Qualifying Event

Higher than Average Demand

Assisting service members with the transition from military service to the civilian workforce is a priority. Generally, it is expected that existing WIOA formula funds are available to provide transition assistance for veterans. These services are provided in coordination with resources made available through the Jobs for Veterans State Grants Program and transition assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the Transition Assistance Program (TAP) administered by the U.S. Department of Labor's Veterans' Employment and Training Service. In communities experiencing a higher than average demand for services, Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) resources are available to meet that need.

To demonstrate higher than average demand, applicants must draw from administrative data sources to document unemployment levels among veterans within a local area for the current quarter, compared to the same quarter one year ago. Appropriate sources of data include workforce data, unemployment include Unemployment Compensation for Ex-service members (UCX) data, or Transition Assistance Program (TAP) data. Dislocation events also qualify for DWGs when there are 50 or more recently separated veterans within 48 months of separation, as defined in WIOA section 3(63)(B). Service members with notification before separation may be included in these calculations. States are well-positioned to work with bases to determine the expected number of service members that will seek employment and training assistance from the workforce system. Local board applicants and WIOA Section 166 Native American Program applicants should coordinate with states to obtain data to determine the demand from military service members for employment and training services.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants for the Dislocated Service Member DWGs include:

  • A designated state or outlying WIOA program agency
  • A state or local Workforce Development Board
  • An entity eligible for funding through the Native American Programs (WIOA Section 166(c))

Eligible Participants

Eligible participants for Dislocated Service Member DWGs are:

  • Dislocated members of the Armed Forces (service members who are transitioning to the civilian workforce) as defined in TEGL 22-04 "Serving Military Service Members and Military Souses under WIA Dislocated Worker Formula Grants".
  • Recently separated veterans who are within 48 months of discharge or release as defined in WIOA Section 3(63)(B).
  • Spouses of members Armed Forces on active duty if they:
    • Have experienced a loss of employment as a direct result of relocation to accommodate a permanent change in duty station of the member of the Armed Forces; or
    • Are unemployed or underemployed and experiencing difficulty obtaining or upgrading employment.
  • A member of the Armed Forces who: *
    • Was on active duty or full-time National Guard duty and is involuntarily separated, or is separated under section 1174A or voluntarily separated under section 1175 of Title 10 of the United Sates Code;
    • Is not entitled to retired or retained pay incident to the separation; and
    • Applies for employment and training assistance within 180 days of separation.

*Note: This population is also eligible under a regular Layoff DWG. Active duty means "full-time duty in the active military service of the United States," including "full-time training duty, annual training duty, and attendance, while in the active military service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary of the military department concerned." 10 U.S.C. 101(d)(1). Full-time National Guard duty means "training or other duty, other than inactive duty, performed by a member of the Army National Guard of the United States or the Air National Guard of the United States in the member's status as a member of the National Guard of a State or territory, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia... for which the member is entitled to pay from the United States or for which the member has waived pay from the United States." 10 U.S.C. 101(d)(5).