National Emergency Grant (NEG) Basics Webinar WorkSource Standards and Integration Division January 11, 2012

Why now? Less state and federal funding to assist dislocated workers Available Secretary of Labor Discretionary Funds to assist dislocated workers State interest in providing technical assistance to bring additional resources into Washington to assist dislocated workers

Webinar Topics What is a National Emergency Grant? Participant eligibility Things to consider when applying Types of NEG Roles and responsibilities Local perspectives State NEG policy Performance, Reporting and Monitoring NEG resources and links

What is a National Emergency Grant? Supplemental dislocated worker funds to assist workers and communities affected by layoffs when WIA Formula funds are insufficient or have been exhausted. Also addresses FEMA-declared Disaster Assistance by providing temporary workers for cleanup and humanitarian aid. Further addresses other unique situations.

Participant Eligibility Participants must be dislocated workers as defined in P.L Section 101(9) Laid off or received notice of layoff Eligible for or exhausted Unemployment Compensation Unlikely to return to prior industry or occupation Includes veterans and their spouses, displaced homemakers, and dislocated public sector workers

Considering an NEG? Timeline – DOL review can take several months; draft first reviewed by Region 6; next National DOL Expenditures – Previous year expenditures must be at or above 70%; current year state and local DW Formula expenditures must be on target for 70% Workload – Multi-area applications require staff and partner time; if funded, workload to operate an NEG Special Terms and Conditions related to NEGs usually require additional reporting Enrollment – All NEG clients must be enrolled within 180 days of the start of the grant

Types of NEG Regular – Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Disaster Dual Enrollment Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Special – On-the-Job Training

Regular NEGs Eligible Applicants State workforce agencies and local WIBs Local WIB consortia State consortia Indian and Native American Program Grantees National Farmworker Jobs Program Grantees Note: Exceptions in Regular NEG applicants discussed later in webinar

Regular NEGs (Cont.) Eligible Events Plant closures Layoffs of 50 or more workers at a single company Layoffs at multiple companies where at least one layoff impacts 50 or more workers Community-impact layoff Industry-wide layoffs

Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Only the State can apply Uses Regular NEG guidelines TEGL 16-03, Change 2 TEGL 16-03, Change 4

Disaster NEGs Only the State can apply For WDAs experiencing natural or man-made disasters Event must be certified by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as eligible for public assistance Allows placement of temporary workers on cleanup and community assistance projects

Dual Enrollment NEGs Only the State can apply Provides wrap-around services to dislocated workers who are TAA certified or for whom a TAA petition has been filed ServiceAllowed Allowed in Limited Circumstances SupportiveX Career CounselingX Case ManagementX

Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) Only the State can apply Funds can be used for: Infrastructure Bridge Payments Gap-Filler Payments

NEG Components Description of need and services to be provided, including needs assessments or surveys Description of early intervention activities Description of assessment system for clients Description of outreach for clients LMI specific to area(s) and dislocated workers Detailed budget breakout and narratives Project plan - participants and expenditures

Roles and Responsibilities State – Reviews all NEG applications and coordinates with DOL Region 6 and National offices WDCs – Serve individually or collectively as grant Project Operators DOL Region 6 Office – Reviews draft applications against NEG checklists and provides feedback DOL National Office – Reviews final applications and releases funds to assist dislocated workers

Local Perspectives Mary Jane Vujovic-Brell Snohomish County WDC (Kimberly-Clark NEG) Tiffany Kopf Benton-Franklin WDC (Hanford NEG)

NEG State Policy State reviews all NEG applications before they are sent to DOL for initial review and provides: Statewide expenditure analysis Early intervention and rapid response Grant applications are a team/collaborative effort of state and local partners

Performance, Reporting and Monitoring Reporting Subject to federal Common Measures Subject to federal Data Element Validation Quarterly reporting Monitoring 90-day implementation review ETA mid-point review Random sampling by state monitors

Resources and Links DOL’s NEG web page (doleta.gov/neg) includes: NEG Regulations – Federal Register Vol. 69, No. 81, April 27, 2004 Guidebooks for Regular, Dual Enrollment and Disaster Grants Checklists for Regular, Dual Enrollment and Disaster Grants used by Regional Office to review draft grant applications

NEG resources available on Inside WorkSource Click on “Grants and Contracts” Click on the “NEG” tab

Contact Randy Bachman, Management Analyst (360) Gary Kamimura, Director of Grants Administration (360)