update - Active: Q41 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q42: Our local area uses benchmark timeframes, and contract payments are tied to benchmark attainment. Can the U.S. Department of Labor extend these timeframes?

Response: Local areas that established performance-based contracts with sub-recipients can renegotiate benchmarks, following existing state and local policies.

2023 Update - Active: Q42 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q43: Is the waiver process changing for COVID-19? May states submit multiple waiver requests together in a shortened format? May a state use currently approved waivers since this is a national emergency declaration? How long could such waivers be effective?

Response: ETA is statutorily required to respond to a request for a WIOA waiver within 90 days and will make every effort to expedite requests related to COVID-19. As long as the requested waivers address requirements of WIOA Section 189(i)(3)(B) and 20 CFR 679.620, a state may use any format it chooses or use the waiver request tool available at www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/wioa/pdfs/847112-Waiver%20Request%20Tool.pdf. A state may consolidate portions of its request that apply to multiple waiver types; however, areas unique to an individual waiver, such as expected outcomes must be specific to each waiver. A state may use any approved waivers it already has, regardless of the national emergency declaration. The maximum length of approval for any waiver must be consistent with the approval period of a State WIOA Unified or Combined Plan. For PY 2020, the maximum approval is July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022. The Department will evaluate each individual waiver request and may approve certain waivers for a shorter length of time.

2023 Update - Active: Q43 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. States have since resubmitted waiver requests for the timeframe of July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2024.

Q44: If services are disrupted for a few weeks, will WIOA formula grantees be able to extend the period of performance so we can complete all planned grant activities?

Response: Unfortunately, for WIOA PY 2017 grants ending June 30, 2020, due to the language in the WIOA statute 189(g)(2)(A), ETA cannot extend the period of performance for these grants.

2023 Update - Archived: Q44 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q45: Are unemployment insurance (UI) payments, including additional UI payments of $600 per week, counted as income for eligibility of WIOA title I programs?

Response: Yes. Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 19-16, Guidance on Services provided through the Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES), as amended by title III of WIOA, and for Implementation of the WIOA Final Rules, provides guidance on UI payments in determining low-income status. Under WIOA, there is no exclusion of payments for unemployment compensation from the income calculations for determining if an individual is low-income.

For the WIOA Adult program, low-income status is part of the priority of service calculation but is not required for eligibility purposes. Being eligible for or in receipt of UI is one of the eligibility criteria for the WIOA Dislocated Worker program, and there are no income restrictions in this program. For the WIOA Youth program, low-income status is not required for all participants. It is required for most in-school youth and some out-of-school youth. More information is available in TEGL 21-16, Third Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Title I Youth Formula Program Guidance.

2023 Update – Active: Q45 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q46: Is the CARES Act $1,200 payment included as income when considering WIOA enrollment?

Response: No. The $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus payments issued to individuals are considered tax credits and should not be considered in determining income level.

2023 Update - Archived: Q46 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q47: The CARES Act increased the administrative cost limit for state WIOA title I formula programs. How should states report the increased administrative costs?

Response: The Section 3515 of the CARES Act increased the administrative cost limit for state WIOA title I formula programs to 20% of the total amount allocated to a local area, if the portion of the total amount that exceeds 10% of the total amount is used to respond to a qualifying emergency, that is, related to COVID-19. States can continue to report administrative costs in the established financial reporting form (ETA-9130). States can enter administrative costs for WIOA grantees on line 10F of that form. Because the CARES Act administrative cost limit increase is only applicable to costs associated with COVID-19 and not the entire grant amount, grantees should list the dollar amount and percentage of the grant spent on administrative costs associated with responding to COVID-19 in the Remark field, section 12. Additionally, all COVID-19 related expenses should also be included in 10e Total Federal Share of Expenditures and reported in the Remarks section. See https://www.doleta.gov/grants/financial_reporting.cfm.

Please note that many costs associated with responding to COVID-19 may be program costs, and thus not subject to the administrative cost limit. The WIOA regulations at 20 CFR 683.215 define administrative costs.

All Grants

Q48: In some states, the department of motor vehicles is closed and has a grace period for expired drivers’ licenses or IDs. Can grantees use expired IDs for eligibility verification?

Response: Grantees are encouraged to use as much flexibility in their documentation requirements as possible during the pandemic. Grantees should gather whatever sources of documentation are currently available (such as potentially expired IDs) and ensure that, once business operations resume, grantees ensure they update the participants’ documentation records as necessary.

2023 Update - Archived: Q48 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q49: In states or locations with pandemic-related travel restrictions, what are the oversight roles and responsibilities of recipients and subrecipients of federal financial assistance awarded under Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Wagner-Peyser Act?

Response: Given travel limitations, grantees may be unable to conduct on-site program monitoring reviews under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act regulations at 20 CFR 683.410. Monitoring and oversight both of a fiscal and programmatic nature can take many forms and may include remote or desk monitoring. Any collection and transmission of personally identifiable information as part of monitoring/oversight must be done through encrypted email or cloud services, with the appropriate protections to prevent inappropriate disclosure.

2023 Update - Archived: Q49 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q50: Can grant recipients continue to manage programmatic monitoring of subrecipients remotely?

Response: Monitoring and oversight both of a fiscal and programmatic nature can take many forms and may include remote or desk monitoring. Any collection and transmission of personally identifiable information data as part of monitoring/oversight must be done through encrypted email or cloud services, with the appropriate protections to prevent inappropriate disclosure.

2023 Update – Revised Response: Monitoring and oversight both of a fiscal and programmatic nature can take many forms and may include remote or desk monitoring. Any collection and transmission of personally identifiable information data as part of monitoring/oversight must be done through encrypted email or cloud services, with the appropriate protections to prevent inappropriate disclosure. If programs have a statutory or regulatory requirement to conduct onsite monitoring, steps must be in place to perform the function in accordance with the requirements. This response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q51: Should local Workforce Development Boards or their service providers continue making on-the-job training reimbursements to an employer if the participant is unable to continue with the training plan due to COVID-19?

Response: If the program participant’s time commitment, stipend structure, and/or other academic or work terms were established before the national health emergency declaration, grantees should continue to pay the employer for the remainder of the established on-the-job training (OJT) term, if the employer is at all able to continue providing OJT. Employers must agree to pay the participant’s wages as described in the OJT contract in order to receive reimbursement. If the employer is not able to provide OJT, then the grantee can provide payments to the OJT participant, but only to fulfill the duration and terms described in the OJT contract established before the national health emergency declaration.

2023 Update - Archived: Q51 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

WIOA General – American Job Centers

Q52: Since the President has declared a National Emergency, does this mean states are mandated to close the American Job Centers (AJC) if they are open?

Response: No. The operation status of American Job Centers (AJC) is a state decision. However, ETA strongly encourages states to ensure critical services are provided through alternative means such as conference calls, electronic referrals, and video conferencing. Several states are adapting their services to continue to operate virtually.

2023 Update - Archived: Q52 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q53: If we are closing our AJC, should we inform anyone?

Response: Yes, please inform your Regional Office of AJC or State Workforce Agency (SWA) closures. ETA will use this information to update the Service Locator website (www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/AmericanJobCenters/find-american-job-centers.aspx), and to update information disseminated by the toll-free help line.

2023 Update - Archived: Q53 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q54: In states lifting stay-at-home orders, must states meet certain ETA requirements in order to reopen American Job Centers?

Response: As was true as states implemented stay-at-home orders, there are no ETA-specific requirements for reopening American Job Centers (AJCs). The Department of Labor has published guidance on safe workplaces at https://www.dol.gov/coronavirus. CDC information on workplaces and gathering places is at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/.

2023 Update - Archived: Q54 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q55: The WIOA regulations require that the governor certify local workforce development boards every two years. If an extension does not violate this requirement, can a state extend its timeframe for certifying its local boards?

Response: WIOA Section 107(c)(2)(A) and the associated regulations require that the governor certify local workforce development boards every two years. States generally establish timelines for such certifications. States should make efforts to complete board certifications as promptly as possible. For local board certifications that were due between March – September 2020, ETA will consider the impact of COVID-19 disruptions in its monitoring. Where states cannot complete these certifications, ETA and states can agree on milestones to facilitate completion. If additional flexibilities are needed such as an extension to extend the certification deadline, please reach out to the regional ETA office to request a waiver.

2023 Update - Archived: Q55 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q56: Can memoranda of understanding between local workforce development boards and American Job Center partner programs be extended for a period that will go beyond the three-year review period named in the statute, due to COVID-19?

Response: WIOA Section 121(c)(2)(v) specifies the duration of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) and the procedures for amending the memorandum during the duration of the memorandum, and assurances that such memorandum shall be reviewed not less than once every three-year period to ensure appropriate funding and delivery of services; MOUs must include the Infrastructure Funding Agreement (IFA). States generally establish such timelines for their MOU/IFAs. States should still make efforts to complete MOU/IFAs as promptly as possible. For MOU/IFAs that were due between March – September 2020, ETA will consider the impact of COVID-19 disruptions in its monitoring. Where states cannot ensure local completion of MOUs, ETA and states can agree on milestones to facilitate completion. If additional flexibilities are needed such as a waiver to extend the deadline to renew MOU/IFAs, please reach out to the regional ETA office to request a waiver.

2023 Update - Archived: Q56 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q57: Can ETA extend the American Job Center certification process?

Response: WIOA Section 121(g)(1) requires states to recertify its American Job Centers (AJC) at least once every three years. States generally establish such timelines for their local areas. States should still make efforts to complete AJC certifications as promptly as possible. For AJC certifications that were due between March – September 2020, ETA will consider the impact of COVID-19 disruptions in its monitoring. Where states cannot complete, ETA and states can agree on milestones to facilitate completion. If additional flexibilities are needed, such as an extension to extend the certification deadline, please contact the regional ETA office to request a waiver.

2023 Update - Archived: Q57 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q58: Can ETA extend or waive the next round of one-stop operator competitions?

Response: WIOA Section 121(d)(2)(A) requires the local workforce development boards to use a competitive process for the selection of a one-stop operator for its American Job Centers, and the regulations require the local board to support continuous improvement through the evaluation of one-stop operator performance and the re-competition of operators every four years. States generally establish such timelines. States should still make efforts to complete competitions as promptly as possible. For one-stop operator competitions that were due between March – September 2020, ETA will consider the impact of COVID-19 disruptions in its monitoring. Where states cannot complete these, ETA and the state can agree on milestones to facilitate completion. If additional flexibilities are needed, such as an extension to extend the competition deadline, please contact the regional ETA office to request a waiver.

2023 Update - Archived: Q58 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Rapid Response

Q59: What is the role of Rapid Response during a disaster? WIOA regulations at section 682.330(f) require “the provision of emergency assistance adapted to the particular layoff or disaster.” Does this give state workforce agencies a way to provide services outside the traditional rapid response services?

Response: Rapid Response provides valuable services during economic transition caused by economic events or by natural or other disasters or emergency events. The regulations at 20 CFR 682.302(c) require Rapid Response services to be delivered in cases of a “mass job dislocation resulting from a natural or other disaster.” When such “mass dislocation” occurs, the regulations require “the provision of emergency assistance adapted to the particular layoff or disaster.” (20 CFR 682.330(f)). Though states must provide this emergency assistance, how it is carried out is left to the discretion of the state and can be determined by need.

The Rapid Response regulations at 20 CFR 682.340(a) provide significant flexibility to states to address situations with responses that were not foreseen by the regulations. This subsection reads as follows: “in order to conduct layoff aversion activities, or to prepare for and respond to dislocation events, in addition to the activities required under §682.330, a State or designated entity may devise rapid response strategies or conduct activities that are intended to minimize the negative impacts of dislocation on workers, businesses, and communities and ensure rapid reemployment for workers affected by layoffs.” This language provides substantial latitude to states or designated entities to carry out activities, so long as those activities are not otherwise prohibited under WIOA. ETA recommends that states develop policies that promote creative and innovative approaches, and that states document how the specific chosen activities aid in achieving the goal of Rapid Response (preventing or minimizing the duration of unemployment).

Further, 20 CFR 682.340(b) reads as follows: “When circumstances allow, rapid response may provide guidance and/or financial assistance to establish community transition teams to assist the impacted community in organizing support for dislocated workers and in meeting the basic needs of their families, including heat, shelter, food, clothing and other necessities and services that are beyond the resources and ability of the one-stop delivery system to provide.”

While such community transition teams are not commonly used, economic transition situations that affect entire communities, such as the COVID-19 outbreak, may present opportunities to organize such teams to address the extraordinary impacts of the crisis. State Rapid Response teams have the flexibility to organize such teams. However, such activities should always ensure the safety and health of all team members and following the safety and health instructions of state or local leaders should be a priority.

2023 Update - Active: Q59 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q60: Should states continue to provide rapid response services for any layoff event impacting 50 or more employees in light of COVID-19?

Response: States should continue to provide Rapid Response information to affected employees. However, this information can be shared electronically, such as in webinars. States have flexibility to provide this information through virtual or other limited in-person means. States should consult CDC guidance and local government directives about large gatherings.

2023 Update – Revised Response: States should continue to provide Rapid Response information to affected employees. States have the flexibility to deliver Rapid Response services virtually, in-person, or through other mechanisms as appropriate. This response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

WIOA Layoff Aversion Activities

Q61: Can ETA provide clarifications on the use of funds for layoff aversion?

Response: Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 19-16 contains information on the use of Dislocated Worker (DW) funds for layoff aversion activities. Section 18 of the TEGL covers the Rapid Response program and how Rapid Response funds can and should be used to conduct layoff aversion activities. In addition, DW funds may be used for incumbent worker training (see section 13 of the TEGL). Additionally, states have the flexibility to utilize the Governor's Reserve to conduct layoff aversion activities.

2023 Update - Active: Q61 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q62: Can WIOA Adult funds be used to support layoff aversion activities?

Response: A state may use up to 25% of their Dislocated Worker allotment to provide Rapid Response activities, which can be used for layoff aversion activities. States may also leverage the Governor's Reserve to conduct additional rapid response activities. At the local level, Boards may use up to 20% of their combined adult and dislocated worker funds to provide incumbent worker training, which can be used for layoff aversion. ETA will consider waivers of this 20% cap as needed. Individuals involved in layoff aversion activities who meet program eligibility requirements may be served by the Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. States may approve transfers of up to 100% of adult and dislocated worker funds.

2023 Update - Active: Q62 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q63: Can On-The-Job Training (OJT) funds be used for layoff aversion activities for current workers in the same company?

Response: Employed workers may be eligible for WIOA-funded OJT if the requirements of 20 CFR 680.710 are met. Additionally, rapid response or statewide WIOA funds may be used for layoff aversion activities including incumbent worker training. See TEGL 19-16, Section 18 for current flexibilities related to rapid response activities. States and local areas may also utilize incumbent worker training for layoff aversion activities as discussed in TEGL 19-16 Section 13.

