To provide information and procedural guidance to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) for receiving and handling requests for certification under the WOTC program, for all target groups, after the December 31, 2013, expiration date.

The purpose of this Training and Employment Notice (TEN) is to inform States that in January 2018, the Federal Employment Data Exchange System (FEDES) will be temporarily suspended while the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) reassesses the feasibility of FEDES.

To ensure State Workforce Agencies are aware of the Federal military retired pay annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) provided by the Department of Defense.

To provide information to states about FY 2017 UI State Administration base resource allocations, general guidelines for resource planning, above-base funding, and SBRs.

To advise State Unemployment Insurance (UI) agencies of the need to conduct background investigations on agency or contract staff that use or plan to use Federal Tax Information (FTI) in the performance of their jobs. This Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requirement is designed to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect FTI to the greatest extent possible.

To announce the availability of up to $35 million, for Dislocated Worker Opportunity Grants (DW Opportunity Grants) for Program Year 2016, with awards based on an applicant's share of the Civilian Labor Force and unemployment. These grants will enable eligible applicants to serve dislocated workers with career services and training to help them identify and be more competitive for opportunities in growing or high-demand occupations and industries. Goals of these DW Opportunity Grants are to:

a.  Expand opportunities for Dislocated Workers to upgrade skills that lead to employment or industry-recognized credentials in growing or high-demand industries and occupations; and

b.  Address the skill gaps in a state or local area that have been identified by employers in growing or high-demand industries.

To ensure states are aware that: 1) the social security survivors and old age retirement annuities and the Federal civilian pensions annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will increase for calendar year 2014, and 2) COLA information may be found on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Web site.

To initiate the SQSP process, provide supplemental instructions, and define additional requirements for the FY 2018 SQSP.

To clarify policy guidance previously issued to states and national YouthBuild program grantees concerning the Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA) definition of “sequential service strategy” as it pertains to YouthBuild program participants under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. Specifically, this change TEGL clarifies eligibility requirements and how these requirements apply to the sequential service strategy.

To correct the timeframe during which the funds will be available for expenditure, which was provided in the last paragraph of Section 6, at the bottom of page 4. The TEGL incorrectly states that the period of expenditure is June 30, 2017 through September 30, 2019. The paragraph should read as follows:

"The period of performance for DW Opportunity Grants is two years, and grant funds will be available for expenditure from October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2019. However, the Department reserves the right to provide period of performance extensions beyond this date, as it deems appropriate and necessary, to achieve the purposes of these awards."