Trade Adjustment

Assistance
(TAA)
The Trade Act of 1974, as amended

Includes provisions of the Trade and Globalization

Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009
– for petition numbers greater than 70,000

Connecticut Department of Labor

 What Is TAA
and
How Will It Help Me?

Connecticut Department of Labor

 What Is TAA?

TAA provides reemployment benefits and income support to

workers certified by the U.S. Department of Labor because
they have been hurt by foreign trade.

You may apply for TAA if you are part of a worker group
certified and, during the certification period, you
• experience a total or partial layoff or
• become individually threatened with total or partial layoff

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Help from TAA:
Benefits and
Reemployment Services

• Income Support-Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA)

• Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)
• Training
• Job Search Allowance
• Relocation Allowance
• Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA)

Each benefit has specific eligibility requirements. Pay

attention to important deadlines and apply in a timely
way to make the most of your benefits.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 What Is the Goal of
TAA?

To help you return to

suitable employment
as quickly as possible.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Trade Readjustment Allowances
(TRA)

Weekly income support while you are totally or partially

unemployed

–TRA is in addition to your unemployment

insurance (UI) but not payable for the same weeks
of unemployment.
–You may not be able to qualify for TRA if you were
employed less than 26 weeks during the 52-week
period ending with your separation.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 TRA Benefit Limits

• BASIC TRA - 26 weeks

• ADDITIONAL TRA - Up to 78 weeks while
participating in training
• REMEDIAL TRA - Up to 26 weeks while
participating in training, if remedial or
prerequisite training is part of your re-training
plan.

Including your 26 weeks of unemployment insurance, TAA helps

provide you with up to 156 weeks of income support.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 TRA Has a Training
Enrollment Deadline

• If otherwise eligible for TRA, you have a training

enrollment deadline. The deadline is specified in the TRA
determination you received.
• You may not receive TRA for weeks of unemployment
after your training enrollment deadline unless, prior to the
deadline, you enroll in TAA-approved training or receive a
waiver of the training requirement.
• Additional details, including limited exceptions to this
deadline, are provided at the conclusion of this
presentation.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Training Enrollment/
Training Waiver

“Enrolled in training” means you have been accepted

into a training program that has been approved by the
TAA program and begins within 30 days.

A training waiver may be issued, after an assessment of

your employment and training needs, if training is not
suitable and appropriate. Training may still be
possible at a later date even if a waiver is issued.

Connecticut Department of Labor

Basic TRA may be payable
• While you attend TAA-approved training
• After you complete TAA-approved training
• While you are covered under a training waiver
and comply with waiver follow-up requirements.

Additional TRA, including extra weeks of TRA

based on any necessary remedial education or
prerequisite courses, may only be paid while you
participate in training.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Weekly Claims for TRA
• Claims for TRA payments are filed by mail, not by telephone
or Internet, so payment delivery may take longer than
regular unemployment insurance.
• Each weekly TRA claim must be accompanied by an
additional document:
– A training attendance form or…
– If you have a waiver of training or have completed
training, details about your job-seeking efforts.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 TRA Job Search Requirements Are
More Strict than UI
• Generally, a minimum of three employer contacts per
week, with efforts made on at least two days of each
week.

• Unless your job prospects are good, you are required

to accept any offer of work which is within your
capabilities. You must consider other types of work,
including work below your highest skill level and work
which pays lower wages.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Work You May Refuse

• Work that pays less than the State minimum

wage or less than your TRA gross weekly
benefit amount.
• Work that pays substantially less than
average for the occupation.
• A job offer not made in writing or listed with
the Labor Department.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Your Record of Job-Seeking Efforts
Must Include:
• Date of the employer contact • Type of work sought
• Company name and address • Person contacted (name or
• Method of contact title if available)
• Result (not hired, not
qualified, pending, etc.)

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Health Coverage
Tax Credit (HCTC)

A federal tax credit that pays 80% of your monthly

health plan premium if you are an eligible individual
enrolled in a qualified health plan. The remaining
20% of the premium is paid by you.