2023 Update - Active: Q63 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

WIOA Dislocated Worker Program

Q64: Can ETA broaden the definition of a dislocated worker?

Response: Eligibility for the Dislocated Worker program is based on the definition in the WIOA statute at WIOA sec. 3(15), and eligibility is not waivable under WIOA. However, there is some flexibility in how this definition is applied and ETA encourages states and local areas to review their dislocated worker policies to ensure impacted individuals who may be eligible to receive the services they need.

If a state receives a National Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG), in addition to dislocated workers, the state can also serve workers laid off as a result of the disaster, including workers who are laid off because of a quarantine, because they miss work to care for a family member, or because they cannot come to their regular workplace due to social distancing requirements; this also includes workers laid off due to a business closure related to disruptions caused by the outbreak and the efforts to contain it. DWGs can also serve long-term unemployed individuals and self-employed individuals who become unemployed or underemployed as a result of a disaster. See TEGL 12-19 for more information.

2023 Update - Active: Q64 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q65: Is there flexibility on time requirements to consider a worker "dislocated" for the WIOA Dislocated Worker program or Dislocated Worker Grants?

Response: The definition of a dislocated worker is found at WIOA Sec. 3(15), and states and local areas develop policies and procedures for determining this eligibility that may include certain time requirements. ETA encourages states and local areas to review their policies and procedures during this pandemic to ensure dislocated workers can receive the services they need, while still meeting the requirements for eligibility.

Individuals who are laid off through no fault of their own may be eligible for the dislocated worker program. Additionally, individuals who received a general layoff notice may start receiving allowable career services from the Dislocated Worker program; and specifically in the case of a closure, the statute provides that states may provide early intervention services 180 days before the date of layoff. For more information on Dislocated Workers, please visit this Desk Reference available on WorkforceGPS.

2023 Update - Active: Q65 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

WIOA National Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs)

Q66: Which entities are eligible to apply for a Disaster Recovery DWG under HHS Secretary Azar’s public health emergency declaration for COVID-19?

Response: Entities eligible to apply for Disaster Recovery DWGs are:

  • States
  • Outlying areas
  • Indian Tribal Governments as defined in the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(6))

Secretary Azar’s declaration is “nationwide,” so any eligible entity in any location may apply.

2023 Update - Archived: Q66 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q67: Are individuals or small businesses eligible for Dislocated Worker Grants for financial assistance related to COVID-19?

Response: States, outlying areas, and Indian Tribal Governments are eligible to apply for Dislocated Worker Grants to help address the workforce-related impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency. These entities may serve eligible participants, which may include dislocated workers, workers who were laid off as a result of the disaster, self-employed individuals who are unemployed or underemployed as a result of the disaster, and long-term unemployed individuals. For more information, please see the U.S. Department of Labor’s news release about the availability of Dislocated Worker Grants in response to COVID-19: www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20200318.

2023 Update - Archived: Q67 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q68: Can organizations that primarily serve low-wage workers receive Dislocated Worker Grants?

Response: States, outlying areas, and Indian Tribal Governments, as defined by the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. 5122(6), are eligible to apply for Dislocated Worker Grants to help address the workforce-related impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency. DWG grantees may work with public, private and nonprofit entities to carry out grant activities as appropriate. In addition, any layoffs caused by the virus’ spread, or other economic causes, could be eligible for Employment Recovery DWGs. In addition to states, outlying areas, and Indian tribal governments, eligible applicants for Economic Recovery DWGs also include entities determined appropriate or capable by the governor or Secretary of Labor, as specified in TEGL 12-19, Attachment I, pp. 8-9. WIOA limits Employment Recovery DWGs to providing only employment and training activities.

2023 Updated Response:

States, outlying areas, and Indian Tribal Governments, as defined by the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. 5122(6), are eligible to apply for Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants. DWG grantees may work with appropriate public, private and nonprofit entities to carry out grant activities, which include disaster-relief employment and employment and training activities.

Employment Recovery DWGs may be available following a qualifying major economic dislocation event, such as a mass layoff. In addition to states, outlying areas, and Indian tribal entities as described in section 166(c) of WIOA (29 U.S.C. 3224(c)), eligible applicants for Economic Recovery DWGs also include entities determined appropriate or capable by the governor or Secretary of Labor, as specified in TEGL 16-21, Attachment I, pp. 8-9. WIOA limits Employment Recovery DWGs to providing only employment and training activities. This response came into effect on June 16, 2022, with the publication of TEGL 16-21, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q69: Is the March 18, 2020, news release “U.S. Department of Labor Announces Availability of up to $100 Million In National Health Emergency Dislocated Worker Grants in Response to COVID-19 Outbreak” referring to a new competitive program, or referring to the National Dislocated Worker Grants authorized under WIOA and described in Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 12-19?

Response: The news release related dated March 18, 2020, announced that ETA had, at the time, $100 million available in the National Dislocated Worker Reserve, through which ETA could award Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) to states under established DWG application procedures. Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 12-19 describes guidance for all DWGs, including Disaster DWGs as well as Economic Recovery DWGs. Under this guidance, and pursuant to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services public health emergency declaration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency emergency declarations, all states, outlying areas, and Indian tribal entities as defined by the Stafford Act are eligible to apply for Disaster Recovery DWG funds or Employment Recovery DWG funds.

2023 Update - Archived (Rescinded): Q69 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q70: Is there a $25 million limit for the COVID-19 disaster DWG funding?

Response: No, the $25 million award ceiling listed at Grants.gov is merely required numerical formatting for the site but does not apply to rolling solicitations for DWG funding.

2023 Update - Archived (Rescinded): Q70 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q71: TEGL No. 12-19 says that Disaster Recovery DWGs abbreviated emergency applications must be submitted to ETA within 15 days of the declaration of a qualifying disaster declaration by FEMA or other Federal agency having jurisdiction over the disaster, and also says that there are exceptions to this timeline. Can states still submit abbreviated emergency applications, even though more than 15 days have passed?

Response: Yes. Normally TEGL No. 12-19 stipulates that applicants, citing appropriate justification, may request an exception to the 15-day submission requirement for an abbreviated emergency application following a federal disaster declaration. However, for COVID-19, this policy is not applicable. ETA is currently accepting emergency applications. Should circumstances change, ETA will provide further guidance via Grants.gov.

2023 Update - Archived: Q71 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q72: What is the timeline for this Dislocated Worker Grant and the approval process?

Response: Applicants requesting DWG funding for the COVID-19 response should apply under TEGL No. 12-19. Applicants must submit form SF-424 (Request for Federal Assistance) and are encouraged to submit the required information via the suggested form, COVID-19 DWG – Project Summary for New Grant Request, attached to the posting found at www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325616. The posting pertains to both Disaster Recovery and Employment Recovery DWGs.

The Department is working to make initial awards to eligible applicants as quickly as feasible. The DWG program requires the Department to make a decision to approve or disapprove a request within 45 working days of the receipt of an application meeting submission requirements. Awards are based on the availability of federal funding and are made at the Department’s discretion. The Department will issue a notice of award for successful applications no later than 10 days following the Secretary’s approval of the grant award.

2023 Updated Response:

Applicants requesting DWG funding should apply under TEGL No. TEGL 16-21. Applicants must submit form SF-424 (Request for Federal Assistance) and are encouraged to submit the required information via the suggested forms.

The Department makes initial awards to eligible applicants as quickly as feasible. The DWG program requires the Department to decide to approve or disapprove a request within 45 working days of the receipt of an application meeting submission requirement. Awards are based on the availability of federal funding and are made at the Department’s discretion. The Department will issue a notice of award for successful applications no later than 10 days following the Secretary’s approval of the grant award. This revised response came into effect on June 16, 2022, with the publication of TEGL 16-21, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q73: How does a state submit an emergency disaster recovery DWG application?

Response: With the public health declaration and the FEMA emergency declaration, all states, outlying areas and Indian tribal entities under the Stafford Act are eligible to apply for Disaster Recovery DWG funds. Applicants may request Disaster Recovery DWGs through an abbreviated emergency application to facilitate timely delivery of DWG assistance in response to a disaster event. These applications should be submitted to ETA within 15 days of the declaration of a qualifying disaster declaration by FEMA or other Federal agency having jurisdiction over the disaster. With appropriate justification, applicants may request an exception to this requirement, to allow for the submission of the emergency application within a reasonable timeframe after Day 15. Applicants also have the option to submit a full application containing a budget and plan, in lieu of an emergency application. Within 60 business days following an award of Disaster Recovery DWG funds requested via an emergency application, the grantee must modify the grant to provide a full application. This includes a budget, implementation plan, and a list of worksites where the disaster relief work will be performed. ETA may also require the grantee to submit additional information per the special conditions of the initial DWG award. For additional information on the DWG application process, go to the following link: www.doleta.gov/grants/application_howto.cfm.

2023 Updated Response:

Following a qualifying emergency or disaster declaration, applicants may request Disaster Recovery DWGs through an abbreviated emergency application to facilitate timely delivery of assistance. These applications should be submitted to ETA within 15 days of the declaration of a qualifying disaster declaration by FEMA or other Federal agency having jurisdiction over the disaster. With appropriate justification, applicants may request an exception to this requirement, to allow for the submission of the emergency application within a reasonable timeframe after Day 15. Applicants also have the option to submit a full application containing a budget and plan, in lieu of an emergency application. Within 60 business days following an award of Disaster Recovery DWG funds requested via an emergency application, the grantee must modify the grant to provide a full application. ETA may also require the grantee to submit additional information per the special conditions of the initial DWG award. This revised response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q74: What activities must states carry out with Disaster Recovery DWGs under the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration?

Response: WIOA Sec. 170(d) generally requires that Disaster Recovery DWGs include disaster-relief employment, with the option for grantees to also conduct employment and training activities (which may include career, training, and supportive services) for workers eligible to participate in Disaster DWG activities.

2023 Update - Archived: Q74 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023. Disaster DWGs are discussed in detail in TEGL 16-21.

Q75: Who can be served by Disaster Recovery DWGs under the coronavirus public health emergency declaration?

Response: Eligible Disaster DWG participants for both disaster-relief employment and employment and training activities are:

  • Dislocated workers
  • Workers laid-off as a result of the disaster, including:
    • Workers who are laid off as a result of a quarantine, because they miss work to care for a family member, or because they cannot come to their regular workplace in order to follow socially distance requirements; and
    • Workers laid off after a business closure related to disruptions caused by the outbreak and the efforts to contain it.
  • Self-employed individuals unemployed or underemployed because of the disaster
  • Long-term unemployed individuals

2023 Update - Archived: Q75 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q76: For coronavirus, what types of disaster-relief employment are allowable?

Response: Under WIOA Sec. 170, disaster-relief employment is limited to one of two categories: cleanup activities or humanitarian assistance. Under a public health emergency declaration such as the coronavirus, the types of disaster-relief employment allowable might include:

  • Humanitarian assistance activities: WIOA’s allowance for disaster-relief employment to provide humanitarian assistance provides greatest range of potential disaster-relief employment activities for this public health emergency. Disaster-relief employees may assist in addressing many needs created by this public health emergency and the prolonged social isolation that is necessary to curb it, such as:
    • Delivering medicine, food, or other supplies to older individuals and other individuals with respiratory conditions and other chronic medical disorders, with appropriate training and precautions. Coronavirus infection has been the most harmful to these populations, and there may be heavy need for such services that traditional volunteer organizations cannot support alone.
    • Helping set up quarantine areas and providing assistance to quarantined individuals.
    • Organizing and coordinating recovery, quarantine, or other related activities.
  • Cleanup activities: WIOA requires that cleanup activities respond to the impacts of the disaster. While this activity is more typical for tornadoes, fires, and floods, some clean-up activities are relevant to coronavirus response. For instance, cleanup activities can include cleaning schools or sanitizing quarantine or treatment areas after their use. If research determines that coronavirus is more likely to spread under certain physical conditions, Disaster Recovery DWG funds could additionally be used to help remedy these conditions.
    • By law, disaster-relief employment activities may only respond to or mitigate the impact of the disaster, which means grantees may not use DWG-funded disaster-relief employees to perform work aimed at preventing future disasters. We consider preventative measures—setting up quarantines, cleaning buildings—as mitigation activities because they avoid the further spread of the virus.

2023 Updated Response: Archived: Q76. Disaster DWGs and disaster relief employment are discussed in detail in TEGL 16-21.

Q77: In addition to Disaster Recovery DWGs, can states apply for Employment Recovery DWGs in response to layoffs caused by cancellations or shutdowns caused by coronavirus?

Response: Yes. Any layoffs caused by the virus’ spread, or other economic causes, could be eligible for Employment Recovery DWGs. WIOA limits Employment Recovery DWGs to providing only employment and training activities.

As already allowed under WIOA statute and regulations, states can apply for Employment Recovery DWGs if the following events occur:

  • If there are 50 or more individuals laid off by one employer.
  • If there are significant layoffs that significantly increase unemployment in a given community, even if the total layoffs are fewer than 50 individuals. For example, a cancellation of a large event may qualify because several different businesses such as hotels, caterers, area restaurants may lay off workers as a result of the event’s cancellation.

2023 Update - Archived: Q77 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q78: Can a state, outlying area, or Indian Tribal Government include apprenticeship as part of a COVID-19 DWG, and provide funds to local colleges to assist the grantee with training for National Dislocated Worker Grants?

Response: Yes, work-based learning, including apprenticeships, are allowable training services under DWGs.

2023 Update - Active: Q78 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q79: Can we use funds in the COVID-19-related DWGs to support temporary jobs in IT to help individuals sheltering in place (or quarantined) to telework, do online training, or otherwise remain connected?

Response: Generally yes. ETA makes determinations of allowable humanitarian assistance under Disaster Recovery DWGs on a case-by-case basis. DWG guidance in Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 12-19 defines humanitarian assistance as follows: Humanitarian assistance generally includes actions designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity in the immediate aftermath of disasters. This assistance includes activities such as the provision of food, clothing, and shelter. The humanitarian assistance provided by disaster-relief workers must relate directly to the immediate response to the disaster situation named in the DWG application and the federal declaration. Applicants should consider this definition when proposing appropriate humanitarian assistance disaster-relief employment positions in their applications/modifications. While each disaster is different, ETA expects that most humanitarian assistance needs will resolve within 12 months of the disaster event. When providing a justification for extending employment, grantees must demonstrate that humanitarian assistance needs remain. DWGs can also support employment and training activities such as classroom and on-the-job training for IT jobs, in addition to disaster relief employment.

2023 Update - Active: Q79 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q80: Can a state use funds from a previous Disaster Recovery DWG to fund disaster relief employment for COVID-19 response activities (e.g., packing food for seniors)?

