1. Purpose. To inform the workforce investment system of changes and edits to the ET 406 Handbook and to announce the availability of version 1.7 of the Labor Exchange Reporting System (LERS) report validation software.
2. References. Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 1-02, Transmittal of ET Handbook No. 406: Reporting Instructions for ETA 9002 and VETS 200 Reports; TEGL No. 15-02, Clarification and Guidance on PY 2002 Labor Exchange Transition Issues for the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 Reports; Public Law 107-288, Jobs for Veterans Act; TEGL No. 3-03, Data Validation Policy for Employment and Training Programs; and TEGL No. 8-03, Updated Table of Weights for Use in Calculating State-Level American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Scores for the Participant, Employer and Job Seeker Customer Satisfaction Surveys.
3. Background. On July 2, 2002, the Department of Labor transmitted a revised set of reporting instructions for the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports that support the labor exchange performance measurement system. The expiration date for these revised reports and specifications is April 30, 2005. As a result of the implementation of the common measures for all department employment and training programs beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004, ETA anticipates making substantial changes to its data collecting and reporting systems, including the Labor Exchange Reporting System (LERS). In anticipation of these changes, other proposed changes to the ET Handbook No. 406, such as the incorporation of "Transitioning Service Members" as a category of job seekers, are being put on hold pending development of a new set of reporting requirements in tandem with the common measures.
4. Corrections to ET Handbook No. 406.Attachment 1 contains amendments to definitions in the ET 406 Handbook and a notation of corrections to specific sections of the Handbook. These changes became effective PY 2003 (July 1, 2003) and are built into the revised ES Report Validation Software (Version 1.7). Please note that these changes do not increase the burden to states to collect and report data for the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports.
The revisions apply to the following areas:
- Vietnam Era Veterans. One of the modifications to the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 report forms pertains to the elimination of "Vietnam Era Veterans" as a report category in the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports effective PY 2003. With passage of the Jobs for Veterans Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-288), "Vietnam Era Veterans" was eliminated as a covered category for Federal contracts and subcontracts. The ES Report Validation Software (Version 1.7) contains this change, as well as those corrections noted in Attachment 1. Effective PY 2003, states no longer need to collect data and report on Vietnam Era Veterans. States will, therefore, submit zeros for Column C in the 9002 B and D and the VETS 200 reports.
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Definition of "Newly Separated Veterans." The definition of "newly separated veterans" has been modified, as reflected in Attachment 1. The new definition, effective July 1, 2003, extends the separation from active military service from 12 to 36 months prior to the beginning of the registration year. The new definition applies to the 9002 C and D and the VETS 200 reports.
5. Data Validation.ETA conducted a round of state and regional training sessions last year on the Administration's data validation policy and requirements for the validation of reported data. In accordance with TEGL 3-03, labor exchange reports due on November 14, 2003, must be validated by April 1, 2004. For states utilizing either the ETA 9002 and VETS 200 Reports Validation Software or the DART system produced by America's Job Link Alliance reports will be considered validated. All other states will have to demonstrate how they are constructing their ETA 9002 and VETS 200 reports. States should work with ETA Regional Offices to describe the methods used to generate and validate the accuracy of the data.
6. PY 2003 GPRA Goals for the Labor Exchange.The Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) goals for the labor exchange are contained within the Departmental Performance Goal 1.1B: Improve the outcomes for job seekers and employers who receive public labor exchange services. For PY 2003 the GPRA goals are:
- 58 percent of job seekers registered with the public labor exchange will enter employment
with a new or different employer by the end of the second quarter following registration;
- 72 percent of job seekers will continue to be employed two quarters after initial entry into employment with a new or different employer; and
- The number of job openings listed with the public labor exchange (with both State Workforce Agencies and America's Job Bank) will increase by 5 percent over the total for PY 2002, adjusted for economic fluctuations.
Although not a GPRA goal, ETA has a 70 percent minimum response rate in PY 2003 for both the job seeker and employer customer satisfaction scores. The 50 percent minimum response rate for the job seeker customer satisfaction survey in PY 2002 was under the new labor exchange performance measures. The ACSI table of weights for the WIA participant, employer, and job-seeker customer satisfaction surveys were transmitted via TEGL 8-03.
PY 2003 will be a critical year because results for the new outcome measures will be available to help improve the system. In addition, ETA will continue to engage private sector employers, both as customers and partners in the workforce investment system, as a means of improving the system.
7. Action Required. States shall distribute this guidance to all necessary staff.
8. Inquiries. Direct questions on this issuance to the appropriate Regional Office.
9. Attachments.