U.S. Department of Labor Awards National Dislocated Worker Grant To West Virginia to Assist Recovery from Severe Storms and Flooding

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor today approved Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant funding of $975,000 to Workforce West Virginia to assess workforce needs in response to severe storms in June 2019, which brought heavy rainfall that caused extreme flooding and extensive damage to waterways.

Following the storms, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) issued a major disaster declaration, allowing the state to request funding to assist with recovery efforts in the following northern West Virginia counties declared eligible for FEMA’s Public Assistance Program: Grant, Pendleton, Preston, Randolph and Tucker. 

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 that cause significant job losses.

The mission of the Department of Labor is to foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights.