Click on the link below to view, save, or print out the document.

References: UIPL No. 8-95 (December 22, 1994), UIPL No. 42-93 (August 31, 1993). Background: Revisions have been made to some pages of the draft RQC Operations Handbook issued in 1993 and the recently distributed Appendix B. Some of these changes are necessary to clarify issues which the Regions and State Employment Security Agencies have called to our attention during the voluntary period. Others are answers to questions asked in the RQC Question and Answer series. Only the most significant revisions are included at this time. Other revisions will be incorporated into the final handbook and appendices which will be released late in 1995 with an official handbook number. This handbook will be released as part of the final phase of RQC's mandatory implementation which is effective January 1996. Action Required: Distribute these pages to the RQC Reviewer(s) and to appropriate tax and ADP staff members. Three copies have been included for your convenience. Handbook Maintenance.: The revised pages are single sided and have the same number as the old pages. Where it was necessary to add a page, the page has been numbered with the page number plus an A, B, C, etc. A summary listing of the most important revisions for each function is also provided. The revised text has been highlighted on each page in order to easily identify the changes. Chapter 1.: No revised pages Chapter 2: No revised pages Chapter 3:: Pages 24, 30, 32m 40, 42, 44, 47, 48, 49, 53, 58, 60, 61, 63, 64, 67, 68, and 79 have been revised. Chapter 4:: Chapter 4 revisions for the Cashiering function will be sent under separate cover after the pilot test is complete. Chapter 5:: Pages 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 39, 44, 51, 64, and 65 have been revised. Chapter 6:: Pages 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 39, 44, and 46 have been revised. Chapter 7:: Pages 3, 34, 40, 42, 43, 49, 53, and 54 have been revised. Chapter 8:: Pages 22, 23, 33, 68, 72, 92, 93, 99, 102, 108, 110, 113, 142, 143, and 179 have been revised.

