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FY 2020 second Trade Adjustment Assistance fund distribution

Summary ETA gave state agencies their second distribution of FY 2020 Trade Adjustment Assistance Training and Other Activities funds. It explained the formula and how states could request reserve funds for additional expenses. ETA now labels this FY 2020 funding letter Canceled.
Document
Federal guidance
Agency
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
Document number
TEGL No. 01-20
Date issued
July 9, 2020
Status
Withdrawn
ETA marks this listing entry Canceled as of October 24, 2026, but the letter prints an expiration date of Continuing and does not identify a cancellation instrument.
Status last verified October 24, 2026

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This document has been withdrawn
ETA marks this listing entry Canceled as of October 24, 2026, but the letter prints an expiration date of Continuing and does not identify a cancellation instrument. It no longer reflects the agency's current position. Treat this page as historical context, not current guidance, and verify current law before relying on anything here.
About this page: The full text below is the official document from U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (ETA). Ezel adds the plain-English summary and tracks the document's status. The official source linked on this page is authoritative for any reliance.
CLASSIFICATION
      EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION               Trade Adjustment Assistance
                  ADVISORY SYSTEM                          CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
             U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
                                                           OTAA
                                                           DATE
                Washington, D.C. 20210
                                                           July 9, 2020

ADVISORY:       TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 1-20

TO:             STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
                STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS
                AFFILIATE AMERICAN JOB CENTER MANAGERS
                COMPREHENSIVE AMERICAN JOB CENTER MANAGERS
                STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS
                STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS
                STATE LABOR COMMISSIONERS
                RAPID RESPONSE COORDINATORS
                TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE LEADS

FROM:           JOHN PALLASCH
                Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:        Second Distribution of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Trade Adjustment Assistance
                (TAA) Training and Other Activities (TaOA) Funds and Process for Requesting
                TAA Reserve Funds

1. Purpose. To assist State Workforce Agencies or agencies designated by Governors as
   “Cooperating State Agencies” (also jointly referred to as “states”) by: 1) identifying the FY
   2020 Second Distribution of TaOA funding amounts to states; 2) describing the formula
   methodology used by the Department of Labor (Department) to calculate these amounts; and
   3) providing the process for states to request TAA Program reserve funds for TaOA. TaOA
   includes training, job search allowances, relocation allowances, employment and case
   management services, and related state administration.

2. Action Requested. States are required to implement the guidance set forth herein and must
   continue to administer the TAA Program in accordance with applicable regulations and
   administrative guidance. States must inform all appropriate staff of the contents of this
   guidance.

3. Summary and Background.

   a) Summary - The Department distributes TaOA funding according to regulations at 20 CFR
      618.900 through 618.940, which provide, among other things, for an initial allocation
      according to a prescribed formula (the Initial Allocation), potential reserve fund
      distributions in response to state requests, and a “second distribution” of TaOA funds.
      The second distribution is implemented according to 20 CFR 618.930, which provides
      that at least 90 percent of the funds appropriated for TaOA must be distributed by July 15
 RESCISSIONS                                             EXPIRATION DATE
 None                                                    Continuing

       of the FY (the Second Distribution) according to the prescribed formula, which specifies
       distribution of such funds to those states that received an Initial Allocation. The
       Department will distribute the remaining 10 percent of FY TaOA funds not distributed in
       the Second Distribution to states in a “final distribution” of FY 2020 TaOA funds before
       the end of the FY (Final Distribution). The Second Distribution, as described at 20 CFR
       618.930, is the subject of this Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL).

   b) Background - The Trade Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-618), as amended (the Trade Act)
      (codified at 19 U.S.C. §§ 2271 et seq.), Title II, Chapter 2, established the TAA for
      Workers, Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA), and Reemployment Trade
      Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) programs. These programs, collectively referred to as
      the TAA Program, provide assistance to workers who have been adversely affected by
      foreign trade.

       TEGL No. 18-19 describes provisions of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of
       2020 (Pub. L. 116-94) (2020 Appropriations Act), enacted on December 20, 2019, that
       govern the use of FY 2020 TaOA funds. States may use these funds to provide TaOA to
       workers certified under the 2002 Program, the 2009 Program, the 2011 Program, and the
       2015 Program, in accordance with the requirements of the TAA law in effect at the time
       of filing of a petition for certification. Please refer to TEGL No. 18-19 for the definitions
       of these programs.