Response: Generally, Disaster Recovery DWGs may be expanded to include new disaster impacts if they fall within the same program year of the award of the initial disaster (see TEGL 12-19, page 8). If an existing Disaster Recovery DWG was awarded in a prior program year, appropriations law prohibits adding new emergencies to the existing Disaster Recovery DWG project. In such cases, ETA recommends that states requiring additional funding to address the COVID-19 public health emergency consider submitting new applications for DWG funds.

2023 Update - Active: Q80 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q81: Can Dislocated Worker Grant funds be utilized to purchase supplies needed for the humanitarian work/temporary work?

Response: TEGL 16-21 states that humanitarian assistance generally includes actions designed to save lives, alleviate suffering, and maintain human dignity in the immediate aftermath of disasters. For DWG awards, this includes actions such as the provision of food, clothing, and shelter. While grantees can purchase supplies for workers to perform these jobs, they cannot purchase the goods, such as food, that they will deliver to people.

2023 Update – Active: Q81 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. TEGL 16-21 supersedes TEGL 12-19, but this instruction remains the same.

Q82: Can ETA clarify how the National Health Emergency (NHE) Opioid DWG funding might be used during this national COVID-19 emergency? Could a state amend its NHE Opioid grant to also address the COVID-19 emergency?

Response: No, a state, outlying area, or Indian Tribal Government may not use or divert funds from an existing NHE Opioid Grant to pay disaster-relief workers to address the cleanup or humanitarian needs of the COVID-19 public health emergency. ETA recommends that grantees requiring additional funding to address the COVID-19 public health emergency consider submitting new applications for DWG funds. For additional information on the DWG process, please visit the following link: www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=325616.

2023 Update - Archived: Q82 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q83: Does the COVID-19 situation allow laid-off employees to obtain services offered under existing Dislocated Worker Grants? Is this an allowable scope of work change?

Response: WIOA and implementing regulations permit Disaster Recovery DWG funds previously awarded from the current program year to be repurposed for use by workers affected by COVID-19 in states directly affected by the disaster and in states where affected workers relocated (WIOA sec. 170(d)(4) and 20 CFR 687.200(b)(2)). The approval to repurpose such funds requires a grant modification request and determination by the Secretary or the Secretary’s designee. This flexibility does not apply to demonstration grants or DWGs awarded under specific appropriations. ETA can advise states if their DWG was awarded under a specific appropriation.

2023 Update - Archived: Q83 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q84: Can a state, outlying area, or Indian Tribal Government amend its grant application or Statement of Work if changes/new projections have occurred since initial submission?

Response: An applicant for a Disaster Recovery DWG should work with their Federal Project Officer to discuss any amendments to its application prior to award.

2023 Update - Active: Q84 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q85: If the estimated cost-per-participant increases between the time the initial application is submitted and the full application is submitted, what should a state, outlying area, or Indian Tribal Government do?

Response: Emergency applications are designed to facilitate the timely delivery of DWG assistance in response to a disaster event. In many cases, emergency applications are submitted before complete information is available. The full application, which must be submitted within 60 business days of the initial award, should contain all relevant information that ETA expects will be available at that time including a complete budget, implementation plan, and a list of worksites where the disaster relief work will be performed. ETA may also require the grantee to submit additional information per the special conditions of the initial DWG award. Therefore, there may be changes to the information submitted in the emergency application, including anticipated cost-per-participant.

2023 Updated Response:

Emergency applications are designed to facilitate the timely delivery of DWG assistance in response to a declared emergency or disaster event. In many cases, emergency applications are submitted before complete information is available. The full application containing all relevant and available information must be submitted within 60 business days of the initial award following an Emergency Application. This includes a complete budget, implementation plan, and full list of proposed Disaster Relief Employment. ETA may also require the grantee to submit additional information per the special conditions of the initial DWG award. Therefore, there may be changes to the information submitted in the emergency application, including anticipated enrollments, total funding needed, or other information that has become clarified since the Emergency Application was submitted. This response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q86: If the same DWG disaster relief employment project operator is operating in multiple counties, is it okay to have different participant wages for the same occupation?

Response: TEGL 12-19 indicates that wages paid to temporary disaster-relief workers must be consistent with the wages of the supervising entity’s other employees—permanent or temporary—performing the same or similar work. This guidance also requires that wages must be at or above the relevant federal, state or local minimum wage. The guidance makes no distinction with regard to which locations participants are working. Rates of pay must be comparable to other employees of the worksite employer.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q86 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. TEGL 16-21 supersedes TEGL 12-19, but this instruction remains the same.

Q87: How should a state, outlying area, or Indian Tribal Government determine the employer of record for disaster relief employment, under DWGs?

Response: Disaster Recovery DWGs authorize grantees to award funds to project operators to carry out the activities of the grant. Project operators generally contract with public, private, or nonprofit entities to serve as “worksite employers” for the participants engaged in disaster-relief employment. The grantee is not required to contract directly with worksite employers. The project operator is authorized to carry out employment and training activities as appropriate to the needs of the grant. If the project operator is a local Workforce Development Board, for example, they may provide employment and training services through an American Job Center or another mechanism as appropriate.

2023 Update Response - Active: Q87 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. TEGL 16-21 supersedes TEGL 12-19, but this instruction remains the same.

Q88: Can ETA release the full amount approved for DWG awards?

Response: With the public health declaration and the FEMA emergency declaration, all states, outlying areas and Indian tribal entities are eligible to apply for Disaster Recovery DWG funds. Applicants may request Disaster Recovery DWGs through an abbreviated emergency application to facilitate timely delivery of DWG assistance in response to a disaster event. These applications should be submitted to ETA within 15 days of the declaration of a qualifying disaster declaration. With appropriate justification, applicants may request an exception to this requirement, to allow for the submission of the emergency application within a reasonable timeframe after day 15. Applicants also have the option to submit a full application containing a budget and plan, in lieu of an emergency application. Within 60 business days following an award of Disaster Recovery DWG funds requested via an emergency application, the grantee must modify the grant to provide a full application. This includes a budget, implementation plan, and a list of worksites where the disaster relief work will be performed. ETA may also require the grantee to submit additional information per the special conditions of the initial DWG award. For additional information on the DWG application process, go to the following link: www.doleta.gov/grants/application_howto.cfm.

2023 Update Response - Archived: Q88 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q89: Can states transfer funds from the WIOA Youth program to the WIOA Dislocated Worker program?

Response: Under current law, states may not transfer funds from the WIOA Youth program, but may transfer funds between the WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. Such transfers are within the WIOA waiver authority under Section 189. ETA will consider any waiver that a state proposes, and evaluates each waiver on a case-by-case basis according to the criteria specified in statute and listed at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa/waivers. States may request waivers for transfers from the Youth program or for any other provisions. However, states should be ready to describe how quality services will still be provided to out-of-school youth.

2023 Update Response - Active: Q89 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q90: Some states pay a project operator when implementing disaster relief employment under a Dislocated Worker Grant. Are the businesses that only hire temporary workers responsible for unemployment compensation charges at the end of their employment?

Response: It depends on each state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) laws. State UI laws generally indicate which employers are required to pay relevant UI taxes. Dislocated Worker Grant funds may be used to pay required taxes; however, the grant may not be used to pay penalties for failure to provide unemployment insurance coverage where required by law.

2023 Update Response - Active: Q90 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q91: Can a state sub-award COVID-19 Disaster Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funds to local workforce areas through formal contracts, or through a formula based on the amount each local workforce development area has requested?

Response: Yes. Under the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200.330), entities receiving these subawards would be considered subrecipients. In addition to the requirements of the Uniform Guidance (2 CFR Part 200), state grantees must follow their procurement procedures to provide funds to project operators in a timely and efficient manner to ensure that activities are carried out to meet the requirements of the grant and the DWG program. 2 CFR 200.302(a) requires states to expend and account for DWG funds in accordance with state laws and procedures for expending and accounting for the state’s own funds. 2 CFR 200.317 requires states to follow the same policies and procedures they use for procurements from their non-federal funds when procuring property and services under a federal award.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q91 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q92: Can Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funds be used to hire childcare workers to help front-line essential workers? If so, can such funds also be used for training and background checks?

Response: Training and Employment Guidance Letter 12-19, the operating instructions for the DWG program, states that allowable Disaster DWG disaster relief work “must relate directly to immediate response to the disaster situation named in the DWG application and the Federal declaration.” The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the closing of schools, day care facilities, and other providers of child care. If a state determines that the provision of child care services is necessary to facilitate the immediate health and safety response to the emergency, child care for essential workers only may be allowable humanitarian assistance employment under a COVID-19 Disaster Recovery DWG. As with other disaster relief work, Disaster Recovery DWG funds may be used to provide necessary training and other activities to ensure that participants are able to effectively and safely carry out the work for which they have been hired. Grantees should discuss with their FPO before beginning a child care project.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q92 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q93: Can we serve youth under the age of 18 with Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) funding?

Response: The DWG program, along with the WIOA Dislocated Worker formula program, does not have an age requirement. An individual must meet the eligibility criteria of WIOA Section 3(15) to be considered a dislocated worker, or, in a Disaster Recovery DWG, the participant may be eligible to be served if he or she meets any of the following eligibility criteria:

  • Temporary or permanent layoff as the result of disaster;
  • Long term unemployed; or
  • Self-employed and unemployed or significantly underemployed as the result of a disaster.

For more information on the Dislocated Worker program, please see: https://ion.workforcegps.org/resources/2018/06/05/16/28/WIOA-Desk-Reference-Dislocated-Worker-Programs.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q93 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q94: If a person is working in Disaster Relief Employment and contracts COVID-19, do we pay them wages during the two-week quarantine period?

Response: Disaster-relief participants who are injured or become ill while participating in disaster-relief employment may receive sick leave or other benefits as appropriate to enable them to return to work and to ensure that other participants remain safe and healthy. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) requires certain public employers and private employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide their employees with up to two weeks of fully or partially paid sick leave and expanded family and medical leave for specified reasons related to COVID-19. These provisions apply from April 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020. Disaster-relief participants who are being paid by an employer pursuant to the paid leave provisions of FFCRA are not eligible for unemployment insurance. For more information, please see: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-employee-paid-leave

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q94 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q95: May Disaster Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) participants be paid for activities that are not temporary disaster relief employment, e.g., job search or online training?

Response: There is no authority under WIOA for Disaster Recovery DWG to pay participants wages for activities that are not temporary disaster relief employment or training needed for workers to safely perform disaster relief employment.

A worker may not receive wages if he or she is not moved from disaster relief employment to general employment and training activities. However, participants may be paid for some training activities directly related to the employment in which a participant has been or will be placed. For example, if ETA approves a grantee spending funds from an otherwise unrelated Disaster DWG to respond to the pandemic, a disaster relief worker may be compensated for receiving safety and health training prior to conducting clean-up activities resulting from the impacts of coronavirus, without which he or she would not be able to safely participate.

2023 Updated Response: This response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

Q96: Does the Office of Management and Budget’s Memorandum M-20-20 give states the authority to repurpose a previously awarded WIOA National Dislocated Disaster grant to meet response needs of COVID-19?

Response: No, though grantees may have this flexibility in limited circumstances under WIOA regulations. Memo M-20-20 allows federal grant awarding agencies to extend additional flexibilities of requirements in the Uniform Guidance. Such flexibilities must also be consistent with program statutes and regulations. As noted above, generally, Disaster Recovery DWGs may be expanded to include new disaster impacts if they fall within the same program year of the award of the initial disaster (see Training and Employment Guidance Letter 12-19, National Dislocated Worker Grant Program Guidance, page 8). The addition of disaster events to an existing DWG project requires prior approval from the Grant Office through a grant modification request.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q96 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q97: Would grocery store positions (e.g., cleanup and sanitizing the store/restocking shelves) qualify as humanitarian assistance work sites?

Response: Due to the unprecedented and far-reaching effects of the pandemic, it is possible that grocery cleanup, stocking, and other positions could be allowable DWG temporary disaster-relief employment, so long as the grantee demonstrates to ETA that this activity is humanitarian assistance or mitigation/clean-up work under WIOA Section 170(d). Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 12-19 (page 5), notes that, “There is no limitation on what type of entity may be a worksite employer.” Whether grocery-related activities are allowable disaster-relief employment depends on the circumstances of the proposed project, and grantees should work closely with their Federal Project Officer (FPO) if they are unsure whether a proposed disaster recovery DWG activity is allowable.

Please note that depending on the circumstances of a DWG-supported grocery project, such disaster-relief employment could create program income as described under the Uniform Guidance at 2 CFR 200.80 and 2 CFR 200.307, if the work of disaster-relief employees’ work creates additional revenue for the store. In such a circumstance, program income must be used additively as described under 2 CFR 200.307(e)(2), meaning that the income generated is added to the award to support additional grant activities, subject to prior approval by ETA. However, whether a grocery-related DWG project generates program income will depend on the circumstances of the project. Grantees are encouraged to contact their FPO if they have additional questions.

To avoid situations in which grantees must track program income, grantees can consider the use of a work site employer other than the owner of the private property where the proposed work would take place. For example, where applicants wish to use DWG funds to support grocery employment, the applicant could justify the need for work on private property (per the requirements of TEGL 12-19) to address the direct impacts of COVID-19, and could propose a county agency or contracted staffing agency to manage the disaster-relief workers who would sanitize the facility to ensure the safety of customers and employees.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q97 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q98: Can individuals who are furloughed or “temporarily” laid off be served as dislocated workers?

Response: There may be situations where individuals who have been furloughed or “temporarily” laid off may be eligible as dislocated workers. Individual eligibility is defined in WIOA Section 3(15), which includes the requirement that an individual is “unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation.” WIOA regulations (20 CFR 680.130(b)) allow governors and local workforce development boards to establish policies to address what constitutes “unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation.”

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q98 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q99: Can DWG disaster relief employment include contact tracing or other mitigation efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19?

Response: Generally yes. ETA makes determinations of allowable assistance under Disaster Recovery DWGs on a case-by-case basis. DWG guidance in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 12-19 allows disaster relief employment for the purpose of clean-up or humanitarian assistance, and allows for mitigation. Clean-up and mitigation activities can include contact tracing, cleaning schools, sanitizing quarantine or treatment areas after their use, and remedying conditions that would otherwise spread coronavirus.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q99 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q100: Can participants working disaster-relief employment under an existing Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant be paid if their disaster-relief work is eliminated due to a COVID-19 shutdown?

Response: No. ETA recognizes that other paid workforce programs have been permitted to continue to provide stipends or other agreed payments even when the work experience is unable to be carried out due to COVID-19 shutdowns or stay-at-home orders, but Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWGs) have different statutory requirements. Wages under Disaster Recovery DWGs must be paid for disaster relief work (clean-up or humanitarian assistance) necessitated by the declared disaster. If participants cannot perform disaster-relief work as originally intended, ETA can help grantees to explore alternatives for continuing disaster-relief work around the limitations of the pandemic and local responses to it.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q100 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q101: What should grantees do if the impacts of COVID-19 prevent clean-up or humanitarian assistance employment activities in existing Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants?

Response: A grantee has multiple options for continuing the work of an existing Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWG) in a way that adapts to the limitations of the pandemic. The immediate option is to modify the disaster-relief project so that it can continue in a way that maintains the health and safety of workers, such as by instituting face-covering and social distancing requirements. If that is not feasible, a grantee can modify its grant agreement to move disaster-relief workers into a new coronavirus-safe project that responds to the original disaster that ETA awarded the grant and meets the requirements of WIOA regulations and Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 12-19, National Dislocated Worker Grant Program Guidance. For example, if a clean-up project in response to a tornado is no longer safe or feasible because of the pandemic, the grantee can modify its grant agreement to move participants to a coronavirus-safe project such as transporting and delivering supplies to storm victims.

If ETA awarded the non-COVID-19 Disaster Recovery DWG between July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020, grantees have an additional option: request that ETA allows it to spend its funds on disaster-relief efforts responding to the pandemic. ETA’s DWG regulations and TEGL 12-19 allow a grantee to use Disaster Recovery DWG funds on a new disaster declared within the same program year. The President has declared the pandemic a national emergency and a major disaster in all 50 states. Accordingly, all grantees awarded during the program year ending June 30 can request to use their DWG funds on COVID-19 projects. Grantees must submit a modification request to use non-COVID-19 DWG funds toward pandemic-related projects. Requests should specify the project and work that participants will perform. Please note that ETA will not accept modifications to use demonstration DWGs, such as the Workforce Opportunity for Rural Communities grants, as these grants cannot be modified to be COVID-19 projects.

ETA is available to assist grantees in helping find a solution that allows the work of disaster-relief participants to continue employment.

PLEASE NOTE: ETA expects that grantees and project operators will exhaust all possible options to move participants into suitable disaster-relief employment before making a determination to terminate the employment of DWG participants; only the grantee or project operator can make determinations on the status of participants in disaster-relief employment opportunities. Grantees must ensure that work site employers do not unilaterally terminate the employment of disaster-relief employment participants merely because of a general belief that work cannot continue because of the pandemic.

While ETA understands that the pandemic may prevent executing a project as originally intended, much disaster work can be safely accommodated so as to avoid terminating the employment of dislocated workers, such as by requiring social distancing and face coverings. Accordingly, grantees are responsible for monitoring work site employers and helping develop safe alternatives to continue disaster-relief work.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q101 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q102: Can an employer (company/county/city) be eligible as a temporary disaster relief work site under a COVID-19 Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant if it previously laid off employees as a result of COVID-19?

Response: Yes, an employer can be chosen as a work site employer under a Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) even if it has previously laid off staff, so long as the work will be conducted by eligible DWG participants and is allowable disaster-relief employment as defined in Training and Employment Guidance Letter 12-19, National Dislocated Worker Grant Program Guidance. However, the employer may not use DWG funds to supplant employee wages by simply rehiring former employees to do their former jobs or hiring new employees to do work not fundable by a Disaster Recovery DWG and shift the cost to the grant.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q102 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q103: Can Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant funds be used to pay for the relocation or housing costs for healthcare workers to move to areas, including in different states, with healthcare worker shortages due to the effects of COVID-19?

Response: Yes; where a COVID-19 Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) project seeks to surge qualified medical personnel in areas where there are shortages of qualified workers to treat COVID-19, Disaster Recovery DWG funds can be used as a supportive service to cover the costs of relocation and housing of eligible participants from other areas—within the same state or another state—who have experience or training in critical healthcare occupations to the area in need of their work. The workers relocated must be employed in a temporary disaster-relief project providing care to individuals being treated for COVID-19 or dealing with after-effects of COVID-19, such as long-term pulmonary or cardiac damage or the effects of a COVID-19-caused stroke. The relocated workers must be eligible to participate in a disaster-relief employment project, meaning they must be laid-off because of the pandemic, self-employed and unemployed or underemployed because of the pandemic, a dislocated worker as defined in Section 3(15) of WIOA, or a long-term unemployed worker.

Section 170(d)(1)(A) of WIOA limits temporary disaster-relief employment to one of two categories: clean-up/mitigation work responding to the effects of the disaster or emergency or humanitarian assistance work assisting victims of the disaster or emergency. Direct care for patients with COVID-19 is allowable disaster-relief employment under the second category, and care of individuals dealing with the after-effects of COVID-19, such as long-term pulmonary or cardiac damage, is also likely allowable disaster-relief employment. As noted in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 12-19, National Dislocated Worker Grant Program Guidance, the primary limitation is that humanitarian assistance “must relate directly to immediate response to the disaster situation named in the DWG application and the Federal declaration.” For example, Disaster Recovery DWG funds could assist a hospital in hiring additional medical personnel to staff its COVID-19 floor and bring on additional respiratory therapists to assist recovering patients with dealing with long-term lung damage; however, under WIOA, Disaster Recovery DWG funds cannot assist a dermatologist with hiring temporary nursing staff to replace nurses the practice has laid off or loaned to an affiliated hospital system to deal with a surge of COVID-19 patients, as that work would not be directly related to the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The public workforce system, through WIOA Title I, DWG, or Wagner-Peyser Employment Services, can still provide job search assistance and labor exchange services to job seekers and businesses in any industry or occupation.

Therefore, under Disaster Recovery DWGs, grantees in areas experiencing shortages of available healthcare workers can use grant funds to relocate eligible individuals with appropriate healthcare experience to enroll in the grant and be employed in allowable disaster-relief activities addressing the health-related impacts of COVID-19. If such workers reside in areas outside the commuting area where the healthcare needs exist, the grant can pay appropriate relocation or housing costs to allow these individuals to move to the area of need as a supportive service. Although TEGL 12-19 states that all supportive services must comply with state or local supportive policies, ETA may permit exceptions to allow grantees to pay relocation and lodging costs for medical personnel as described in this FAQ, even if such costs are typically prohibited by a state or local policy. A request for this limited exception must be included in an application for a COVID-19 DWG or in a grantee’s modification request. It must include sufficient justification and be approved by the Grant Officer before a grantee begins paying relocation and lodging expenses as described in this FAQ.

Grantees must ensure that all such individuals meet the eligibility requirements, as defined in Section 170(d)(2) of WIOA. Participant eligibility determination and enrollment must occur before the expenditure of grant funds to pay relocation or housing costs for these individuals. In addition, with regard to disaster-relief employment, the limitation on the duration of employment under a Disaster Recovery DWG applies to individuals who have relocated. Therefore grantees may wish to consider whether there will be additional costs at the end of the period of employment to pay for individuals to move back to their original place of residence.

While ETA anticipates that the costs for such relocation and housing would likely be covered by the DWG covering the area to which the individuals would be relocating, grantees can coordinate eligibility determination, enrollment and cost-reimbursement across states as necessary. Where such costs may be outside the scope of the original grant agreement, grantees may be required to submit a grant modification to ensure such activities are allowable.

2023 Update - Archived: Q103 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q104: Can Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants provide hazard pay for disaster-relief employment opportunities that may include health and safety risks to the participants?

Response: Generally, Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWG) have a wage floor, but not a specific wage ceiling. Pay levels for disaster-relief employment under Disaster Recovery DWGs are typically based on comparable pay and benefits. Training and Employment Guidance Letter 12-19, National Dislocated Worker Grant Program Guidance, requires work site employers “to pay the higher of the Federal, state, or local minimum wage, or the comparable rates of pay for other individuals employed in similar occupations by the same employer.” If other employees of the work site employer are doing similar work and receiving hazard pay, Disaster Recovery DWG participants can also be paid hazard pay rates for their work.

If the work site employer does not have other employees doing similar work, grantees should look to appropriate industry-standard wages for the types of work being carried out under the DWG. If industry-standard wage rates for similar work offer higher wages or hazard pay rates, such pay would be allowable under the Disaster Recovery DWG with sufficient justification and approval from ETA. In both of these cases, grantees should retain documentation when such pay rates are determined applicable.

However, in some cases, there may be no clear comparison for the disaster-relief work, or there may be several different ways to interpret what the comparable work is and whether in that case hazard pay is available. In such cases, grantees must propose a methodology for determining the appropriate wage levels and request approval from ETA before making any payments at those levels.

Whether or not there are identifiable comparable pay rates that may allow hazard pay rates, Disaster Recovery grantees may be authorized, with sufficient justification, to pay reasonable hazard pay to ensure that Disaster Recovery DWGs are able to enroll participants during times when health and safety concerns exist, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grantees must provide justification for the need for hazard pay, including a risk assessment for DWG participants in the disaster-relief positions, and request approval from ETA.

2023 Updated Response:

Generally, Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grants (DWG) have a wage floor, but not a specific wage ceiling. Pay levels for disaster-relief employment under Disaster Recovery DWGs are typically based on comparable pay and benefits. Training and Employment Guidance Letter 16-21, National Dislocated Worker Grant Program Guidance, requires work site employers “to pay the higher of the Federal, state, or local minimum wage, or the comparable rates of pay for other individuals employed in similar occupations by the same employer.” If other employees of the work site employer are doing similar work and receiving hazard pay, Disaster Recovery DWG participants can also be paid hazard pay rates for their work.

However, in cases where the Disaster-Relief Employer does not have other employees doing the same or similar work and with similar training, experience, and skills, grant recipients must ensure that the wages that they will pay to participants: 1) are in line with the industry standard for that type of work in the area where the work is to be performed, supported by documentation in the application; and, 2) are at least $15 per hour.

Whether or not there are identifiable comparable pay rates that may allow hazard pay rates, Disaster Recovery grantees may be authorized, with sufficient justification, to pay reasonable hazard pay to ensure that Disaster Recovery DWGs are able to enroll participants during times when health and safety concerns exist, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Grantees must provide justification for the need for hazard pay, including a risk assessment for DWG participants in the disaster-relief positions, and request approval from ETA.

This response is in effect on May 11, 2023, and remains in effect until otherwise noted.

WIOA Youth

Q105: Are virtual work experiences allowable in the WIOA Youth program?

Response: Yes, virtual work experiences are allowable under the WIOA youth program. Paid and unpaid work experience is one of the 14 program elements for the WIOA youth program. A work experience is a planned, structured learning experience that takes place in a workplace and provides youth with opportunities for career exploration and skill development. A work experience may take place in the for-profit, nonprofit, or public sector. Work experience is required to take place in the workplace, which ideally means on a work site where youth are in a work setting interacting with other workers in the specific industry and occupation. When due to the rural nature of a local area or during times of a pandemic (such as COVID-19), if it is not possible to provide work experiences on a work site, it is acceptable to provide remote or virtual work experiences for youth.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q105 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q106: Will WIOA Youth enrolled in work experience be eligible for any of the expanded unemployment programs in the CARES Act?

Response: States have flexibility in implementing Unemployment Insurance (UI) requirements, and eligibility requirements vary by state. Some UI decisions include a determination of whether and when someone is a trainee versus an employee. See https://webapps.dol.gov/elaws/whd/flsa/docs/trainees.asp. Please note that this is not the only determination needed for UI eligibility. Please contact your state unemployment insurance office for more information about UI requirements.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q106 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q107: If states and local areas were on track to meet the 20% work experience expenditure requirement before COVID-19 impacted grantees’ ability to put youth in work experiences, will ETA provide flexibility on these requirements?

Response: ETA acknowledges the tremendous impact that COVID-19 is having on all states and local areas’ abilities to implement the WIOA Youth program and, in particular, to provide work experiences in person at a workplace. States that believe they will not meet the requirement should first ensure they have exhausted all means of providing work experience opportunities, including telework and virtual work experience, as well as reviewing the list of expenditures that count towards the work experience expenditure requirement (i.e., those expenditures beyond just wages or stipends). When monitoring states for compliance, ETA will take into account the months that COVID-19 impacted the ability for local areas to place youth in work experiences. ETA is also available for technical assistance to help states meet or increase their work experience expenditure requirements.

2023 Updated Response – Archived: Q107 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q108: For in-school youth whose school is physically closed and where no virtual learning is available, can states consider these youth out-of-school, for purposes of meeting the WIOA requirement that states spend 75% of their funds on out-of-school youth?

Response: No. States and local areas cannot consider in-school youth whose school is physically closed as out-of-school youth for the purposes of the WIOA out-of-school youth expenditure requirement. For information on eligibility for the WIOA youth program, visit https://youth.workforcegps.org/resources/2017/03/09/11/34/WIOA-Youth-Program-Eligibility.

2023 Updated Response – Archived: Q108 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q109: For the low-income determination of eligibility for the WIOA Youth program, is it acceptable to use the parents' layoff due to COVID-19 for meeting the low-income requirement?

Response: If a youth or their household is able to meet the low-income threshold due to a parent’s layoff, the youth would meet the low-income definition for eligibility determination. Please remember, in-school youth must be low-income and meet one of the other barriers to be eligible, but out-of-school youth do not have to be low-income as long as they have one of a list of barriers. For more information on eligibility for the WIOA youth program, visit https://youth.workforcegps.org/resources/2017/03/09/11/34/WIOA-Youth-Program-Eligibility.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q109 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q110: Are there any precautions that we need to take when working with participants in the WIOA Youth program?

Response: ETA recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic presents unique challenges for youth program grantees and participants. We encourage youth-serving programs to review local, state, and federal health and safety guidance regarding COVID-19, and temporarily adjust program operations and services as needed.

2023 Updated Response – Archived: Q110 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q111: Our state’s WIOA Youth program requires participants to complete an academic assessment, such as CASAS. While there is an option for participants to take this assessment on a computer, it has to be proctored by a qualified staff person. This is difficult when schools, adult education sites, and American Job Centers are only providing virtual services. Can the program enroll the participant and complete required assessments after COVID-19-related emergency measures are lifted?

Response: ETA acknowledges the challenges that COVID-19 has created for states and local areas’ abilities to implement the WIOA Youth program. In order to receive services in the program, participants must receive an objective assessment, which often includes a basic skills assessment and an Individual Service Strategy (ISS) that informs the plan for services. For programs that are unable to execute their assessment process during this time, i.e., unable to provide assessments in-person and/or on-site with a proctor, they should do their best to obtain information virtually from schools or directly from the participant pertaining to assessment and develop an ISS based on the available information. The inability to meet with potential participants in person should not impede enrollment or service provision. When regular in-person assessment practices begin again, programs should formally assess participants, record results in the file, and update the ISS and service plan, if needed. Also, states and local areas may find it useful to visit the National Reporting System for Adult Education at https://nrsweb.org to learn about any changes or updates to assessment practices.

2023 Updated Response: Archived - Q111 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q112: Can states transfer funds from the WIOA Youth program to the WIOA Dislocated Worker program?