References. JTPA Regulations, 20 CFR Parts 632; DINAP Bulletin 92-17. Background. On July 2, 1993, the President signed into law a supplemental appropriation of $220 million to be expended pursuant to Title II-B of JTPA. Of these funds, $3,027,936 has been reserved for eligible Title IV-A grantees, i.e., tribal and other entities who receive Title II-B SYETP funds. Goals. Even though Bulletin 92-23 is being rescinded, we believe that the goal statements articulated for the CY 93 SYETP outlined in the Bulletin's attachment, TEGL No. 9-92 (Section 4) remain valid. However, we recognize that the uncertainty surrounding the enactment of a summer supplemental appropriation and the level of such appropriation--as well as the late enactment of the supplemental--all work against the achievement of all the goals to the extent anticipated and desired. Nevertheless, we expect all eligible II-B grantees to make good faith efforts to attain these goals to the maximum extent practicable. For your convenience, the goals as found in TEGL No. 9-92, Section 4, slightly modified, are outlined below. a. Ensure that youths have meaningful, well-supervised work experience which: -- (1) demonstrates the value of the work performed to the individual and his/her community; -- (2) ensures that the youth acquire basic work competencies and discipline, such as: working and completing assignments as directed by leadership and first-line supervision; showing up for work regularly, on time, and with a positive attitude; working as a member of a team; demonstrating sound reasoning abilities; and exercising independent judgement; -- (3) reinforces the relationship between the skills acquired on the job and what is learned in an educational setting. b. Ensure that enrollees are provided academic enrichment which, at minimum, counteract the erosion of basic educational skills associated with the summer months and, to the extent possible, increases the level of educational skills, particularly reading and mathematics (academic enrichment). c. Provide income for work to economically disadvantaged youth to benefit them, their families, and their communities; d. Enhance the level and quality of public services provided to distressed neighborhoods and communities; e. Provide well-supervised, productive jobs to as many eligible youth as possible this summer; f. Preserve the integrity of the funds by implementing sound administrative systems (e.g., time and attendance; payroll) which can adequately absorb the program expansion; g. Use this summer's experience as a means to further enhance and enrich subsequent summer jobs programs in such areas as: -- (1) innovative educational components; -- (2) the relationship between success in the world of work and educational attainment. Academic Enrichment/Basic and Remedial Education (BRE). The expansion and enrichment of the educational component of the summer jobs program remains a high priority of the President, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Education. In consideration of the timing of the enactment of the supplemental, the Congress has not earmarked a percentage of funds for academic enrichment. However, even while not including the Administration's request that 30 percent of the supplemental funds be dedicated to academic enrichment, the Congress has indicated the high level of importance it attaches to an enhanced educational component. Also instructive is the following excerpt from the governing statute: Sec. 251. "The purpose of programs assisted under this part is to-- -- "(1) enhance the basic educational skills of youth; -- "(2) encourage school completion, or enrollment in supplementary or alternative school programs. . ." While improvements in reading, math, and other educational competencies (e.g., science) are the primary emphases, this does not preclude the provision of other services and activities which have a direct correlation with enhancing the educational performance of youth--e.g., strengthening "life skills" and "citizenship skills." We strongly encourage grantees to capitalize on the planning resources they have already invested in the enhancement of the educational component of the summer program to significantly improve the educational services they actually provide to program participants. Linking JTPA and Other Agencies: a. Indian Housing. Secretary of Labor Reich and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Cisneros, have entered into a formal letter of agreement which encourages Department of Labor grantees, including Section 401 Indian and Native American grantees, to target some of the supplemental funds toward local housing authority programs. Details of the letter of agreement have already been sent to Tribal Chairmen and Indian Housing Authorities. As stated in the letter of agreement, Indian Housing Authorities are prepared to work with Tribal leadership and JTPA program directors to engage participating youth in activities that offer academic enrichment, as well as work experience. Some activities suggested by HUD were: area beautification, handicap accessibility modifications, housing modification, lead-based paint containment, and other meaningful work projects that could lead to apprenticeships and permanent jobs. Contact the local Indian Housing Authority for your area for more information on this promising initiative. b. Office of Indian Education (BIA). The Office of Indian Education Programs has alerted Bureau of Indian Affairs' School Superintendents to prepare to assist Section 401 JTPA grantees with educational services and personnel for this summer. Contact your local BIA school or school superintendent. c. Indian Education Technical Assistance Centers (IETAC). Six Indian Education Technical Assistance Centers receive grants from the Department of Education to disseminate information, provide training and technical assistance to school districts with Indian students of both BIA and public school programs. Section 401 JTPA grantees may contact their nearest IETAC office: ORBIS Associates, Washington, D.C. at 1-800-621-2988;United Tribes Technical College, Bismarck, N.D. at 1-800-437-8054; Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA at 1-800-648-3847; National Indian Training & Research Center, Tempe, AZ at 1-800-528-6425; American Indian Research & Development, Inc., Norman, OK at 1-800-422-0966; or Cook Inlet Tribal Council, Inc., Anchorage, AK at 1-800-265-5971. Maximum utilization of funds. The House Appropriations Committee Report on the summer supplemental states that all fund recipients are expected "... to expend these funds during the coming summer." The Department of Labor fully shares the expectation that total fund availability will be expended this summer to the maximum extent feasible and that, correspondingly, the maximum number of youth will be served. Total fund availability includes carry-in funds from 1992, the 1993 base allocation, and the supplemental allocation. The amounts of allowable carryover will be subject to future policy guidance. When details of the carryover policy are known, grantees will be notified. SYETP Modification. The supplemental funding will be added by a modification of the current Title II-B grant. The modification will include a grant signature sheet, and an updated PPS and BIS. A copy of the allocation list for the supplemental funding is attached. DINAP staff is currently in the process of contacting all grantees by telephone with funding information and modification requirements. The purpose is to get the supplemental funding modifications submitted to DINAP as soon as possible, but no later than c.o.b. July 16, 1993. Technical assistance and training. Grantees will receive assistance provided by DINAP Federal Representatives via the telephone or on-site visits. The Department of Labor is committed to providing and arranging for as much technical assistance and training as can be arranged. Program oversight and monitoring. In order to meet program goals, an energized oversight effort is required. Effective oversight and monitoring of program operations are essential to avert major operational crises. Therefore, for the remainder of the summer, DINAP plans to focus much of its on-site effort on grantees with Title II-B summer programs. The TA provided during these visits is meant to help grantees keep their programs on track. Information needs. The 1993 summer jobs program has had high visibility that will more than likely continue, and may even intensify, as operations move into full swing. Accordingly, DINAP must be prepared to respond to Presidential and Congressional inquiries and questions from the media and the public. Therefore, it will be necessary to obtain certain basic information on enrollments and expenditures: Special Report DINAP will be gathering information on cumulative enrollments for the overall program and cumulative enrollments in academic enrichment/BRE components as of August 27, 1993. The information will be gathered during the following week, beginning August 30, 1993. Reports of academic enrichment/BRE expenditures should not include wages or other payments to participants who engaged in such activities. Examples of academic enrichment/BRE expenditures include salaries and benefits or instructors, teacher aides, and auxiliary staff; curriculum development or purchase; instructional aides; equipment and supplies; rental of space. Current plans are to receive this information via telephone, fax, or other electronic means. Your Federal Representative will contact you about any additional details concerning this report. Regular Summer Report Grantees should submit the end-of-program report by November 15, 1993, as has been required in the past. In addition, grantees are requested to indicate in the "Remarks" section, estimates of the total amount of expenditures for academic enrichment/BRE activities. The information on academic enrichment/BRE, although not required, will be helpful in promulgating program guidance for subsequent summers. Program guidance for section 401 grantees who do not receive title II-B funds. Many non-Title II-B grantees operate similar summer programs for young people in urban and other non-reservation areas. Although such grantees will not receive II-B supplemental funding, they should be aware of other initiatives that are being undertaken by States and SDA's, mostly in the form of technical assistance. The following information will be of particular interest to grantees who receive State Title II-B funding, because they will probably be able to access it by contacting the funding agency. Private Sector Summer Jobs Campaign. The Mainstream JTPA program has stated in its directive to States and SDAs, that in his State of the Union Address and in subsequent presentations, President Clinton challenged the private sector to join the public sector effort in providing summer jobs to economically disadvantaged youth. Secretary Reich has met with various business and industry leaders to enlist their active involvement in organizing their colleagues to increase summer hiring. The Department has been assisted in these efforts by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Alliance of Business and other business and industry organizations. At a press conference on June 9, 1993, Secretary Reich unveiled public service announcements which can be used to promote the Private Sector Summer Jobs Campaign. The Secretary noted at the press conference that--due to the substantial difference between what was originally requested for the supplemental appropriation and what was enacted--it is imperative that the private sector engage in a major effort to fill the large gap between the number of summer job applicants and the number of available public/ private, non-profit sector jobs. The Department appreciates the fact that some States and SDAs have already mounted Private Sector Summer Jobs Campaigns. The Department has urged all States and SDAs to serve as catalysts and partners in such campaigns in their communities. Additional guidance. If more specifics on the policy guidance presented above becomes available, including additional information on reporting and any other inter-agency initiatives, you will be contacted. Inquiries. Questions should be directed to your DINAP Federal Representative.

Click on the link below to view, save, or print out the document.

Reference: ET Handbook No. 401, Second Edition, Change 5, ET Handbook No. 402, Third Edition, Change 1, UIPL 26-94 dated May 12, 1994. Background: Form ETA 581 has been revised to accomodate data needed by the Revenue Quality Control (RQC) program to assess administration of State tax operations and to obtain a true picture of accounts receivable. As of January 1, 1995, States have been required to begin gathering this data. The first report covering the January through March 1995 quarter was due in the National Office on May 20. To ensure that the data reported adhere to Department of Labor definitions and are counted properly, the Department is undertaking the development of an approach to validate Unemployment Insurance (UI) revenue data. The design is expected to take 18 to 24 months to complete and will be integrated with our Unemployment Insurance Service data validation effort. Transition Data: It is recognized that a few States may not immediately be able to provide data on "Receivables Removed at End of Report Period," Items 25 and 37 on the report, as well as new or revised data in other items. If the State is unable to provide accurate information for these items or is unsure about the correct amounts, it is permissible to enter "zero" instead of an estimate. These ETA 581 items can not be left blank. The reason for entering "zero" should be noted in the comments section. Permission to enter "zero" is being granted on a temporary basis and should not be considered permission for indefinite nonreporting of these items. These data items will be monitored and States will be contacted if they continue to report zeros in these items. Unemployment Insurance Required Reports (UIRR) Software and Hardware: The Department has developed screens to accept this new information. Screen and ASCII upload capabilites were downloaded to State UIRR systems in April. The data map and ASCII file specifications were transmitted as ET Handbook No. 402, 3rd Edition, Change 1. With UIPL 26-94, the Department announced a one-time grant to States to assist in purchasing terminals/workstations for use on the UI system. On April 29, 1994, an update to the Regional Financial Operating Plan allocated a total of $854,000 to States for this equipment. Personal computers or X-terminals should have been purchased by now to prepare for the transition to the graphical user interface (GUI) environment which will be used by all UI applications. RQC Use of ETA 581 Data: RQC relies on the ETA 581 data in the calculation of measures of tax performance. Separate computer software to calculate these measures will be provided to all SESAs in June. The RQC software reads the information entered into the UIRR system. RQC reviewers will have the temporary capability to enter data which differs from the UIRR system into a separate RQC file so that the measures can be calculated. It does not change or update the UIRR database. This temporary system is to accomodate any startup difficulties experienced by SESAs in creating programs to capture new or revised data elements on the new ETA 581 and also to accomodate those States which have been able to accumulate several year's worth of historical data reflecting the new ETA 581 instructions. Action Required.: SESA administrators should review their procedure for reporting and transmitting ETA 581 data to ensure accuracy. This RAL should be distributed to State UI tax staff, RQC staff, persons responsible for data entry, and others as appropriate.

Click on the link below to view, save, or print out the document.

Reference: Training and Employment Information Notice (TEIN) No. 20-92, JTPA Amendments Implementation Strategy. Background: This Assessment TAG was prepared for the U.S. Department of Labor by SRI International to offer guidance to Service Delivery Areas (SDAs) and service providers in reviewing and refining assessment practices to support the intent behind the JTPA Amendments of 1992. The TAG's goal is to support improvement of JTPA assessment practices so that the assessment may serve as an effective basis for individualizing service strategies and enhance the training offered for hard-to-serve JTPA participants. The contents of the TAG focus on: setting up assessment systems; selecting instruments and procedures; assessing practical needs and work readiness; assessing occupational interests, temperaments and aptitudes; and assessing basic skills. SRI International conducted three training Sessions during May and June on assessment. Over 120 State and local JTPA staff attended this training. Advance copies of the Assessment TAG were distributed at these sessions. This TAG is an initial publication in a broad project being conducted by SRI International, designed to identify effective assessment, case management practices and contracting procedures. A companion TAG covering these areas and reflecting results of an ongoing study is expected to be completed in 1994. This Assessment TAG is also part of a series of technical assistance guides and training being developed to assist States and SDAs in the implementation of quality JTPA programs. The series will include technical assistance guides and training in critical program areas such as: Youth Assessment and Program Design Options; Case Management; SDA Monitoring of Service Providers; Targeting, Outreach and Recruitment; On-the-Job Training; Financial Management; and State Oversight. Distribution: Copies of the Assessment TAG and computer disks (in WordPerfect 5.1 format) will be provided under separate cover to all State Liaisons for distribution to SDA's and to the State JTPA agency. Sufficient copies will be provided to: furnish at least four copies of the TAG to each SDA with the balance for use at the State's discretion; and provide each State and SDA with one computer disk. The TAG has been prepared in a loose-leaf format suitable for use in a three-ring binder. The TAG also will be available for purchase through the Government Printing Office. The SDAs should be encouraged to share copies of the TAG with their service Providers.

Reference: Sections 325A and 326, Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA), as amended. Discussion: Some JTPA programs use 70 percent of the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) in determining economically disadvantaged status. In determining eligibility for needs-related payments for Clean Air Employment Transition Assistance (CAETA) and Defense Diversification Programs (DDP) grants under Title III, Section 326(f) (and by reference Section 325A(i)) provides for the use of the LLSIL (100 percent). Attached is an information package which includes: 1) the tables for the 1995 LLSIL adjusted to reflect 100 percent of the LLSIL; 2) the Federal Register notice (April 25, 1995 and May 8, 1995) which explains how to use these tables; and 3) the poverty guidelines for 1995 (Federal Register, February 8, 1995) issued by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services which are used in determining the level of the needs-related payments. These are to be used by grantees operating dislocated worker projects under the CAETA or DDP guidelines. Action: States should make this information available to all appropriate officials and staff who deal with Title III.

Background: There are four UI banking reports: ETA 8401, Monthly Analysis of Benefit Payment Account; ETA 8405, Monthly Analysis of Clearing Account; ETA 8413, Income-Expense Analysis, UC Fund, Benefit Payment Account; and ETA 8414, Income-Expense Analysis, UC Fund, Clearing Account. The National Office has extensively revised these reports and electronic entry screens have been written for them. A request for approval of the new abbreviated forms is at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The electronic entry screens have been developed and have been utilized in the National Office for entry for several months. These screens have been downloaded to State systems. While these screens will be available and States may use them in lieu of submitting a paper report, the electronic submittal will not be required until OMB approval for the new forms is received. Electronic Submission: Reporting on these diminished forms is not required. Continued submittal on the currently approved versions of the paper form is still being accepted. However, for those SESAs that wish to take advantage of the UIRR entry system for these forms, electronic reporting will be accepted in lieu of paper reports. OMB Approval: The reduced reporting for forms ETA 8401, ETA 8405, ETA 8413, and ETA 8414 are at OMB for approval. SESAs will be informed when approval is received and electronic reporting will become required. Action Required: Please inform appropriate staff of the availability of electronic reporting of banking reports.

Click on the link below to view, save, or print out the document.