Trade Adjustment Assistance application, program data now available online from US Department of Labor

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today launched an online system for filing Trade Adjustment Assistance petitions. The department expects that the online tool will become the primary means by which TAA petitions are received, but the options to mail or fax a hard copy version of the petition remain available.

"The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to ensuring workers in need of Trade Adjustment Assistance can file petitions in the most timely and convenient way possible. So, starting today, the list of options includes filing via the Internet," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "The new section of our website also puts expanded data at the public's fingertips through interactive maps that show the total amount of TAA funding allocated to each state and the number of individuals taking part in TAA-supported training."

In addition to the petition, fiscal year 2010 to date individual program data are now online. These data are the result of American Reinvestment and Recovery Act amendments to the TAA program requiring additional data collection. New features include a map with a rollover function that shows the total amount of TAA funding allocated to each state; numbers of certifications and denials; and the number of participants taking part in training and receiving allowances and other services. The site also allows visitors to download spreadsheets containing TAA data for each state.

TAA provides a range of employment and training services to eligible workers who lose jobs due to direct foreign competition including imports and the off-shoring of jobs. Benefits can include career training, trade readjustment allowances, job search and/or relocation allowances, and the health coverage tax credit.

View the online application and TAA data at http://www.doleta.gov/tradeact.