Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) & Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA)
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) help trade-affected workers who have lost their jobs as a result of increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States. Certified individuals may be eligible to receive one or more program benefits and services depending on what is needed to return them to employment.
Accessing TAA and ATAA Services and Benefits
To obtain TAA or ATAA services and benefits, a group of workers must first file a petition with the U. S. Department of Labor’s Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance (DTAA) requesting certification as workers adversely affected by foreign trade. A petition for TAA may be filed by a group of three or more workers, their union or other duly authorized representative, One-Stop operator or partners or State Dislocated Worker units. Select here to download an English version of the petition form or here to download the Spanish version. Petition forms may also be obtained from the local WIN Job Center or from any agency designated by the governor to provide reemployment services under the TAA program; or you can phone 202-693-3560 or write to the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance, Room C-5311, 200 Constitution Ave., N. W., Washington, D. C. 20210.
Petitioners should complete and sign the petition and send it directly to U. S. Department of Labor at the above mentioned address. If a petition is filed by a union or company official, only one petitioner signature is required. Otherwise, the petition must be signed by at least three workers.
To be eligible for TAA benefits, you must have been laid off or put on reduced work schedule (hours of work reduced by 80 percent or less of your average weekly hours and wages reduced to 80 percent or less of your average weekly wage) on or after the “Impact Date” and before the ending date of certification.
If certified, each worker in the group may then apply separately for individual services and benefits through their local WIN Job Center. Workers age 50 and older who are certified as eligible to apply for both TAA and ATAA may choose whether to participate in the TAA program or the ATAA program, but may not participate in both.
Trade Adjustment Assistance
The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program is a federal program established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended. The TAA Program provides aid to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports.
Workers whose employment is adversely affected by increased imports may apply for TAA. TAA officers a variety of benefits and reemployment services to assist unemployed workers prepare for and obtain suitable employment. Workers may be eligible for training, job search and relocation allowances, income support, and other reemployment services.
TAA Program Services and Benefits
TAA program benefits and services are provided to help eligible workers get back to work. Certified workers who apply for TAA services and benefits may be eligible for the following:
1) Reemployment Services – offer workers assistance in finding a new job. Many TAA-eligible workers will be able to return to employment through a combination of these services. For individuals who require retraining, these services will help identify appropriate training programs, and help them obtain reemployment at the conclusion of the training program. To ensure workers are referred to appropriate job openings and placed in jobs that utilize their highest skills, the following services are generally provided through WIN Job Centers:
- Employment counseling
- Resume writing and Interview skills workshops
- Career assessment
- Job development
- Job search programs
- Job referrals
2) Job Search Allowances – may be payable to cover expenses incurred in seeking employment outside a certified worker’s normal commuting area, if a suitable job is not available in the area. Job search allowances reimburse 90% of the total costs of allowable travel and subsistence, up to a total of $1,250.
Important Deadlines:
- An application for a job search allowance must be submitted before a job interview begins. Applications may be submitted prior to certification, but will only be approved if the worker group is certified.
- An application for a job search allowance must be submitted before the 365th day after the layoff or petition certification, whichever is later, or 182 days after the conclusion of training.
3) Relocation Allowances – may reimburse approved expenses when certified workers must move to a new area of employment outside their normal commuting area. Relocation allowances may include:
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90% of the reasonable and necessary expenses of moving workers who have secured employment outside of their normal commuting area, their families and their household goods. The amount will be reduced if the worker is entitled to reimbursement from other sources.
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A lump sum payment equal to three times the worker’s average weekly wage (but no more than $1,250) to help them get settled.
Important Deadlines:
- Requests for relocation allowances must be submitted before the relocation begins. Applications may be submitted prior to certification, but will only be approved if the worker group is certified.
- An application for a relocation allowance must be submitted before the 425th day after the layoff or petition certification, whichever is later, or 182 days after the conclusion of training.
4) Training – is provided to certified workers who do not have the skills to secure suitable employment in the existing labor market. Training is targeted to a specific occupation and provided to help certified workers secure employment at a skill level similar to or higher than their layoff employment, and sustain that employment at the best wage available. Based on the individual’s existing skills and labor market conditions, training will be of the shortest duration necessary to return the individual to employment, with a maximum duration of 104 weeks. Individuals who require remedial education in order to complete occupational training may be eligible for an additional 26 weeks of training. Allowable types of training include: 1) classroom training; 2) on-the-job training; 3) customized training designed to meet the needs of a specific employer or group of employers; 4) basic or remedial education, which may include training in literacy or English as a second language.