       Funds provided under the FY 2020 FUBA appropriation for TaOA are available for
       expenditure for three fiscal years (i.e., FY 2020, FY 2021, and FY 2022). The
       expenditure period for funds provided under the FY 2020 FUBA appropriation for Trade
       Readjustment Assistance (TRA), ATAA, and RTAA is one fiscal year (i.e., through
       September 30, 2020). States may refer to the FY 2020 TAA Annual Funding Agreement
       and Notice of Award for additional information on the expenditure period for TaOA
       funds, and the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Annual Funding Agreement for additional
       information on TRA, ATAA, and RTAA expenditure periods.

       TEGL No. 18-19 also describes the application of sequestration, the FY 2020 national
       aggregate TaOA amounts, the process for requesting reserve funds, and the Initial
       Allocation. Please refer to TEGL No. 18-19 for detailed information regarding these
       aspects of TaOA funding.

4. Second Distribution of FY 2020 TaOA Funds. In accordance with 20 CFR § 618.930, by
   July 15 of each FY, the Department will distribute at least 90 percent of the funds
   appropriated for the entire FY for TaOA to the states. To allow adequate processing of these
   funds, the Department interprets this requirement to mean that it will announce the amount of
   funds available to states in the Second Distribution by July 15 of each FY.
   The Department will allocate any funds that remain after the Second Distribution to the states
   before the end of the fiscal year.

a)    FY 2020 Second Distribution State Amounts of TaOA Funds — The Department
      applies the same formula and methodology used to determine the state amounts of
      TaOA funds in the FY 2020 Initial Allocation to determine the amounts available in the
      FY 2020 Second Distribution of TaOA funds. This formula and methodology are based
      on the regulations at 20 CFR 618.910 through 618.940. For FY 2020, the amounts to
      be provided to states in the Second Distribution are set out in the Attachment to this
      TEGL and were determined under the TAA funding formula as described in 20 CFR
      618.910(f) and summarized below:

     A. TAA Formula Funds:
        1. Trend in number of workers covered by certifications during the most recent four
           consecutive calendar quarters for which data are available;
        2. Trend in number of workers participating in training during the most recent four
           consecutive calendar quarters for which data are available;
        3. Number of workers estimated to be participating in training during the fiscal year;
           and
        4. Estimated amount of funding needed to provide approved training to such workers
           during the fiscal year.

           Factor 1 will be established using the most recent four quarters (FY 2019 Quarter
           2 through FY 2020 Quarter 1) of data for certified workers by state, and the
           quarters will be weighted 40 percent, 30 percent, 20 percent, and 10 percent from
           the most recent to the earliest quarter. This approach will establish a trend, giving
           the most recent quarters a greater impact on the factor than earlier quarters.

           Factor 2 will be established using the most recent four quarters (FY 2019 Quarter
           2 through FY 2020 Quarter 1) of data for workers participating in training by
           state, and the quarters will be weighted 40 percent, 30 percent, 20 percent, and 10
           percent from the most recent quarter to the earliest quarter. As with Factor 1, this
           approach will establish a trend, giving the most recent quarters a greater impact on
           the factor than earlier quarters.

           Factor 3 will be determined by dividing the weighted average number of training
           participants for the state determined in Factor 2 by the sum of the weighted
           averages for all states. The next step in determining this factor is to multiply the
           resulting ratio by the projected national average of training participants for the
           fiscal year, using estimates from the Department’s most recent budget submission
           or update.

           Factor 4 will be calculated by multiplying the estimated number of participants in
           Factor 3 by the average training cost per participant in the state. The average
           training cost will be calculated by dividing total training expenditures for the most
           recent four quarters by the average number of training participants for the same
           period.

                 Once each of the four factors have been determined for each state, under 20 CFR
                 618.910(f)(3), all four factors will be assigned an equal weight. For FY 2020, the
                 weight is 25 percent of the total for each factor.

                 The Department determined each state’s percentage of the national aggregate
                 amount for each factor. Using each state’s percentage of each of these weighted
                 factors, the Department determined the unadjusted percentage that the state will
                 receive of the total amount available for the Second Distribution.
        B. States that did not Receive Funds in the Initial Allocation:

            As TEGL No. 18-19 explains, consistent with 20 CFR 618.910(e)(2)(i), in instances
            where the formula approach would give a state less than $100,000, the state will not
            receive funds in the Initial Allocation of FY 2020 TaOA funds. In addition, as
            provided in 20 CFR 618.930, only states that received funds in the Initial Allocation
            may receive funds in the Second Distribution. Those states that do not receive funds
            through the Initial Allocation or Second Distribution may request TAA Program
            TaOA reserve funds in accordance with 20 CFR 618.920(b) and the procedures
            described in TEGL No. 18-19 and in Section 4.a.D below. The Attachment to TEGL
            No. 18-19 identifies Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Nevada, and
            Wyoming as states that did not receive an FY 2020 Initial Allocation; however, using
            the reserve fund process, the State of Wyoming requested and the Department
            approved $36,995 in FY 2020 TaOA reserve funds on January 21, 2020. The
            Department will deduct the sum of all FY 2020 TaOA funds provided to states via
            reserve fund requests from the amount of funds available in the Final Distribution.

        C. TaOA Funds Available as of the Second Distribution:

            The total amount of FY 2020 TaOA funds available in the Second Distribution is
            comprised of 90 percent of the aggregate FY 2020 TaOA funds after sequestration
            (i.e., 90 percent of $409,880,000)1 minus the Initial Allocation ($266,422,000) or
            $102,470,000.

        D. Process for Requesting TaOA Reserve Funds:

            States may request TaOA reserve funds in accordance with 20 CFR 618.920(b) at any
            time during this fiscal year. States must use the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
            for Workers Funding Request Form, ETA-9117 (OMB No. 1205-0275), Expiration
            Date September 30, 2022 to request these funds.

            To be eligible for TaOA reserve funds, a state must demonstrate that at least 50
            percent of TaOA funds made available to that state in the current fiscal year and the
            two preceding fiscal years have been expended or that the state needs additional funds

1 See section 4.b. of TEGL No. 18-19 for more information on the National Aggregate of TaOA funds and the
application of sequestration for FUBA funds.

           to meet unusual or unexpected events. A state requesting reserve funds must also
           provide a documented estimate of expected funding needs through the end of the
           current fiscal year.

           A state must base its estimate on an analysis that includes at least the following:
              o The average cost of training in the state;
              o The expected number of participants in training through the end of the fiscal
                year; and
              o The remaining funds the state has available for TaOA.

       E. Recapture and Reallotment of TaOA Funds — Section 245(c) of the Trade Act
          provides authority for the Department to recapture unobligated TaOA funds from
          states that have not fully used their funding in the second and third fiscal year after the
          fiscal year in which the funds were provided to the state, and reallot those funds to
          other states to provide and administer TaOA. The Department may implement
          Section 245(c) by establishing procedures for recapture of these funds and realloting
          them to meet state funding needs for TaOA.

5. Inquiries. Direct inquiries regarding this guidance to the appropriate Regional Office.
6. References.

       a. References
           Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 (2020 Appropriations Act),
             Division B, Title I (Pub. L. 116-94), enacted on December 20, 2019;
           Chapter 2 of Title II of the Trade Act of 1974, as amended (Pub. L. 93-618)
             (Trade Act);
           Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002, Division A, Title I, Subtitle A
             of the Trade Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-210) (as amended by the Miscellaneous
             Trade and Technical Corrections Act of 2004 (Pub. L. 108-429));
           Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Act of 2009, Division B, Title I,
             Subtitle I of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-
             5);
           Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 (Pub. L. 112-40);
           The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Pub. L. 99-
             177), as amended by the Budget Control Act of 2011(Pub. L. 112-25), and further
             amended by The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (Pub. L.112-240);
           Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-27, Title
             IV);
           20 CFR part 618, Trade Adjustment Assistance, subpart I;
           Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 05-15, Operating
             Instructions for Implementing the Amendments to the Trade Act of 1974 Enacted
             by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 (TAARA 2015),
             and its Change 1;

            TEGL No. 17-19, Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
             Training and Other Activities (TaOA) Grant Management Guidance; and
            TEGL No. 18-19, Initial Allocation of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Trade Adjustment
             Assistance (TAA) Program Training and Other Activities (TaOA) Funds and
             Process for Requesting TAA Reserve Funds.
7. Attachment.
          Attachment I: FY 2020 TAA TaOA Second Distribution Amounts, by State

