Kentucky to receive up to $11M in supplemental funding for continued reemployment services to dislocated coal workers

State: Kentucky

Type of Award: National Dislocated Worker Grant

Supplemental Amount Approved: $11,000,000, with $5,000,000 released initially       

Total Funds Awarded: $22,486,426

Funding Awarded to: Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Programs, Inc.

Number of Workers Served: Approximately 1,450

Use of Funds: On March 1, 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded a Dislocated Worker Grant for up to $5,192,500, with $3,787,017 released initially, to assist workers impacted by layoffs in eastern Kentucky’s coal mining industry.

On May 30, 2014, the department awarded additional funding totaling $7,549,409, which was comprised of the remaining balance of the initial award ($1,405,483) and supplemental funding of $6,143,926. Supplemental funding of $2,750,000 was awarded on Oct. 15, 2015, and $3,400,000 once again on May 26, 2016, bringing the total amount awarded to $17,486,426.

This supplemental award of up to $11 million, with $5 million released initially, will help continue to provide training and services to these workers bringing the total funds awarded for this project to $22,486,426.

Background: This funding is part of the Obama administration’s efforts to target federal assistance to coal communities and workers harmed by a decades-long trend of job losses. The grant complements the POWER+ Plan proposed in the president’s FYs2016 and 2017 budgets to support communities impacted by changes in the coal mining industry.

Supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, Dislocated Worker Grants temporarily expand the service capacity of dislocated worker training and employment programs at the state and local levels by providing funding assistance in response to large, unexpected economic events which cause significant job losses. The grants generally provide resources to states and local workforce investment boards to reemploy laid-off workers quickly by offering training to enhance occupational skills.