Response: Under current law, states may not transfer funds from the WIOA Youth program, but may transfer funds between the WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker programs. Such transfers are within the WIOA waiver authority under Section 189. ETA will consider any waiver that a state proposes, and evaluates each waiver on a case-by-case basis according to the criteria specified in statute and listed at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/wioa/waivers. States may request waivers for transfers from the Youth program or for any other provisions. However, states should be ready to describe how quality services will still be provided to out-of-school youth.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q112 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q113: Can ETA provide relief on out-of-school youth (OSY) 20% Work Experience expenditure requirement?

Response: ETA acknowledges work experiences for youth during this time period may be harder to provide. Program expenditures on this program element may include more than just wages paid to youth. Allowable expenditures may include items such as:

  • Wages or stipends paid for participation in a work experience;
  • Staff time working to identify and develop a work experience opportunity, including staff time spent working with employers to identify and develop the work experience;
  • Staff time working with employers to ensure a successful work experience, including staff time spent managing the work experience;
  • Staff time spent evaluating the work experience;
  • Participant work experience orientation sessions;
  • Employer work experience orientation sessions;
  • Classroom training or the required academic education component directly related to the work experience;
  • Incentive payments directly tied to the completion of work experience; and
  • Employability skills or job readiness training to prepare youth for a work experience.

When determining the types of expenditures that are allowable to help meet this requirement, additional information can be found in TEGL 08-15 and TEGL 21-16, p.15. If state and local areas do not meet this requirement at the end of their period of performance, the Department will follow standard monitoring procedures for this program element.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q113 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. The current environment allows work experience, and ETA strongly encourages work experience, particularly paid work experience. The above expenditures remain as ones that meet the work experience expenditure requirement.

Q114: If youth providers choose to extend the work experience suspension beyond a statewide or county stay-at-home order (due to their own organization’s safety protocols), can WIOA youth programs continue to pay participants wages through the end of their currently approved work site agreement/hours?

Response: If the program participant’s time commitment, wage/stipend structure, and/or other academic or work terms were established before the national health emergency declaration, grantees should continue to pay the participant for the remainder of the established term. Grantees should not pay participants beyond the established term, regardless of stay-at-home orders.

2023 Updated Response – Archived: Q114 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

Q115: What is the basic eligibility requirement for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance?

Response: An individual is eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) if such individual is determined to be a “covered individual” under CARES Act Section 2102(a)(3). That definition includes, among other things, the requirement that the individual is not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits under State or Federal law, or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation under CARES Act Section 2107. Further guidance is available at Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 16-20, Attachment I, Section C, Operating Instructions. UIPL 16-20, Change 1 provides frequently asked questions; Question 33 indicates that PUA is the payment of last resort for anyone who does not qualify for other UC programs and who would be able and available to work but for one or more of the COVID-19 related reasons listed in Section 2102 of the CARES Act.

2023 Update - Archived: Q115 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q116: What procedures do we follow to determine eligibility for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance?

Response: CARES Act Section 2102(h) states that the Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) regulations at 20 CFR 625 apply, except as otherwise provided in Section 2102 or to the extent there is a conflict between Section 2102 and the DUA regulations. Information on how to determine eligibility for DUA/PUA is provided in CARES Act Section 2102(a)(3) and (c), 20 CFR 625.9, and UIPL 16-20, Attachment I, Section C.

2023 Update - Archived: Q116 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

WIOA Performance

Q117: Will ETA consider waiving credential attainment performance requirements in response to the challenges facing grantees and training providers related to COVID-19?

Response: Credential attainment is a primary indicator of performance required by WIOA performance accountability provisions, a basic purpose of the statute, and cannot be waived. The U.S. Departments of Labor and Education will closely monitor the impact of COVID-19 on grantee performance for all primary indicators of performance, including but not limited to credential attainment, measurable skill gains, second and fourth quarter employment (and education and training for the Youth program), and second quarter earnings. Additionally, the Departments will take all necessary and available action to ensure objectively fair performance assessments.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q117 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023

Q118: In response to COVID-19, will ETA allow grantees to delay program exit for participants when services are delayed or canceled or there are challenges completing follow up activities?

Response: Grantees should continue to provide participants with the services they need and must continue to exit participants in accordance with the WIOA regulations and ETA’s performance guidance on the definition of exit. That definition requires that there be no plan to provide a participant with future services. In light of this, grantees have a few options for serving and exiting participants, despite challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These options include the following:

  • Continue to provide services that participants need in a safe manner by providing services remotely and adhering to precautions recommended by health experts or required by state officials.
  • Schedule future planned services for participants whose services have been disrupted due to COVID-19. For example, if a local program cancels a training for the remainder of the program year but plans to resume training in the fall, the fall training for these participants can be considered “future planned services,” and the program would not have to exit the participant.
  • Allow participants to exit who no longer need services and do not have ongoing services or future planned services.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q118 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. Grantees still cannot delay exit due merely to service disruption, and the definition of program exit, as described above, remains in effect.

Q119: What steps will ETA take to account for a decrease in performance across programs/states as programs are closed for a significant period of time during the pandemic? Will States be penalized for performance issues?

Response: The Departments of Education and Labor understand the challenges States may face meeting Program Year (PY) 2019 negotiated levels of performance given the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. As a reminder, as noted in ETA’s Training and Employment Guidance Letter 11-19, Negotiations and Sanctions Guidance for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Programs the first year for which performance success or failure can be determined, for some of the primary indicators of performance, is PY 2020. No determinations of sanctions will be made based on the PY 2019 performance information. Furthermore, the Departments use a statistical adjustment model to calculate adjusted levels of performance at the end of the program year, which takes into account actual characteristics of participants served and the actual economic conditions experienced. The Departments will continue to closely monitor the effect of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on services and performance outcomes.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q119 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q120: Will ETA consider delaying negotiations, as state offices may be closed for an unspecified period of time?

Response: At this time, the Department of Labor anticipates that the negotiations process will proceed, and we will conduct negotiations with states. Negotiations between the ETA Regional Administrators and the states began in May 2020, and the Department of Education is also negotiating with states throughout the Spring of 2020. The Departments anticipate negotiated levels of performance will be included in the approved State Plans. The Departments are aware that some state offices are closed and some States have implemented remote work. The Departments are also aware that state agency leadership and management staff may be involved with COVID-19 response efforts. As a result, the Departments will be as flexible as possible in conducting negotiations, including scheduling meetings at times that meet states’ needs.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q120 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q121: Does the WIOA statistical adjustment model address unusual situations such as what we are experiencing now with COVID-19?

Response: The statistical model is intended to adjust for changes in economic conditions and participant characteristics; however, it is too soon to estimate the extent to which the models can address the effects of COVID-19 through these parameters. The Departments will closely monitor the impact of COVID-19 on grantee performance and service delivery and take all necessary and available action to ensure objectively fair performance assessments.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q121 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q122: Can ETA extend the reporting requirement for the Eligible Training Provider Report?

Response: WIOA Section 116(d)(4) requires states to submit training provider performance outcome data annually. ETA’s instructions in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 03-18, “Eligible Training Provider (ETP) Reporting Guidance under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)” require submission by October 1 of every year. States should plan to submit data reports by October 1. If the state has extenuating circumstances regarding reporting, including impacts from COVID-19, the state must request an extension no later than September 1, following the procedure outlined in TEGL 11-19, “Negotiations and Sanctions Guidance for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Core Programs”.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q122 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. The latest negotiations and sanctions guidance is TEGL 11-19, Change 1.

Performance – All Grants

Q123: COVID-19 will affect the numbers of people my grant can serve, and may impact performance. Will grantees be held accountable for those performance measures? Will future FOAs that use previous performance as a scoring criteria take the COVID-19 related disruptions into account?

Response: ETA understands there will be disruptions to services to participants that ultimately may impact performance. As ETA monitors these disruptions, ETA will provide guidance for competitive performance measures accordingly. ETA does not anticipate that these potential disruptions will affect current Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA) awarded by June 30, 2020. These grant competitions generally use prior performance for activities that have already taken place, and would not be impacted by any COVID-19 related disruptions.

2023 Update - Archived: Q5 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Trade Act, or Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), Programs

Q124: Can states continue to pay Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) customers whose hours are reduced because of COVID-19? In some states, state law provides that the employer defines “full time”; in these states does the state workforce agency continue to pay RTAA if the employer states the participant is working a full-time job but the RTAA recipient’s hours are temporarily reduced?

Response: RTAA payment is subject to the leave and pay policies of the employer. If the RTAA recipient is employed full time or employed part-time and participating in TAA approved training, states must still make RTAA payments. Time off provided by the employer for COVID-19 related issues would be treated no differently than a paid holiday. However, if the RTAA recipient’s hours have been reduced, payments must be adjusted based on the hours worked/paid. If the RTAA recipient becomes employed only part-time, they must also be enrolled in TAA approved training to remain eligible for RTAA.

2023 Update - Archived: Q124 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q125: Do states have flexibility in the provision and documentation of case management and follow-up services for TAA Program participants, and former participants that have exited the TAA Program?

Response: States are still required to continue providing employment and case management services and documenting the provision of these services. However, states have the flexibility to provide these services in a way that is consistent with efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. Under TAA, like other programs, employment and case management services can be provided via phone or internet; for example, some states have used live broadcasting on social media platforms, videos, etc. States can also maintain electronic documentation, for TAA and all programs. States must continue to serve workers to the maximum extent possible, as petition certifications are ongoing.

2023 Update - Archived: Q125 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q126: When a training provider has indicated that it has plans to transition to distance learning within the 30-day “break” period, as classes/trainings move from in-person to online, are Additional and Completion Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) payable?

Response: Additional TRA may be payable under these circumstances if the individual meets the eligibility requirements. If the training provider indicates that it will be back up and running within the 30-day period then the unscheduled break becomes a scheduled break and Additional TRA may be payable. This meets the requirement at 20 CFR 617.15(d)(1)(ii) that the break is provided for in the published schedule or the previously established schedule of training issued by the training provider or is indicated in the participant’s approved training plan. The other two components of 20 CFR 617.15(d)(1)(i) and (iii), which require the participant to be participating in training immediately before the beginning of the break and resuming participation in the training immediately after the break, would also have to be met and monitored accordingly to ensure that Additional TRA is payable. The state needs to emphasize that the continuation of the training via the new delivery system (i.e., online learning) is optimal and permits the participant to achieve training completion as scheduled, in accordance with TEGL No. 09-05 (Approval of Distance Learning Under the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program).

Completion TRA is not payable because, as provided in TEGL No. 05-15, Change 1 Attachment A, Section C.6., “No payment for breaks in training are allowed, and the participant can only be paid Completion TRA for each week of full-time training, and then only if all five of the Completion TRA eligibility criteria described in Section C.5 of these Operating Instructions are met.”

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q126 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q127: In addition to purchasing computers for TAA training participants to access required distance learning, can the TAA Program also pay for Internet access?

Response: If a school is transitioning to online instruction, a laptop and an internet connection would be required for all students and would, therefore, qualify as an allowable expense. When considering the implementation of internet service, the state will need to explore the service options available and select the one that meets the minimum bandwidth recommended by the school to access the training content.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q127 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q128: If a participant states that he or she is not attending school due to COVID-19, and has already used his or her permitted three weeks of approved illness under state UI law, should the state continue paying Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) until the participant return to school?

Response: The COVID-19 impact created an “unscheduled” break in training. Thus, Basic TRA may be payable if the adversely affected worker previously met the enrollment deadlines and other eligibility requirements. As this is an event that is “beyond the control of the individual,” there is a justifiable cause for the cessation of training or failure to begin. This is discussed in TEGL 05-15, Change 1, Attachment A, Section C 2.2. Please note, while Basic TRA may be payable to the worker, Additional or Completion TRA would not be, as they require participation in training. Requirements for Additional or Completion TRA can be found in TEGL 05-15, Change 1, Attachment A.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q128 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q129: If a participant pauses training due to COVID-19, should his or her training plan be modified to lengthen the time needed to complete the participant’s individual training program?

Response: TEGL 05-15, Change 1, Attachment A, Section D.4 (Length of Training) provides a maximum amount of 130 weeks of TAA training for 2015 Program participants and any training can be modified for the trade-affected worker to accommodate the worker’s completion of TAA training. (This also applies to 2002 and 2011 Program participants in accordance with the Operating Instructions for these respective programs. 2009 Program participants have a maximum length of training of 156 weeks, in accordance with the 2009 Program Operating Instructions, and that training can also be modified.) The participant’s training plan should be modified/amended to reflect a change in the potential completion date of the TAA training, specifically during the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, the TAA training weeks of actual training may not exceed 130 weeks even though the duration of such training from beginning to completion may be longer than 130 weeks (count weeks the worker is actually in training; could be non-consecutive).

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q129 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q130: If a state has waived work search requirements for UI, can the state apply this to Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA)?

Response: Yes. If the state has waived the work search requirements consistent with DOL guidance, it must extend such waiver to the work search requirements that apply to the Extended Benefits (EB) program. This will then apply to TRA, which requires that the individual meet the EB work test. Extending the EB work search flexibilities maintains consistency with state law because the EB provisions are part of state law. Accordingly, the extension is unrelated to the state triggering “on” for EB.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q130 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q131: During COVID-19, is it possible to waive the requirement that the training vendor attests that an individual is participating in training, in order to pay TRA? Is it possible to waive the requirement that the training vendor provides documentation that an individual is making satisfactory progress and is on track to complete the TAA training on time?

Response: These determinations are based on state policy; a state has the flexibility to determine how to satisfy the requirements itemized in 20 CFR 617.19. The regulation at 20 CFR 617.19 does not dictate to states how it will determine if an individual is “actually” participating in TAA training; it only requires that the state make a determination that the individual was participating in TAA training to pay TRA. During COVID-19, it might be more practical to waive this state requirement—if training vendors are non-responsive to the state’s request for information on an individual’s participation in training—and use a participant’s self-attestation that they are participating in training.

States also have the flexibility to determine how to satisfy the requirements itemized in TEGL 05-15, Change 1, Attachment A, Section C.5.1. The guidance states that the state may request that the training vendor provide documentation that the individual is making satisfactory progress while in TAA training and that the case manager may attest that the worker is making satisfactory progress after speaking to the participant and the training vendor. Satisfactory progress throughout training is necessary for eligibility for Completion TRA, in the form of training benchmarks. Basic and Additional TRA do not require satisfactory progress – just “participation in TAA Training.”

While it is good practice to contact the training provider and the participant, it is not a requirement in TAARA 2015. There is a requirement to document that the individual is making satisfactory progress while in TAA training. There is no requirement that stipulates that the training vendor must be contacted to determine if the participant is making satisfactory progress while in training. Therefore, during COVID-19, it might be practical to waive the state requirement in instances where the training vendors are non-responsive to the state’s request for information on the participant’s satisfactory progress while in TAA training.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q131 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q132: Could TAA funds that are set to expire on September 30 be used to support efforts to serve dislocated workers immediately?