Workers eligible for cash benefits under the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s TAA for Farmers and Fisherman program are eligible for training under this program. For detailed information on TAA for Farmers and Fisherman select here to visit the USDA web site.
In order for an individual to receive training, six approval criteria must be met.
- There is no suitable employment for the worker.
- The worker would benefit from appropriate training.
- There is a reasonable expectation of employment following training.
- Training must be reasonably available to the worker.
- The worker is qualified to obtain and complete the training, including having adequate financial resources available to complete the training when income support is exhausted.
- The training is suitable and available at a reasonable cost.
5) Income Support – Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) – are available to provide income support to individuals while they are participating in full time training. Under certain circumstances TRA is also available to certified workers for whom training is not feasible or appropriate. TRA benefits are defined in two (2) categories: Basic TRA and Additional TRA. Each category has its own set of eligibility requirements.
- Basic TRA is payable if the worker is enrolled or participating in TAA approved training, has completed such training, or has obtained a waiver of such training requirement.
- Additional TRA is payable only if the worker is participating in TAA approved training.
In general, certified workers may be eligible for 104 weeks of income support, usually broken out as follows:
- Normally 26 weeks of state unemployment insurance (UI) compensation,
- Followed by 26 weeks of basic TRA, and
- Up to 52 weeks of additional TRA to assist the worker in completing a TAA training program.
Exception: Certified workers who must undergo remedial education as a part of his/her training plan may be eligible for up to 26 weeks additional weeks of additional TRA for any weeks the individual must undergo remedial education. The worker is eligible for one week of these 26 weeks for each week that the worker’s participation in remedial education extends their training program.
Important Deadlines:
- Within 8 weeks of certification or 16 weeks of the most recent qualifying separation workers must be enrolled in approved training, or have a valid waiver, to receive TRA.
- In order to qualify for additional TRA, an individual must have submitted a bona fide application for training within 210 days of their layoff or of the certification, whichever is later.
6) Training Waivers Under TAA- Under certain circumstances, eligible workers may be waived from participating in training and still receive Basic TRA. One of the following conditions must exist for training to be determined not feasible or appropriate and thus waived:
- Worker will be recalled reasonably soon;
- The worker has marketable skills for suitable employment and a reasonable expectation of employment in the foreseeable future;
- The worker is within two years of eligibility for a pension or social security;
- The worker is unable to participate in or complete training due to the health of the worker; (however the worker musr be available for work)
Immediate enrollment is not available; or
- No training program is available.
Notes:
- Waivers are reviewed every 30 days and must be renewed in person.
- Additional TRA is not payable during waiver status (the worker must be in training.)
7) Health Coverage Tax Credit Workers who are eligible to receive income support under the TAA program may be eligible to receive tax credits for 65% of the monthly health insurance premium they pay. Qualifying insurance coverage includes COBRA, continuing individual coverage or other state-qualified plans. Select here to visit the HCTC web site.
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) Program Benefits
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) program benefits are provided as an alternative to the benefits offered under the regular TAA program. Participation in ATAA allows older workers, for whom retraining may not be appropriate, to accept reemployment at a lower wage and receive a wage subsidy. Certified workers who apply for ATAA may be eligible for the following:
1. Wage Subsidy – Eligible workers age 50 or older who obtain new, full-time employment at wages of less than $50,000 within 26 weeks of their separation may receive a wage subsidy of 50% of the difference between the old and new wages, up to $10,000 paid over a period of up to two years.
Note:
- A worker receiving a wage subsidy under the ATAA program may not receive benefits under the TAA program.
Important Deadline:
- To qualify for ATAA a worker must obtain qualifying reemployment within 26 weeks of layoff. This remains true even if the certification is not issued until after the 26 weeks have passed.
2. Health Coverage Tax Credit and/or Relocation Allowance - Workers who are receiving the wage subsidy under the ATAA program may be eligible to receive the Health Coverage Tax Credit and/or Relocation Allowance.
Appeal Rights for Services and Benefits
All TAA and ATAA services and benefits have different deadlines and individual eligibility criteria. Certified workers must meet the criteria under each benefit to receive that benefit.
If certified workers are dissatisfied with the determinations of their individual applications for reemployment services or benefits, they have the same appeal rights as those provided under their state UI law. The determination notice that certified workers receive after filing their applications for each benefit will explain their appeal rights and time limits for filing appeals.
For more information, contact your local WIN Job Center or e-mail us. Select here for TAA frequently asked questions.
