Operations Issuance: 2020-19
Issuance Number: 2020-19
Date: July 2, 2020
To: KRA Corporation
From: Shaina Gross, Director of Programs
Subject: Employment Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant Policy and Procedures
Purpose:
This operations issuance is to notify KRA Corporation, subrecipient of the policy and procedures pertaining to the Employment Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant Policy and Procedures.
Background:
The Employment Development Department (EDD) issued the Employment Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) to address the layoffs resulting from COVID-19 and the associated stay at home orders. This grant provides funding for workforce development services.
Employment Recovery NDWGs provide resources to respond to major economic dislocations, such as large, unexpected layoff events that cause significant job losses. Employment Recovery NDWGs provide employment and training assistance to dislocated workers and other eligible participants as described below. The following information outlines the eligibility criteria for individuals to receive these funds, in addition to the allowable use of funds under NDWG.
Qualifying Layoff Events
The following dislocation scenarios could qualify for Employment Recovery NDWGs under 20 CFR 687.110(a).
Mass Layoff or Plant Closure – Layoffs or plant closures affecting 50 or more workers from one employer within the service area of the applicant may qualify for Mass Layoff or Plant Closure Employment Recovery DWGs. An applicant may include smaller layoffs at other companies in the area if the primary layoff caused or contributed to the smaller layoffs.
Industry-Wide Layoffs – Layoff events from multiple companies in the same industry, as determined by the two-digit code level in the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS), may qualify for Industry-Wide Employment Recovery NDWGs. Additional layoffs affecting fewer than 50 workers may be included in an industry-wide NDWG application when there is at least one company with a layoff affecting 50 or more workers included in the application, and the additional companies are in the same NAICS two-digit code level.
Community Impact – Multiple small dislocations occurring over a period of up to 12 months that have significantly increased the number of unemployed individuals in a regional or local workforce area may qualify for a Community Impact Employment Recovery NDWG. Community impact grants typically serve rural areas where the employer base is predominantly smaller companies with fewer than 50 employees each, and where layoffs may not meet the definition of “mass layoffs” noted above.
ER NDWG Eligibility
The following individuals are eligible to receive employment and training assistance under the Employment Recovery NDWGs.
- A dislocated worker as defined as defined in WIOA Section 3(15) and SDWP’s Operations Manual, Chapter 7. Part 1, Section V, B. Dislocated Worker (Category 12: Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG) eligibility);
- A civilian employee of the Department of Defense or the Department of Energy employed at a military installation that is being closed, or that will undergo realignment, within the next 24 months after the date of the determination of eligibility;
- An individual who is employed in a non-managerial position with a Department of Defense contractor, who is determined by the Secretary of Defense to be at risk of termination from employment as a result of reductions in defense expenditures, and whose employer is converting operations from defense to nondefense applications in order to prevent worker layoffs; or
- A member of the Armed Forces who:
- Was on active duty or full-time National Guard duty; b. is involuntarily separated (as defined in section 1141 of title 10, United States Code) from active duty or full-time National Guard duty; or
- Is separated from active duty or full-time National Guard duty pursuant to a special separation benefits program under 10 U.S.C. 1174a, or the voluntary separation incentive program under section 1175 of that title;
- Is not entitled to retired or retained pay incident to the separation described in Subclause b above; and d. applies for employment and training assistance within 180 days of that separation.
Approved Grant Activities
For Employment Recovery NDWGs, the term “employment and training assistance” includes career services, training services, and supportive services, as described below.
Career Services – These include several services and activities to help support dislocated workers in making informed decisions based on local and regional economic demand for the purpose of achieving reemployment and education goals. These include but are not limited to: outreach, intake, labor exchange services, initial and comprehensive assessments, development of an individual employment plan, referral, provision of labor market information, provision of information on eligible training providers, and provision of information on the availability of supportive services.
Training Services – These include on-the-job training (including apprenticeships), entrepreneurial training, and customized training.
Supportive Services – These are allowable when they are needed to enable individuals to participate in disaster-relief employment and employment and training services and when supportive services cannot be obtained through other programs. All supportive service guidelines must be followed per the Operations Manual, Chapter 4. Part 1, Attachment – Supportive Services Policy and Procedures and Operations Issuance 2020-17 Underserved COVID-19 Impacted Individuals (UCII) Grant Policy and Procedures; except for the amended guidance outlined in Operations Issuance: 2020-10 Temporary Guidance on WIOA Program Services Impacted by COVID-19.
For the Employment Recovery NDWG service delivery plan and approved activity codes, refer to Attachment – Employment Recovery NDWG Service Delivery Plan and Chapter 4. Part 1: Adult and Dislocated Worker Program Activities and Attachments.
CalJOBS Data Entry
The Title I – Workforce Development Applications in CalJOBS must be manually updated to indicate that participants are eligible for the ER NDWG grant. Only activity codes approved under this grant may be entered. Refer to Attachment – Employment Recovery NDWG CalJOBS Process Flow.
Attached case notes for activities provided under this grant are required to follow specific Subject Line formatting. The subject line of an activity case note should be formatted as such:
- “COVID-19 ER NDWG – “ Activity Code Number – Activity Code Name
EXAMPLE SUBJECT LINE:
COVID-19 ER NDWG – 125 – Job Search and Placement Assistance
Refer to Chapter 5. CalJOBS Data Entry Policies and Procedures for guidance on other data entry policies and procedures.
Performance
Once an individual is enrolled as a program participant in formula funds (Title I Dislocated Worker), they will be in performance. An individual becomes a participant in the program when they do all of the following: (1) Meet the definition of a reportable individual, (2) Satisfy all applicable program requirements for the provision of services, including an eligibility determination, and (3) Receive any training service, individualized career service, or basic career service that is not self-service or an information-only service.
Performance considerations should not be a component of determining program eligibility and providing services. The EDD performance team is aware of the performance impact COVID-19 will have on performance results.
Action:
Effective July 1, 2020 Subrecipient may begin providing services to under the Employment Recovery NDWG to eligible participants.
If you have any feedback or questions regarding this issuance contact your Program Analyst.