Response: TAA funds that are set to expire on September 30, 2020, may be used to serve trade-affected workers only. Section 236(a)(2)(A) of the Trade Act, as amended, limits funding to carry out its Sections 235, 236, 237, and 238. All these sections refer to workers certified under a petition for trade adjustment assistance and cannot be used to serve regular dislocated workers under WIOA.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q132 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q133: Can TAA funds be used for layoff aversion services, even if the company is not moving out of state? Can the TAA funds be used for WIOA Dislocated Worker programming? Can TAA funds be used for Rapid Response activities?

Response: TAA funds may only be used for layoff aversion services if the workers involved are covered under a certified petition, or for purposes of assistance in filing a petition for TAA. Adversely affected incumbent workers (AAIWs), who are members of a certified worker group threatened with separation, are eligible for training and employment and case management services while still employed. Section 236(a)(2)(A) of the Trade Act, as amended, limits funding to carry out its Sections 235, 236, 237, and 238. All these sections refer to workers certified under a petition for trade adjustment assistance, and cannot be used to serve regular dislocated workers under WIOA. If Rapid Response activities serve workers who are covered by a TAA certification, then Trade funds can be used for such Rapid Response services.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q133 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q134: Are signatures from the training institution or instructor required to sign off on a participant’s progress in training for purposes of Completion Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) eligibility?

Response: To determine that the worker has “substantially met the performance benchmarks established in the approved training plan,” TEGL No. 05-15, Change 1, Attachment A, Section C.5.1 (Training Benchmarks to meet Completion TRA Eligibility Requirements) explains that states must evaluate satisfactory progress against the two benchmarks at intervals of no more than 60 days, beginning with the start of the training plan. For this review, states may request the training vendor to provide documentation of the worker’s satisfactory progress. The case manager may attest to the worker’s progress after consultation with the vendor and the worker. The state may request that the worker provide documentation of the worker’s satisfactory progress toward meeting the training benchmarks from the vendor, such as through instructor attestations.

To address the question, the mechanism for such collection is flexible and not limited to hard copy signature only. A case manager may document telephone conversations, save emails into the case file, or use other similar collection mechanisms. If state policy requires that a signature be obtained, it would be helpful to determine if an electronic signature will meet state policy or if state policy could be met in some other way.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q134 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q135: If a school shuts down and an individual cannot participate in online classes, does the state move the individual to a Work Search Status until the individual returns to school?

Response: The State Workforce Agency should request an explanation as to why the individual cannot participate in online classes. If it is due to a lack of supplies (such as a computer), then that could be covered by TAA training funds. If the school is not offering online classes, and is therefore on a break, then the Extended Benefits work test does not apply in this case.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q135 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q136: If a TAA participant finds a job during this period, can the individual later return to the training program and resume training, or should the individual apply for a new training program?

Response: The individual may return or resume his or her approved TAA training plan. Amending or modifying that training plan is best addressed on a case by case basis. No individual shall be entitled to more than one training plan under a single certification, in accordance with 20 CFR 617.22(f)(2).

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q136 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q137: What if an individual is on a waiver from training and stops looking for work because of COVID-19? The individual has not stated that he or she is sick, but the individual does not want to look for work at this time. Does the State Workforce Agency continue to pay benefits?

Response: All Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) require the individual to meet the Extended Benefits (EB) work test unless the individual is participating in TAA training. The EB work test provisions within State law govern whether this individual may be eligible. Please refer to 20 CFR 615.8(d), (e), (f), (g).

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q137 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q138: If the payment of benefits is allowed while an individual is not in school, will the individual be required to satisfy the Extended Benefit (EB) Work Test for each week he or she is not in school?

Response: Without participation in TAA training, only basic TRA payments are allowed. If there is a cessation in TAA training, the EB work test does not apply, but nothing prevents the individual from continuing to seek employment. Additional and Completion TRA are not payable without participation in TAA training. Accordingly, conducting the EB work test is not required but nothing prevents the individual from continuing to seek employment.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q138 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q139: How long should State Workforce Agencies continue to pay Additional TRA Benefits?

Response: Benefits are payable if the individual is eligible. Additional TRA is payable for a maximum of 65 weeks after exhaustion of Basic TRA while the individual is in approved TAA training. Additional TRA is payable during the consecutive calendar weeks that occur in the 78-week period that begins immediately following the last week of entitlement to Basic TRA, the first week of approved TAA training if the training begins after the last week of entitlement to Basic TRA, or the first week in which TAA training is approved, if such training already has commenced (although Additional TRA or training costs may not be paid for any week before the week in which the TAA training was approved). See TEGL No. 5-15, Change 1, Attachment A, Section C.6. (Maximum Number of Weeks of TRA and Duration) for more information.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q139 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q140: Can TRA be paid to individuals whose full-time training is reduced to part-time due to COVID-19?

Response: Under Sec. 236(g)(2) of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended, individuals cannot receive TRA for part-time training.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q140 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q141: Due to COVID-19, if an individual requires a computer to continue his or her classes, even if the computer is not documented as required for all students, will the cost of the computer be covered?

Response: If a training institution requires that students take courses online due to COVID-19 and the individual does not have the equipment needed to continue his or her classes, then a computer is a requirement, and that cost should be covered accordingly. As ever, steps should be taken to set parameters around the reasonable cost of purchasing the computer.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q141 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q142: Can COVID-19 closures be a factor in invoking good cause and equitable tolling for deadlines?

Response: Yes, COVID-19 closures can be considered in determining, on an individual basis, whether to apply equitable tolling for a deadline or whether there is good cause for waiving the time limitations for an application for Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) or enrollment in training. Equitable tolling is addressed in Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 08-11, Availability of Equitable Tolling of Deadlines for Workers Covered Under Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Certifications. Federal good cause and justifiable cause is addressed in TEGL 5-15, Change 1, see Attachment A, Sections C. 2. 1 and 2. The individual determination to apply Federal good cause, justifiable cause, or equitable tolling lies with the state. Factors to be considered in applying Federal good cause include whether there is a compelling reason or circumstance that would prevent a reasonable person from meeting a deadline for filing an application for TRA or enrolling in training. For example, closures of American Job Centers due to COVID-19 may be a compelling reason preventing a reasonable person from filing an application for TRA or enrolling in training.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q142 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q143: The guidance in Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 14-20, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 - Summary of Key Unemployment Insurance (UI) Provisions and Guidance Regarding Temporary Emergency State Staffing Flexibility, provides an order of payments. Are states required to transition all Trade Readjustment Assistance-eligible individuals into Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)?

Response: No. Under section 2102 of the CARES Act, before individuals may receive PUA, they must not be eligible for—or must have exhausted—entitlement to regular compensation, additional compensation, and extended compensation, as well as Pandemic Extended Unemployment Compensation under section 2107 of the CARES Act. They must also have exhausted or been ineligible for Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) benefits. Thus, an individual may not receive PUA benefits where the individual is eligible for TRA benefits, and states may not transition such individuals to the PUA program.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q143 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q144: Is there a scenario in which Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is payable to an individual with remaining Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) entitlement?

Response: Yes. An individual with a remaining TRA entitlement or remaining weeks of benefits may be ineligible to receive such benefits because TRA requires “actual” participation in TAA training, specifically Additional and Completion TRA. If TAA training is suspended for any COVID-19 related conditions, the individual may meet the definition of a “covered individual” under Section 2102(a)(3) of the CARES Act if he or she is not eligible to receive TRA benefits. In that case, the individual may be eligible for PUA.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q144 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q145: What happens if an individual becomes entitled to Training Readjustment Assistance (TRA) after beginning receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)? In the event the individual resumes TAA training, what benefit is payable?

Response: If an individual becomes entitled to TRA after beginning receipt of PUA, such individual is no longer a “covered individual” under Section 2102 of CARES Act, and would thus not be eligible for PUA, because the individual has not exhausted regular compensation or extended benefits under state or Federal law or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation under Section 2107. TRA is regular compensation under Federal law. Accordingly, PUA benefits would no longer be available, and the individual may resume receipt of TRA.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q145 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q146: Unemployment Insurance Program Letter No. 14-20, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 - Summary of Key Unemployment Insurance (UI) Provisions and Guidance Regarding Temporary Emergency State Staffing Flexibility, implies that all Trade Readjustment Assistance (TRA) eligibility must follow exhaustion of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). Does this mean that PUA eligibility reduces TRA maximum entitlement as provided at 20 CFR 617.14?

Response: No. PUA eligibility does not reduce the TRA maximum entitlement provided by 20 CFR 617.14.

The Trade Act, as amended, and the regulatory citation at 20 CFR 617.14 require that the maximum TRA payable be reduced by the amount of UI available to the individual, including:

  • Regular compensation;
  • Extended compensation; and
  • Federal supplemental compensation (including Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation in the first UI benefit period only.

PUA eligibility is like Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA), as will be explained later, and is not included in the applicable reductions to TRA. While the regulations define UI entitlement to include additional compensation payable under state law, it does not apply since the 2002 amendments to the Act became effective. Any applicable reductions to the maximum TRA entitlement are applicable to Basic TRA only.

Additional and/or Completion TRA are payable for a specific number of weeks to assist the individual complete TAA training. Any UI entitlement available to the individual during the period in which Additional and/or Completion TRA are payable only suspend the TRA eligibility. It does not reduce the maximum number of weeks payable for Additional and/or Completion TRA. There may be a reduction in the weekly amount payable as a result of a pension or other disqualifying income under state law.

PUA eligibility, similar to DUA eligibility, as provided at 20 CFR 625.4(i) requires that the individual not be eligible for “compensation” as defined at 20 CFR 625.2(d). “Compensation” under the DUA regulations, which also govern PUA, includes any unemployment compensation as defined in section 85(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as well as regular compensation, additional compensation, extended compensation, federal supplementary compensation, and disability payments. It further includes Railroad Unemployment Insurance benefits and TRA. This establishes DUA and PUA as the payment of last resort such that there is an extremely limited opportunity for DUA and PUA to be paid before TRA.

An individual receiving Basic TRA whose TAA training is interrupted for a COVID-19 related reason may continue receiving Basic TRA as provided at 20 CFR 617.18(b)(2) if the cessation in such training is for justifiable cause. An individual whose TAA approved training is interrupted for a COVID-19 related reason cannot receive Additional/Completion TRA because these benefits require “actual” participation in TAA training. The latter individual may be eligible for PUA benefits, but, as explained above, PUA eligibility has no effect on TRA.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q146 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q147: Will the PUA weekly benefit amount be the same as the TRA weekly benefit amount?

Response: Not necessarily. With respect to PUA benefits, CARES Act Section 2102(d) requires the state to pay individuals the weekly benefit amount (WBA) under the UC law of the state where the covered individual was employed. The PUA WBA is determined similar to the DUA WBA, as provided at 20 CFR 625.6. Wages and/or self-employment income in the base period will be utilized to determine the PUA WBA. The base period is the most recent tax year that has ended for the individual. If the PUA WBA is less than 50% of the average WBA paid in the State or if the individual has insufficient wages, or if the individual has not filed a tax return for the most recent tax year that has ended, the PUA WBA will be 50% of the average WBA paid in the state.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q147 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Indian and Native American Program (INAP) (WIOA sec. 166)

Q148: What should those tribes that have delayed the start of INAP summer youth programs do if they only operate summer youth programs? Usually, tribes begin recruitment and enrollment in April or May in schools.

Response: INAP grantees should review state and local health advisories, school closure policies, and other state and local directives when considering the status of youth programs. INAP grantees may consider adjusting their plans to operate a year-round youth program with INAP youth funding and incorporate other activities such as tutoring, mentoring, and after-school program activities. INAP grantees may provide youth with the activities referenced in the regulations at 20 CFR 684.310(f). INAP grantees may also consider providing in-house soft-skills training, in conformity with agency or health advisories, using distance seating, teleconferencing, webinars, or other practices that allow instruction from a distance.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q148 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q149: If tribes find that they are unable to run an INAP summer and/or spring youth program, will they be allowed to carry forward the funds to the next program year?

Response: Yes, within the period of performance for the grant. The INAP youth program is considered a supplemental program primarily for the benefit of in-school youth. ETA will not recapture or reallocate supplemental youth funds. Many youths and their families will be economically impacted by this pandemic. Therefore, grantees may want to consider re-evaluating their own policies on eligible applicants, as long as such policies meet the eligibility requirements in the WIOA statute and regulations.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q149 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Wagner-Peyser Act Monitor Advocate System

Q150: Have states’ Monitor Advocate responsibilities and employment services to migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFWs) changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

Response: No, the State Workforce Agencies’ (SWA) responsibilities in providing the full range of employment and training services to MSFWs have not changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. States may provide outreach services to MSFWs in various ways. For instance, states may conduct outreach to farmworkers virtually, or may call or text agricultural employers and farmworkers to relay the availability of services. Outreach staff may also utilize local radio and television stations to share pertinent information on job opportunities, safety, and protections, as well as local services and advisories. Virtual outreach may also include referrals to supportive services, such as to food pantries, health clinics, and farmworker advocacy groups that may be able to assist the migrant and seasonal farmworkers.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q150 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q151: How can State Monitor Advocates and state workforce agency staff conduct field checks during the pandemic?

Response: As defined in the Wagner-Peyser regulations (20 CFR 651.10), “field checks” means random, unannounced appearances by Employment Service (ES) staff and/or Federal staff at agricultural worksites to which ES placements have been made through the intrastate or interstate clearance system to ensure that conditions are as stated on the job order and that the employer is not violating an employment-related law. State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) must continue to conduct field checks, even though these field checks might be limited in nature. If SWA staff are not able to conduct in-person field checks at this time, SWA staff may conduct field checks virtually, and in doing so, may reach out to the U.S. workers that were placed on these clearance jobs, to ensure working conditions and pay are as stated on the clearance order. ETA expects SWAs to resume in-person field checks as soon as it is safe to do so.

2023 Updated Response – Archived: Q151 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q152: Do State Monitor Advocates have to continue monitoring local offices during the pandemic?

Response: State Monitor Advocates (SMA) shall make all efforts to conduct monitoring of local offices either onsite or virtually. SMAs should adhere to state and local government directives on health and safety, even when this means postponing local office reviews due to closed American Job Centers. SMA may adapt their monitoring format by conducting virtual reviews of local offices that are providing virtual services or of those local offices providing limited in-person services.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q152 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q153: If state staff cannot easily access their normal systems for reporting, can State Monitor Advocates and farmworker outreach staff use an online document for monthly summary reports of outreach efforts?

Response: Yes, the Employment Service office manager may submit the monthly summary report of outreach efforts using an online document. Outreach staff must still maintain complete records of their contacts with MSFWs and the services they perform, but it is up to the discretion of the state as to what format the state will use to track outreach activities. See 20 CFR 653.107 (b)(8) for more information.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q153 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q154: Can outreach contacts made virtually to farmworkers be counted as an outreach contact in the Monitor Advocate reporting system?