Family members may also qualify if claimed as

dependents on your federal tax return.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 HCTC
Qualified Health Plans

• Federal/State COBRA Continuation Coverage -

if you are paying more than 50% of the cost of
coverage. Contact your current health plan or
former employer for information
• Health Reinsurance Association of Connecticut -
contact phone number: (800) 842-0004
• Spousal Coverage - if your spouse pays more than
50% of the cost with after-tax dollars
• Individual Policy - if the policy began at least 30
days prior to separation from the employer.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 How Does
HCTC Work?
Eligible individuals with qualifying health insurance can:
• Apply to take the tax credit at the end of the year when
filing a federal income tax return (even if they do not owe
any taxes); or
• Enroll to receive the HCTC monthly as their premiums
become due.
Certain general requirements need to be met:
• Ineligible for Medicare or coverage through the U.S. military health system
(CHAMPUS/ TRICARE)
• Not claimed as a dependent on another person’s federal tax return or
imprisoned

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Who May Be Eligible for HCTC?
• Individuals receiving Trade Readjustment
Allowances (TRA), including certain individuals
whose TRA is interrupted due to a break in training.
• Individuals who would be eligible to receive TRA but
have not yet exhausted their unemployment
insurance – whether or not they meet TRA training
enrollment requirements.
• Individuals receiving Reemployment Trade
Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) or Alternative Trade
Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) benefits.
• Individuals receiving a Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corporation (PBGC) benefit payment who are 55
years or older.
Connecticut Department of Labor
 HCTC Questions?

Visit the Internal Revenue Service Website

www.irs.gov (Keyword/search: HCTC)

Or call the HCTC Customer Contact Center

1 - 866 - 628- HCTC (4282)
TTY: 1-866-626-4282
Connecticut Department of Labor
 TAA Training

Obsolete skills may mean it’s time

for a new career.

Connecticut Department of Labor

TAA training must lead to an occupation in demand.
The Connecticut Department of Labor will approve
your request for training if the proposed training
satisfies all TAA requirements.

While attending TAA-approved training, you do not

have to seek or accept work.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Types of TAA Training
• Occupational skills or vocational training
– includes college-level degree or certificate programs
and necessary prerequisite courses; includes
apprenticeable trades
• Remedial education
– includes Adult Basic Education, General Educational
Development, English as a Second Language
• Employer-based training
– on-the-job training (OJT) or training customized to the
needs of a specific employer or group of employers
– for customized training, an employer must contribute
at least 50% of the training cost and promise to
employ you when training ends

Connecticut Department of Labor

 TAA Training Requirements
1) No suitable employment is available to you.
2) The training is reasonably available from either
governmental or private sources.
3) There is reasonable expectation of employment
once you complete the training.
4) You have the background, education, skills or
experience needed to succeed in the training.
5) You have the physical, mental, and financial
capabilities needed to complete the training.
6) The training is suitable for you and available at
reasonable cost.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Training Participation

Training should be of the shortest duration necessary to enable

your return to work.
- a maximum of 156 weeks in training is allowed
- part-time training may be approved but your training
must be full time in order to receive TRA

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Training Limitation

Your training plan may include multiple components and

training types, but you are entitled to only one training
program and occupational goal under a single Trade
Act certification.
Before you apply for and begin training, extensively
consider the suitability and appropriateness of both
your requested training program and anticipated
occupational goal.

Meet with your TAA representative early for

planning!
Connecticut Department of Labor
 Job Search Allowance
100% of allowable costs while seeking work outside your
commuting area, up to $1,500.

• Reimbursable costs include expenses for travel,

lodging and meals.
• Reimbursement is subject to the limitations of the
prevailing per diem rate authorized under federal
travel regulations for the locality where the job search
is conducted.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Job Search Allowance
• You must be found to lack suitable work opportunities
within your commuting area, defined as within 40 miles
from your home.
• Applications must be approved before you begin the
job search.
• You must be totally separated from adversely affected
employment before beginning your job search.
• Job search allowance is for prearranged job interviews
that offer you a reasonable expectation of employment.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 You must apply for a Job Search
Allowance before the later of:
• 365 days after either your applicable Trade Act
certification date or your last total separation, or
• 182 days after completing TAA-approved training

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Relocation Allowance

100% of allowable costs for moving yourself, family and

households goods, if necessary to accept
employment outside your commuting area.
Includes:
1) A travel allowance for the expense of transportation,
lodging and meals during relocation;
2) A moving allowance for reasonable and necessary
moving expenses; and
3) A lump sum payment equal to three times your
average weekly wage, up to $1,500.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Relocation Allowance

