1. Trade Adjustment Assistance
Presenter: Mershal Noble

2. Trade Adjustment Assistance
This federally funded program originally enacted in 1974 and has been amended numerous times. For those trade-affected workers who have been laid off or received a job threat due to foreign competition may be eligible to receive an array of services and benefits if covered under a certified petition.

3. Trade Adjustment Assistance (cont’d)
As outlined under the current amendment, Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act (TAAEA) of 2011 which ends December 31, 2013 provides the following:
Training for up to 130 weeks
Remedial
Prerequisite

4. Trade Adjustment Assistance (cont’d)
Occupational Skills
On-the-Job
Customized
*Including a comprehensive assessment and reemployment services
Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA)
Basic
Additional
Completion

5. Trade Adjustment Assistance
Health Coverage Tax Credit
Advance
End-of-year
Job Search Allowance
Relocation Allowance
Wage Subsidy for Older Workers

6. Group Eligibility
The current amendment allows for eligible trade-affected workers laid off or who received a job threat due to foreign competition to be part of the following industries:
Manufacturing
Service sector

7. Upcoming Changes
Effective January 1, 2014, the worker group petition filing submitted on or after this date will revert to the 2002 amendments that will include some of 2011 benefits which are:
Continue with the three waiver reasons
Eliminate the additional weeks of TRA for approved remedial and/or prerequisite training

8. Upcoming Changes (cont’d)
Authority to retain the 13 weeks of Completion TRA
Note: The reversion after this current amended will remain from January 1, 2014 – December 31, 2014

9. State-Level Funding Trend
The State of Florida Funding for the following Program Years:
PY $7,377,433.00
PY $4,346,287.10
PY $1,445,934.00
PY $2,381,291.00
PY $3,924,709.98

10. Florida’s Certified Petition History
The State of Florida’s certified petitions by amendment:
2002 (Manufacturing) = 109
50,000 – 69,999 series (November 4, 2002 – May 17, 2009)
2009 (Manufacturing and Service) = 65
70, ,099 series (May 18, 2009 – December 31, 2010)
2002 (Manufacturing) = 3
80,000 – 89,999 (January 1, 2011 – October 20, 2011)
2011 (Manufacturing and Service) = 67
81,000 and up (October 21, 2011 – December 31, 2013)

11. Recent Program Merger
The Department of Economic Opportunity recently restructured some areas within the central office to streamline processes, prevent duplication of efforts, proper staffing etc.
As a result of this organizational restructuring, the TAA (training) and TRA (Reemployment Assistance) components were consolidated under one unit.

12. Recent Program Merger (cont’d)
As a result, the unit is now fully staffed, we have subject matter experts reviewing TRA and RTAA applications and making determinations, CONNECT expert, training and waiver, policies, etc.

13. Reemployment Assistance System - CONNECT
On October 15, 2013, the Department of Economic Opportunity launched a new system that replaced the Unemployment Insurance (UI) mainframe called CONNECT.

14. Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)
CONNECT was designed to allow users to have the following access:
Staff evaluate information, authorize payments, adjudicate issues and maintain data
Third party representatives are granted access by the claimant, use to search, view information and act on behalf of the claimant for appeal purposes.

15. Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)
Claimants to file for benefits and have access to their claim, file appeals, view and send correspondence.
Employers to file an appeal, view and send correspondence

16. Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)
Upload the trade-affected worker list
Maintain all certified petitions
Send out official Trade Program Packets
Allow trade-affected workers to apply for TRA benefits on-line through the system

17. Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)
Establish claims on-line
Apply for the wage subsidy benefit on-line
View payment history, claim weeks, view the status of weeks claimed
Eliminate the manual processes
Provide for 100 percent total automation

18. Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)
Perform all calculations and allow claimants to receive those benefits for which they qualify automatically via the system
Update claimant’s address, if applicable
Enter work search information

19. Reemployment Assistance System – CONNECT (cont’d)
Report income from other sources
View monetary determinations
Access claimant inbox

20. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS