DIRECTIVE	:	EMPLOYMENT SERVICE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 03-99
TO	:	ALL STATE EMPLOYMENT SECURITY AGENCIES
FROM	:	JOHN R. BEVERLY, III Director U.S. Employment Service
SUBJECT	:	Fax-on-Demand Service for the Work Opportunity (WOTC) and the Welfare-to-Work Tax (WtW) Credits.

1. Purpose. To announce the availability of the WOTC and WtW fax-on-demand service to employers and other interested parties.

2. Background. Over the past two years, employer and other requests for WOTC and WtW forms and general information has been extremely demanding and time consuming for Federal, State and Local partners. It is anticipated that the recently passed Tax and Trade Relief Extension Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-277) will further increase this demand, particularly since the total number of WOTC certifications issued during Fiscal Year (FY) 1998 was more than 285,000 compared to 126,000 certifications for FY 1997. The WOTC and WtW fax-on demand service has been developed to provide immediate relief to responding agencies by providing instantaneous delivery of forms and information requested by our customers. This will allow all participating agencies to focus on more substantive issues related to the tax credits.

3. Information.  The U.S. Employment Service entered into an Interagency Agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce's National Technical Information Services (NTIS) to develop this new fax-on-demand service. The following is currently available from the WOTC and WtW fax-on-demand service: IRS Form 8850 (Work Opportunity Credit Pre Screening and Certification Request ) and ETA Form 9061 (Individual Characteristics Form), and the current directory of State WOTC coordinators. Call 703-365-0768 from a fax machine to use this service. Once the number is dialed, a series of user-friendly voice prompts will guide you through the menu enabling an immediate fax-back of the information requested. Should you experience any difficulty using this system, please feel free to contact NTIS' help desk by calling 703-605-6585. The WOTC and WtW fax-on-demand service will be continuously updated and expanded to meet the needs of all program participants.

4. Action Required. State Employment Security Agency (SESA) Administrators are requested to:

   1. to provide this information to appropriate staff, employers and participating agencies,

   2. Ensure the SESAs include information regarding this service in existing outreach materials targeted to employers and other participants.

5. Inquiries. Direct all questions to appropriate Regional WOTC Coordinator.