• You must be found to lack suitable work opportunities

within your commuting area.
• Travel and moving allowances are subject to limitations
imposed by federal travel regulations, including the
prevailing per diem rate authorized for the locality to
which relocation is made and the maximum pounds of
authorized net weight permitted for the move.
• You must receive a bona fide offer of work within the
United States that necessitates relocation outside your
commuting area and provides a reasonable expectation
of long-term employment.
Connecticut Department of Labor
 Relocation Allowance

• An application must be filed before

your relocation begins.
• A relocation allowance may be granted
only once under a certification.
• You must be totally separated from adversely
affected employment before relocation begins.
• You must begin your relocation within 182 days of
filing your application for relocation allowance or
completing TAA-approved training.

Connecticut Department of Labor

You must apply for a Relocation
Allowance before the later of:

• 425 days after either your

applicable Trade Act
certification or your last total
separation, or

• 182 days after completing

TAA-approved training

Connecticut Department of Labor

 Reemployment Trade
Adjustment Assistance (RTAA)

A wage subsidy for individuals 50 years of age and older

who obtain lower-paying work.

RTAA helps bridge the salary gap between the old and
new employment.

Connecticut Department of Labor

 RTAA Eligibility
Requirements

You must be reemployed either:

• full-time (at least 35 hours per week, working for
one or more employers) OR
• part time, if working at least 20 hours per week
while participating full time in TAA-approved
training.

The work cannot pay more than $55,000 per year

(excluding overtime) or be with the same firm (or
subdivision, if applicable) specified by the Trade Act
certification providing your eligibility.
Connecticut Department of Labor
 RTAA Wage Subsidy and Eligibility Period
• RTAA pays 50% of the difference between:
– Your new wages from reemployment, and
– Your old wages at the time of separation
(the subsidy is pro-rated if you work part time while
training).
• RTAA payments may not exceed $12,000 during a two-
year eligibility period.
– If you receive any TRA, your RTAA eligibility period
will be reduced by the number of TRA weeks
received.
– Once you receive RTAA, you may not resume filing
for unclaimed TRA.
• Your eligibility period begins when you exhaust UI, or
begin your new job – whichever is sooner.
Connecticut Department of Labor
 Other Reemployment Services
Make effective use of the employment and case
management services available to help with your
reemployment:
• A comprehensive, specialized assessment of your
skill level and employment and training needs
• Individual career counseling
• Development of an individual employment plan
• Short-term prevocational services (interviewing and
résumé workshops, for example)
• Information about
– available training and how to apply
– how to apply for financial aid
– labor market statistics, job vacancies
– supportive services
Connecticut Department of Labor
 Your Responsibilities

• Review TAA information and materials carefully to

help you make the best use of available benefits and
allow for your application within the specified time
frames.

• Keep a notebook of your efforts to find work to help

us evaluate the effectiveness of your reemployment
plan.

• Keep your TAA representative informed of any

changes in your training program or employment
status.
Connecticut Department of Labor
TAA benefits are unique and are not
available to most job seekers.

Use Yours Wisely!

Connecticut Department of Labor

 TRA Training Enrollment Deadline
Training enrollment (you have been accepted into a training
program that has been approved by the TAA program and begins
within 30 days) or waiver issuance must occur before the latest
of:

(1) the last day of the 26th week after your most recent total
separation from adversely affected employment,
(2) the last day of the 26th week after the date of the Trade Act
certification providing your eligibility, or
(3) 45 days after the date specified in (1) or (2) if extenuating
circumstances justify an extension in the enrollment period, or
(4) the Monday of the week occurring 60 days after you first receive
notice about the training enrollment deadline and your eligibility
to apply for TAA, if you failed to enroll by the date required by (1),
(2), or (3) because you did not receive timely information about
the training enrollment deadline and your eligibility to apply for
TAA.
Connecticut Department of Labor
 TRA Training Enrollment Deadline
(CONTINUED)

If your training waiver is terminated, you must be enrolled in

training by the Monday of the week occurring 30 days after
the week of waiver termination.

If you miss your applicable deadline through no fault of your

own you may still qualify for TRA…
-By establishing good cause for late filing or justifiable cause
due to unforeseen circumstances like a health emergency.
-By restarting the process as a member of a reserve
component following active-duty military or full-time
National Guard service.

Connecticut Department of Labor