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TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (TAA) What do you want to know about TAA? Click on the following LINKS to go to that section:
Other websites:
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) under the Trade act of 1974, the North American Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act (NAFTA) and the Trade reform Act of 2002 are national legislation providing benefits for workers who lose their jobs, or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports, or whose jobs were exported offshore (“trade-affected workers”). The TAA benefits include a variety of reemployment services designed to help trade-affected workers prepare for and obtain suitable employment. Workers may be eligible for training, a job search allowance, a relocation allowance, health coverage tax credit, alternative trade adjustment assistance for workers over the age of fifty, and other reemployment services. Additionally, weekly Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) may be payable to eligible workers following the exhaustion of unemployment benefits. Usually, TRA will be paid only if an individual is enrolled in a TAA-approved training program. The TAA Program is administered by the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. The States serve as agents to the Labor Department in administering the TAA program. The eligibility process is initiated by the filing of a petition for determination that the company’s lay offs were trade-affected. Once the investigation is concluded granting certification of the company, each individual worker must also apply for eligibility based on length of employment in trade-affected units within the company.
PETITIONS CAN NO LONGER BE FILED UNDER THE TRADE ACT OF 2002. INFORMATION IN THIS WEBSITE IS FOR WORKERS WHO ARE CERTIFIED (OR AWAITING CERTIFICATION) UNDER PETITIONS FILED PRIOR TO MAY 18, 2009.
You can check the status of your employer’s petition at the Trade Act Determinations website
Once your employer has been certified, you should receive a letter from the Colorado TRA Coordinator. Whether or not you receive a letter, if you know your company is certified, contact the TAA counselor at your local Colorado Workforce Center to request a determination of your individual eligibility for Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) and for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) benefits. Your TAA counselor will submit your request for you. Later, you will receive a "Determination of Entitlement to Trade Adjustment Assistance/ Trade Readjustment Assistance" by mail. Once you have received your determination, contact your local Colorado Workforce Center TAA counselor to determine what TAA re-employment services you may need. To be eligible for TAA benefits and reemployment services, you must have been laid off or put on a reduced work schedule (hours of work reduced to 80 percent or less of your average weekly hours and wages reduced to 80 percent or less or your average weekly wage) on or after the impact date and before the ending date of certification. To be eligible for TRA, you must have worked at least 26 weeks at your certified employer during the year prior to your separation. Even if you are not eligible to receive TRA, if you have a qualifying separation, you will be eligible to apply for other TAA Benefits.
If your Workforce Center Counselor cannot locate suitable employment for you, retraining to acquire marketable skills may be an option. Approval of training is subject to the following limitations:
If there are no suitable jobs in your area and training would improve your
chances of getting a job, you should discuss your needs with the Colorado
Workforce Center TAA counselor to see if you qualify. You will be advised as
to the employment outlook for workers with different job skills, the kinds
of work best suited to workers with different job skills, the kinds of work
best suited to your aptitudes and interests and the training opportunities
that may be available at no cost to you. Training opportunities include
on-the-job, vocational or technical training, and remedial education. You
may receive Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) for up to 78 weeks while you
train, as long as you continue to attend and make satisfactory progress in
the training. If the training facility you attend is beyond normal commuting
distance from your home, you may be paid for some of your transportation
costs and living expenses.
Your application may be approved if it is determined that no suitable work is available in your home area and that you:
TRADE READJUSTMENT ALLOWANCES (TRA) TRA, a weekly allowance payable only after exhaustion of unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, and subject to other criteria, is 100% of the weekly amount for the UI claim which covers your separation from trade-affected employment. Your TRA will also be reduced by any earnings or other income you receive in the same way that such earnings and income would have reduced your weekly unemployment benefits. Your TRA will also be reduced by the amount of any other Federal training allowance you are entitled to for the same week.The duration of the basic TRA benefit period is 104 weeks, beginning the Sunday following your separation from trade-affected employment. The total amount of basic TRA equals 52 times your weekly benefit amount less the total amount of UI for which you are eligible. For example, if you received 26 weeks of regular unemployment insurance benefits and 13 weeks of extended benefits, you may receive up to an amount equal to 13 weeks of TRA. You must be enrolled in, and scheduled to begin training within 30 days to receive basic TRA; enrollment must be accomplished by the end of the 16th week following separation from trade-affected employment, or the 8th week following issuance of the date your employer was certified, if later. You are eligible to receive additional TRA following exhaustion of basic TRA provided you are actively engaged in TAA-approved training following exhaustion of your basic TRA. Additional TRA is payable for 52 consecutive weeks, or until completion of TAA-approved training, whichever is sooner. This period can be extended further, if your training included remedial courses. Consult with your TAA Counselor. If you return to work covered by the same certification and are again totally separated within the certification period, the 104-week eligibility period will be recalculated beginning the first week after the subsequent separation. To qualify for TRA you must:
In some cases, the training requirement can be waived by the TAA counselor, if you return to work covered by the same certification and are again totally separated within the certification period, the 104-week eligibility period will be recalculated beginning the first week after the subsequent separation. The first week for which you may be eligible for TRA must begin more than 60 days after the filing date of the petition that was certified by the Labor Department. If you do not qualify for TRA, you will still be eligible for reemployment services, training, job search allowance and a relocation allowance if you are covered by a certification and have a qualifying separation from adversely affected employment.
HEALTH COVERAGE TAX CREDIT (HCTC) If you elected to purchase health insurance on you own after losing your employer-paid coverage, you may use the HCTC to cover a substantial portion of your monthly health insurance premiums, or if you choose to pay your entire premium you may claim the HCTC benefit as a credit on your income tax return. For more information:
ALTERNATIVE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (ATAA)
The ATAA supplemental payments equal half the difference between your old trade-affected wage and your new wage. Those payments will continue until:
For additional information on the TAA Program, who is served, how to apply, or how to qualify, write or call:
The U.S. Department of Labor may also be contacted at: Charlotte Edelen
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