Response: Any contact with migrant and seasonal farmworkers made via calls, email, or text messaging counts as an outreach contact, so long as the contact included the provision of information on the full range of employment and training services available to MSFWs. If radio and television are used to contact farmworkers, states can explain that in the narrative portion of the Labor Exchange Agricultural Reporting System (LEARS) report.

2023 Updated Response – Revised: Virtual or remote interactions with MSFWs may count as “MSFW outreach contacts,” as defined by 20 CFR 651.10, if the SWA has reason to believe MSFWs received the presentation of information, offering of assistance, or follow-up activity from outreach staff. MSFW contacts must include a service described at 20 CFR 653.107(b).

Q155: Since there may be reductions in the number of people served, are Monitor Advocate performance indicators changing?

Response: ETA understands there will be disruptions to services to MSFWs that ultimately may impact performance for the remainder of Program Year 2019. States can include explanatory narrative in their performance reports, or provide information to the state’s Regional Monitor Advocate; please copy the National Monitor Advocate in such reports at NMA@dol.gov. Depending on the length of disruptions, ETA may adjust some Monitor Advocate process metrics such as equity ratio indicators and minimum service level indicators.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q155 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q156: Wagner-Peyser regulations for the Monitor Advocate system require that states must have a full-time State Monitor Advocate (SMA) except in certain circumstances that require Department of Labor approval. Can a state temporarily reassign the SMA under emergency circumstances?

Response: States must maintain required functions of the SMA in their positions. The SMA and outreach staff play important roles in ensuring agricultural employers have access to farmworkers and that workers can safely and expeditiously access agricultural jobs. This is a critical time to ensure labor exchange services such as the Agricultural Recruitment System (ARS) are available to job seekers and agricultural employers to maintain our nation’s food supply. While SMAs must remain in their positions, if outreach staff have additional time after fulfilling their responsibilities, the Department recognizes that states may need to leverage these staff members to help support other critical functions, such as Unemployment Insurance.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q156 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q157: Farmers are concerned about the availability of farm laborers. Have any adjustments been made to the H-2A program to ensure sufficient farm laborers will be available?

Response: ETA’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification oversees the H-2A labor certification program for the U.S. Department of Labor and has provided two sets of frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 at www.foreignlaborcert.doleta.gov/faqs_pdf.cfm, and will be posting additional ones in the future. States should continue to use the Agricultural Recruitment System (ARS) through their local labor exchange to ensure agricultural employers are connected with U.S. job seekers. For questions about how to strengthen ARS in your state, State Monitor Advocates can contact their Regional Monitor Advocate, as listed at www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/agriculture/monitor-advocate-system/contact.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q157 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q158: What information is available for farmers and workers on what they can be doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the labor camps and the agricultural work environment?

Response: The U.S. Department of Labor published Guidance for Preparing Workplaces for Coronavirus at www.dol.gov/coronavirus. The link includes information on workplace safety, wages, hours and leave, unemployment insurance flexibilities, and more. Additionally, the site https://farmworker.workforcegps.org/resources/2019/09/26/18/04/MSFW_Special_Topics provides a collection of English and Spanish resources published by ETA and other federal agencies for states, National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees, agricultural employers and other partners who serve migrant and seasonal farmworkers. The list contains federal resources, including resources in Spanish where available. As ETA identifies more resources, ETA will post them at this link.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q158 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q159: Are there resources for farmworkers in Spanish?

Response: The U.S. Department of Labor has provided a variety of resources in Spanish:

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q159 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

National Farmworker Jobs Program (NFJP)

Q160: Some NFJP participants may not be able to complete training, or obtain certifications or jobs right now. As NFJP grantees assess participant needs, can grantees shift some training dollars to supportive services?

Response: Under the 2019 appropriations bill, NFJP grantees must spend 70% of their Career Services and Training funds on employment and training services. (This requirement is also incorporated into NFJP grant terms and conditions in the order of precedence section.) The term “employment and training services” means all allowable career services, training services, housing services, and youth services (as explained in 20 CFR 685.340, 20 CFR 685.350, 20 CFR 685.360, and 20 CFR 685.370), including supportive services (defined in 20 CFR 685.110 and WIOA Section 3(59)). Please also see page 18 of TEGL No. 19-16, “Guidance on Services provided through the Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES),” which provides specific examples of supportive services: TEGL_19-16.pdf.

Employment and training services do not include related assistance (as defined in 20 CFR 685.110 and further explained in 20 CFR 685.380) or administrative costs (20 CFR 683.215). Grantees may spend up to 30% of their awarded funds on a combination of related assistance, including emergency assistance and administrative costs, further subject to the administrative cost of limitation of 15%.

Grantees’ approved budgets and budget narratives generally include a breakdown of the costs allotted to training, supportive, and related assistance services. If the grantee’s request to shift program funds requires a program plan or budget update, then grantees should work with their Federal Project Officer to document these changes through a grant modification.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q160 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. The latest appropriation still requires that grantees spend 70% of their Career Services and Training funds on employment and training services.

Q161: NFJP regulations do not allow grantees to provide emergency services for an adult who is in follow-up. Can this requirement be temporarily lifted during COVID-19 so that grantees can assist former participants whose work may be reduced or temporarily terminated? It is difficult to re-enroll them as reportable individuals and provide them emergency assistance since they might no longer meet eligibility requirements if they have been away from farm work for a time.

Response: Grantees must continue to follow the instructions provided in 20 CFR Part 685 and TEGL No. 18-16. Both participants and reportable individuals must meet eligibility requirements, so re-enrolling participants in the situation described above to receive emergency assistance may not always be feasible. However, there are circumstances where an NFJP grantee can provide emergency assistance. For example, if the only barrier to enrolling an individual is documentation of their current occupation, please note that when an individual receives emergency assistance only (and no other NFJP services), an applicant’s self-certification is accepted as sufficient documentation of eligibility. Only participants enrolled in NFJP may receive supportive services. As described in TEGL No. 18-16, NFJP grantees may provide emergency assistance to H-2A temporary agricultural workers to address an immediate and short-term need.

2023 Update - Active: Q161 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q162: Is the eligibility verification process for NFJP changing?

Response: Eligibility determination is a critical and non-waivable function of ETA programs. Grantees can adjust their processes and policies for application and eligibility verification process, e.g., moving from hard copies to paperless and electronic submissions that protect Personally Identifiable Information. Grantees should continue to follow WIOA regulations and ETA guidance. Please note that in addition to the documents often used to verify farmworker status and low-income status, self-attestation and case notes are acceptable when no other documentation is available. Selective Service documentation is often available as electronic records, which should be used whenever possible. ETA plans to publish updated data validation guidance soon, including detailed information on when self-attestation is appropriate.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q162 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy. Updated data validation guidance is available at TEGL 23-19, Change 1.

Q163: Can National Farmworker Jobs Program grantees provide food to adult participants as a supportive service?

Response: As a result of the COVID-19 emergency, National Farmworker Jobs Program adult participants may need additional support such as food to continue participating in the program. To respond to the COVID-19 emergency, grantees have flexibility in developing or updating their policies to provide food under certain circumstances and for a limited time either through the provision of emergency assistance or supportive services.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q163 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)

Q164: Will SCSEP duration limits be suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Response: Under section 3223 of the recently enacted Coronovirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Department has the authority to extend individual participant duration limits and average duration limits for a grantee in situations where such an extension is appropriate due to the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency. The Department is providing blanket approval for grantees to implement such extensions to the extent that they are appropriate to mitigate the effects of the public health emergency, and will issue administrative guidance for how to implement this. This guidance will not allow for indefinite extensions on duration limits but will allow for reasonable extensions in proportion to the severity and duration of the impact on each grantee.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q164 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q165: Will the deadline for SCSEP data validation be extended?

Response: ETA recognizes that it may be difficult for some grantees to complete certain normally scheduled tasks like data validation (DV), assessments and IEPs, and recertifications. On the other hand, some grantees have expressed their intention to keep their staff employed in conducting these activities remotely.

The 6-month period for completing DV expired on April 15. In recognition of the work many grantees are engaged in to ensure that their participants are safe and paid during the pandemic, ETA extended the deadline to May 15. Many grantees have already completed DV or made good progress toward completion.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q165 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q166: Will ETA permit SCSEP recertification to be conducted via phone or virtually?

Response: ETA has always allowed grantees to conduct DV remotely. Those grantees that still have some operating capacity during COVID-19, and that have not yet obtained the sample case files, should arrange for the files to be sent to them as soon as possible. All grantees should continue to work on DV during this period as safety and staffing permits. DV is an important way to maintain the integrity of SCSEP data and to identify the need for staff training. ETA will reassess the situation and provide further guidance should conditions change.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q166 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q167: We are in an area with confirmed cases of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and/or an area that is taking broad public health measures to prevent the spread of the virus. Are we allowed to pay participants whose host agency assignments or paid training activities are impacted by COVID-19, particularly in situations where regional or localized quarantine efforts prevent participants from attending training sites in person?

Response: We recognize that the current COVID-19 outbreak presents unique challenges for SCSEP grantees and participants. The program’s participants are particularly vulnerable for several reasons, including their reliance on SCSEP wages and benefits, as well as their age, which appears to place them in higher risk categories for complications due to COVID-19 disease. Grantees can act to minimize disruptions in the payments to participants of SCSEP wages and benefits, and to minimize the exposure risk encountered by SCSEP participants and grant staff. In addition, please refer to the Centers for Disease Control page on the novel coronavirus for the latest updates and medical advice: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/.

Note that, even in the unusual situation prompted by community transmission of the novel coronavirus, your SCSEP grant remains subject to the laws, regulations, and policies that apply to SCSEP, including the authorizing statute (Older Americans Act, Title V, 42 U.S.C. sec. 3056, et seq., as amended), the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Grant Guidance at 2 CFR Part 200 and 2 CFR Part 2900), SCSEP regulations (20 CFR Part 641), applicable DOL guidance, and the terms and conditions specified in your grant award. However, depending on the situation in your communities, you have several options that may minimize disruption to SCSEP participants while still adhering to the applicable rules. The options described below, alone or in combination, should help to prevent disruptions to many participants affected by the emergency. However, if for some reason, a participant goes more than three days without pay due to the crisis, such participant must be placed on an approved break until alternative arrangements are made in order to avoid a negative impact to the participant’s durational limit calculation.

Use of Paid Sick Leave

In situations where COVID-19 impacts host agencies or paid training activities, or where in-person attendance by SCSEP participants may expose them or others to the risk of viral transmission, grantees can use paid sick leave consistent with their organizations’ policies. Paid sick leave may serve as a means of limiting SCSEP participants’ public exposure while minimizing disruption in the payment of participant wages and benefits.

The SCSEP regulations at 20 CFR 641.565(b)(1)(vi) state that “Grantees and sub-recipients must provide necessary sick leave that is not part of an accumulated sick leave program, which may be paid or in the form of rescheduled work time.” The regulations do not further define what constitutes “necessary sick leave,” nor do the regulations place minimums or maximums on the amount of sick leave that may be provided to SCSEP participants. Accordingly, grantees have flexibility to define these parameters through sick leave policies at the grantee level, provided that such policies adhere to applicable rules governing SCSEP grants, including the “Factors affecting allowability of costs” and “Reasonable costs” specified in Uniform Grant Guidance at 2 CFR 200.403 and 2 CFR 200.404, respectively. In general, consistent with 20 CFR 641.565(b)(1)(i), such policies must ensure uniform treatment of all participants under your project or sub-project. Grantees should already have such policies in place, but in light of the scope of the current situation, we encourage you to either review existing policies and amend them as necessary, or initiate new policies to govern the use of paid sick leave.

Rescheduled Work Time

Consistent with the SCSEP regulations’ treatment of sick leave as cited above, where feasible, you may allow participants to “make up” missed time in a community service assignment or paid training activity by rescheduling the activity to a later date when the site reopens. The SCSEP regulations do not limit the opportunity to make up time to the next payroll period. As noted above, to ensure consistent and equitable treatment of sick leave, we encourage you to ensure that your organization’s sick leave policies address situations in which participants receive paid sick leave versus rescheduled work time.

Assignments in Temporary Host Agencies and/or Remote Training Opportunities

Depending on the situation in your communities, you may also assign participants to perform community service training with temporary host agencies. For example, if you are in an area without broad community transmission, but one host agency must temporarily close due to suspected COVID-19 exposure, it may be appropriate to temporarily assign affected participants to an alternate host agency (note that affected participants would need to be reassigned accordingly in SPARQ).

Alternatively, you may engage participants in permissible online training activities or SCSEP meetings conducted remotely. Any training or supportive services activity that would normally be allowable under SCSEP can be used in an emergency situation such as COVID-19 (in this instance, participants would remain assigned to their current host agencies). Such activity must be reasonable and documented. Keep in mind that specialized training activities must align and be consistent with the participant’s Individual Employment Plan.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q167 and its response remains active for any pandemic or localized disease outbreak and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q168: To implement the options above, what should my next steps be, and will ETA need to approve my plan?

Response: In many cases, you will be able to implement the activities described above without a formal modification to the grant statement of work (SOW), and without specific additional formal approval from ETA.

In particular, if you decide to amend or change your organization’s sick leave policy (for paid sick leave and/or rescheduled work time) for SCSEP participants affected by COVID-19, this will not require a modification to the grant SOW. While your grant documents include program assurances in which you agreed to maintain policies and procedures covering necessary sick leave, we do not consider such policies part of your SOW; rather, they are policies that your Federal Project Officer (FPO) may review later during grant monitoring (similar to your other policies on fiscal controls, etc.) to ensure compliance with the grant terms and conditions.

Regarding the option to provide temporary host agency assignments to affected SCSEP participants, this activity should generally already be covered by your current SOW, since host agency assignments are a core component of every SCSEP project. Accordingly, a SOW modification would not be required to implement this activity.

Regarding remote training opportunities, these activities may also still fall under your current SOW and budget. However, depending on your current budget and whether or not you have a current Program Year 2019 approval for Additional Training and Supportive Services (ATSS) (per 20 CFR 641.874), you may need to modify your budget and/or submit an ATSS request to ensure that your proposed activities are properly reflected in your grant agreement. As needed, please work with your FPO to determine whether such requests are necessary.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q168 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q169: Some Senior Community Service Employment Program participants are due for eligibility re-certifications, but are on sick leave due to COVID-19. Normally without re-certification within 30 days of the due date, such participant records are rejected. Will ETA extend the time to complete re-certifications?

Response: The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) regulations at 20 CFR 641.505 state, "Once individuals become SCSEP participants, the grantee or sub-recipient is responsible for verifying their continued eligibility at least once every 12 months." Grantees must continue to follow this requirement. However, there are multiple mechanisms to review and save eligibility documentation. For example, using video-call software, program staff can maintain a screenshot of the document for the file, if the grantee policy allows. Grantees are ultimately responsible for ensuring the accuracy and validity of documents. Eligibility processes should include some type of validation.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q169 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q170: If COVID-19 affects the ability of Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) grantees and their partners to meet the match requirement of their program, how will DOL address it?

Response: The SCSEP regulations at 20 CFR 641.809(a) state that “The Department will pay no more than 90 percent of the total cost of activities carried out under a SCSEP grant. (OAA Section 502(c)(1)).” The Department recognizes the challenges that some grantees are experiencing due to the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department will apply available flexibilities at grant closeout to provide reasonable assistance to grantees who are unable to meet the match requirement due to COVID-19 impacts. However, ETA does expect that PY 2019 SCSEP grants will meet a portion of their original match requirement, given that the impact of COVID-19 did not begin until the third quarter of the program year. In the final closeout report, grantees should include a brief explanation of the impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency on their ability to meet the match requirement. ETA will continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on SCSEP grant operations in PY 2020 and will assess at a later date whether PY 2020 projects will be subject to similar flexibilities.

2023 Update - Archived: Q170 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q171: Is the CARES Act $1,200 payment included as income when considering SCSEP enrollment?

Response: No. The $1,200 COVID-19 stimulus payments issued to individuals are considered tax credits and should not be considered in determining income level.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q171 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q172: Due to the ongoing effects of COVID-19, how will the U.S. Department of Labor address possible challenges of Senior Community Service Employment Program grantees and their partners in meeting the match requirements of the program in program year 2020?

Response: The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) regulations state that “The Department will pay no more than 90 percent of the total cost of activities carried out under a SCSEP grant. (OAA Section 502(c)(1)). (20 CFR 641.809(a)) The Department recognizes the challenges that some grantees may be experiencing in raising match because of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly as some traditional sources of match such as host agency supervisor salaries may be impacted by ongoing closures. However, the Department strongly encourages grantees to review possible match resources and determine where they may be able to identify an alternative match to make up the difference. For instance, grantees may want to consider a thorough review of the documentation of staff time (such as under sub-grants) as an in-kind match and whether all possible match is being fully realized.

Where match cannot be fully realized, the Department will apply available flexibilities at grant closeout to provide reasonable assistance to grantees who are unable to meet the match requirement due to COVID-19. Grant recipients should be prepared to include a detailed explanation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their organization’s planned match and how the grantee tried to address the match shortage.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q172 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q173: Will the Employment and Training Administration continue to permit SCSEP grantees to use paid sick leave to limit participants’ exposure to COVID-19, while still providing participant wages and benefits?

Response: The Department recognizes that the pandemic represents an ongoing threat to the health and safety of SCSEP participants. However, SCSEP grantees have had significant time to identify and commit to solutions to address the inability of many participants to be on-site for community service assignments or training. At this point, the Department expects grantees to make every effort to move away from a reliance on paid sick leave and actively shift toward the provision of training and community service assignments conducted remotely or, where feasible and consistent with state and local laws and public health orders, in person.

Examples of remote activities may include assignments in temporary host agencies and/or online training opportunities, as discussed in previous frequently asked questions above. Such activities may also include community service assignments performed via remote or telework methods, provided that grantees continue to ensure and promote:

  1. Adequate supervision;
  2. The development of soft skills;
  3. Training aligned to participants’ Individual Employment Plans; and
  4. Access to any hardware or connectivity necessary for the work assigned.

In delivering in-person services, grantees should determine participant assignments on a case-by-case basis that takes into consideration the risk factors of each participant and ensures adherence to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, including adequate provision of personal protective equipment and the use of social distancing.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q173 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Q174: Can participant durational limit extensions be applied beyond the original period determined allowable in the CARES Act?

Response: Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 22-19, in the section titled “Implementation of SCSEP Provisions of the CARES Act – All Grantees,” outlined specific administrative flexibilities to help SCSEP grantees respond to the effects of the COVID-19 public health emergency. In particular, the TEGL extended the individual durational limit by 12 months for all individuals participating in SCSEP projects as of March 1, 2020, and for those individuals who enrolled as SCSEP participants between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020. Participants cannot collect wages at the same time as paid sick leave.

Given the continuing impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency, this response extends the individual durational limit by 12 months for all SCSEP participants who enroll during the six-month enrollment period from September 1, 2020, through February 28, 2021. We do not require grantees to submit any documentation to implement this provision. We have updated the SCSEP performance and reporting system so that the change is effective retroactive to September 1, 2020, as described above.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q174 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Apprenticeship Grants

Q175: How can grantees encourage their Registered Apprenticeship programs to keep apprentices employed during the COVID-19 crisis?

The COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impacts have caused disruption to education and training systems. The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) recognizes the potential impact on Registered Apprenticeship programs, which require an individual to be employed while in the program.

In recent years, ETA has awarded a significant amount of money to expand apprenticeship through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. These programs include:

  • American Apprenticeship Initiative grants (FOA-ETA-15-02)
  • Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grants (FOA-ETA-18-08)
  • Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grants (FOA-ETA-19-09)
  • State Apprenticeship Expansion grants (FOA-ETA-16-13
  • State Apprenticeship Expansion grants (TEGL 15-19)
  • Apprenticeship State Expansion grants (TEGL 17-18)
  • AACC Expanding Community College Apprenticeships (ECCA)
  • Youth Apprenticeship Readiness grants (FOA-ETA-20-16)
  • Industry Intermediary contracts
  • Equity Intermediary contracts
  • Youth Apprenticeship Intermediary contracts
  • Apprenticeship Expansion and Modernization Fund contracts

ETA strongly encourages grantees, contractors, and cooperative agreement partners to review their Statements of Work (SOWs) to ascertain and navigate potential challenges during COVID-19 and to refocus on strategies that will yield maximum apprentice retention and the greatest positive impact. This may include curriculum efforts that are shifted to online modalities, supporting apprentices to ensure persistence in a program (e.g., front-loading classroom instruction delivered online or in-person), and considering opportunities for apprenticeship to support reemployment efforts, as appropriate and in accordance with the funding opportunity.

Below are examples of strategies that may be allowed under these funding instruments. Please note that the inclusion of the below is not an authorization by ETA that these activities are allowed under each award. Allowable activities are dependent on each project’s award agreement and any applicable regulations included in Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs), Training Employment Guidance Letters (TEGLs), and Requests for Proposals (RFPs). ETA encourages entities administering apprenticeship expansion funds to consult their Federal Project Officer (FPO) or Contracting Officer Representative (COR) prior to taking any step that could significantly refocus the purpose of the project’s SOW to avoid violating the funding agreement terms.

For grantees, please copy the appropriate grant program mailbox on any questions and concerns when consulting with your FPO. For contracts, please consult with your COR. ETA also encourages grantees and contractors to share any innovative or promising strategies you are implementing to address challenges during COVID-19 with your FPO (cc the program mailbox) and/or COR. ETA may share these and other best practices as it gathers more information on how programs navigate challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Converting Apprenticeship Programs for Telework or Distance Learning: ETA encourages you to explore whether your funds can be spent on training and technological expenses that ensure an apprentice can continue to progress through the program by working and learning remotely, where feasible. This can include videoconferencing software licenses and equipment, supplies needed to support distance learning (such as computers and laptops for apprentices), services needed to convert curricula to fit distance learning, and training for instructors to effectively use distance learning platforms and approaches. Prior approval is still required for equipment and budget realignments. For these expenses, please be mindful of any limitations in the funding opportunity, Uniform Guidance (for grants and cooperative agreements), and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) (for contracts).
  • Finding and Facilitating Reemployment Opportunities: While the sudden economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic may eliminate some apprenticeship participation opportunities, the pandemic has and likely will continue to demand additional qualified professionals in fields responding to the pandemic and the effects of quarantine, social distancing, and sheltering-in-place. Where feasible, ETA encourages you to consider strategies to recruit and route recently unemployed individuals in new apprenticeship opportunities in fields such as healthcare, biotechnology, transportation, logistics, and other fields critical to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Partners are strongly encouraged to leverage workforce investment, economic development, and education systems to maximize opportunities to connect with customers in need of job training opportunities. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides critical workforce development infrastructure through American Job Centers (AJCs) across the country. AJCs, which operate locally in every state, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories, will be critical in facilitating the rapid connection of unemployed persons back to the labor market. AJCs also are critical in serving employers, including those positioned to hire now, to increase their ability to stay competitive during the reopening process. Apprenticeship partners are encouraged to create strategic partnerships that couple reemployment efforts with apprenticeship strategies to more quickly advance worker skills.

  • Pre-Apprenticeship, Job Corps, and Pipelines Primed for Apprenticeship Opportunities: ETA encourages partners to consider strategies that leverage quality pre-apprenticeship programs in support of new apprenticeship opportunities in fields such as healthcare, biotechnology, transportation, logistics, and other fields critical to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Programs such as Job Corps provide critical job training, creating a pipeline of ready and prepared workers valued by apprenticeship sponsors. Apprenticeship grantees, sponsors, and contractors are encouraged to consider ways to increase coordination with Job Corps and pre-apprenticeship programs for in-demand apprenticeship opportunities.

As the largest residential youth training program, Job Corps’ career technical training programs are aligned with current industry standards, and all programs include workplace safety. Programs are designed to give students a strong career pathway if they choose to pursue additional education or related job opportunities. Career technical training curricula are vetted through a committee of experts selected by the Job Corps national office. To be considered a Job Corps graduate, a student must attain a high school diploma or equivalent, or complete a career technical training program. Job Corps Center operators often partner with local employers to ensure the training is responsive to the needs of the local labor market areas and provides students with relevant work-based learning opportunities—and college credit in many cases. Job Corps focuses heavily on soft skills, preparing students to successfully transition into the working world with appropriate behaviors, attitudes, and expectations. The structured training and living environment make Job Corps graduates well suited to move directly into an apprenticeship, as they have the work ethic, motivation, and knowledge to succeed.

  • On-the-Job Training (OJT)/On-the-Job Learning (OJL) to Advance Apprenticeship Opportunities: OJT and OJL, allowable under some of the Office of Apprenticeship’s apprenticeship expansion investments, allows employers to be reimbursed for a percentage of the extraordinary costs associated with this training. Grantees should refer to their specific funding vehicle for allowable reimbursement rates. For these expenses, please be mindful of any preapproval requirements and other limitations in the funding opportunity, Uniform Guidance, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR).
  • Leveraging Incentive Funds to Advance Apprenticeship Opportunities: Apprenticeship incentive funds are payments made to apprenticeship program sponsors and employers for hiring apprentices. If incentive funds are authorized by your funding vehicle, ETA encourages you to explore how your funds can support apprentices and meeting program performance goals during COVID-19.

Finding Additional Strategies: ETA continues to encourage grantees and contractors to work with other Registered Apprenticeship stakeholders, leveraging other federal and non-federal programs to achieve goals and targets. This can be done through partnership building, alignment with state and local workforce systems, and leveraging services to support participant retention that may not be available in a Registered Apprenticeship program.

Other References:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/M-20-18.pdf

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q175 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI)

Q176: For American Apprenticeship Initiative grantees, what are the expectations for employer outreach and activities, which normally require meeting with people?

Response: Grantees will need to assess their local situation to determine the best course of action for employer outreach. ETA encourages grantees and subrecipients to find alternative methods to reach out to employers such as virtual and telephone outreach. However, the health and safety of grantee staff, partners, and the general public should take priority. If alternative outreach efforts require changes to the grantee’s Statement of Work and/or budget, grantees should discuss grant modification requests with their Federal Project Officer.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q176 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.

Q177: Can AAI grantees modify the budget and activities to build new capacity that is more resilient to emergencies like COVID-19, e.g., procedures for developing communication to apprentices, employers, sponsors, related instruction providers, etc.?

Response: ETA will consider Statement of Work (SOW) modifications and budget modifications necessary to adjust program delivery and design as a result of COVID-19. Grantees should discuss potential SOW and budget modifications with their Federal Project Officer. Certain changes, such as internal emergency preparedness activities, may not change the statement of work or budget, and are at the discretion of the grantee.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q177 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap

Q178: How flexible is the list of “educational pathways,” required for Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grantees, in light of COVID-19? Can grantees make changes to the specific pathways based on pandemic-related needs, such as increasing educational pathways related to healthcare?

Response: As a result of impacts from COVID-19, Apprenticeship: Closing the Skills Gap grantees may have the flexibility to make changes to their educational pathways as long as these educational pathways are in line with the funding opportunity announcement and the applicant’s Statement of Work (SOW). In particular, the educational pathway should fall within the industries and occupations that were proposed in the grantee’s program design. If healthcare is proposed in the SOW, there is the flexibility to expand grant-funded training in healthcare occupations. Please note that this change may require an SOW modification if these are new occupations within a proposed industry. Grantees should discuss SOW modifications with their Federal Project Officer.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q178 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Foreign Labor Certification

Q179: Has the U.S. Department of State issued a determination on National Interest Exceptions to Presidential Proclamation 10052 as it relates to the H-1B, H-2B, L-1A, L-1B, and certain J-1 visa programs?

Response: On August 11, 2020, the Assistant Secretary of Consular Affairs for the U.S. Department of State (DOS), in consultation with the Secretaries of Labor and Homeland Security, determined additional types of travel that may qualify for a national interest exception to Presidential Proclamation 10052 for H-1B, H-2B, L-1A, L-1B and certain J-1 visa programs. The announcement regarding this determination can be accessed here. The announcement updates a notice from July 30, 2020, and discusses expanded categories of visa applicants who may qualify for a national interest exception to Presidential Proclamation 10052.

Stakeholders are reminded that U.S. embassies and consulates may only be able to offer limited visa services due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prospective visa applicants should visit the website for the embassy or consulate where they intend to apply for a visa to get updates on current operating status.

2023 Updated Response - Archived: Q179 and its response are archived as of May 11, 2023.

Foreign Labor Certification Activities of State Workforce Agencies

Q180: Should foreign labor certification housing inspections continue? Can states utilize video/pictures or other options in light of the large number of those who have traveled here from other countries?

Response: Under ETA’s existing grant planning guidance, State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) are permitted any Alternative Housing Inspection Methods or Arrangements, which can include – in lieu of physical inspection – temporarily permitting the submission of pictures, videos, or other documentation from employers that can assist the SWA in making a determination that housing complies with applicable standards. In addition to documentation furnished by the employer, the SWA may take into consideration any evidence of prior inspections and compliance for the same or similar housing used by the employer. In carrying out these alternative methods or arrangements, OFLC strongly recommends the SWA:

  • Ensure employers are provided a full copy of the applicable housing standards and/or checklist used by the SWA;
  • Clearly identify the documentation employers must provide to assist the SWA in making a determination regarding housing compliance; and
  • Accurately track and retain all evidence submitted by the employer, similar to any other housing-related documentation, demonstrating compliance in the event of a future audit, field visit, or inspection by DOL or SWA staff.

2023 Updated Response - Active: Q180 and its response remains active and is consistent with DOL – ETA policy.