                                                                                                                   Attachment I
    FY 2020 TAA Training and Other Activities (TaOA) Second Distribution Amounts, by State
              State                   Second Distribution Amounts2         State Admin. Max. 10%3       Case Management Min. 5%4
             Alabama                 $            739,084.00           $           73,908.40           $         36,954.20
               Alaska                $                0                $                 0             $               0
              Arizona                $            350,604.00           $           35,060.40           $         17,530.20
             Arkansas                $          1,442,964.00           $          144,296.40           $         72,148.20
             California              $          9,787,591.00           $          978,759.10           $        489,379.55
             Colorado                $            756,412.00           $           75,641.20           $         37,820.60
            Connecticut              $          1,785,055.00           $          178,505.50           $         89,252.75
             Delaware                $               0                 $                0              $              0
       District Of Columbia          $                0                $                0              $              0
              Florida                $          1,631,317.00           $          163,131.70           $         81,565.85
              Georgia                $          2,521,111.00           $          252,111.10           $        126,055.55
              Hawaii                 $            105,437.00           $           10,543.70           $          5,271.85
                Idaho                $            581,107.00           $           58,110.70           $         29,055.35
               Illinois              $          5,170,297.00           $          517,029.70           $        258,514.85
              Indiana                $          3,255,814.00           $          325,581.40           $        162,790.70
                Iowa                 $          1,527,277.00           $          152,727.70           $         76,363.85
              Kansas                 $          1,032,007.00           $          103,200.70           $         51,600.35
             Kentucky                $          2,173,805.00           $          217,380.50           $        108,690.25
             Louisiana               $            344,063.00           $           34,406.30           $         17,203.15
               Maine                 $            348,749.00           $           34,874.90           $         17,437.45
             Maryland                $            915,983.00           $           91,598.30           $         45,799.15
          Massachusetts              $          3,458,927.00           $          345,892.70           $        172,946.35
             Michigan                $          2,951,047.00           $          295,104.70           $        147,552.35
             Minnesota               $          3,540,617.00           $          354,061.70           $        177,030.85
            Mississippi              $            282,773.00           $           28,277.30           $         14,138.65
             Missouri                $          2,891,593.00           $          289,159.30           $        144,579.65
             Montana                 $             74,293.00           $            7,429.30           $          3,714.65
             Nebraska                $            588,107.00           $           58,810.70           $         29,405.35
              Nevada                 $               0                 $                0              $              0
         New Hampshire               $            296,075.00           $           29,607.50           $         14,803.75
            New Jersey               $          1,718,593.00           $          171,859.30           $         85,929.65
           New Mexico                $          1,693,478.00           $          169,347.80           $         84,673.90
             New York                $          3,721,967.00           $          372,196.70           $        186,098.35
          North Carolina             $          1,571,130.00           $          157,113.00           $         78,556.50
          North Dakota               $            195,922.00           $           19,592.20           $          9,796.10
                Ohio                 $          6,270,434.00           $          627,043.40           $        313,521.70
             Oklahoma                $            935,241.00           $           93,524.10           $         46,762.05
              Oregon                 $          7,356,570.00           $          735,657.00           $        367,828.50
           Pennsylvania              $          8,535,764.00           $          853,576.40           $        426,788.20
            Puerto Rico              $             66,938.00           $            6,693.80           $          3,346.90
           Rhode Island              $            175,588.00           $           17,558.80           $          8,779.40
          South Carolina             $          2,482,405.00           $          248,240.50           $        124,120.25
           South Dakota              $            356,059.00           $           35,605.90           $         17,802.95
             Tennessee               $          1,569,290.00           $          156,929.00           $         78,464.50
                Texas                $          5,728,513.00           $          572,851.30           $        286,425.65
                Utah                 $            627,665.00           $           62,766.50           $         31,383.25
             Vermont                 $            199,297.00           $           19,929.70           $          9,964.85
              Virginia               $          2,752,134.00           $          275,213.40           $        137,606.70
            Washington               $          4,049,831.00           $          404,983.10           $        202,491.55
          West Virginia              $          2,320,253.00           $          232,025.30           $        116,012.65
             Wisconsin               $          1,590,819.00           $          159,081.90           $         79,540.95
             Wyoming                 $                0                $                0              $              0
              TOTAL                        $ 102,470,000.00                 $       10,247,000.00          $      5,123,500.00

2
  The Second Distribution Amounts column sets out the TaOA Second Distribution amount for each state, in accordance with 20 CFR §
618.930 which requires the Department to advise states of their share of 90 percent of the FY allocation of funds by July 15.
3
  The related state administration maximum (State Admin. Max. 10%) column sets out the maximum amount from the TaOA funds each
state receives in the Second Distribution that the state may use for related state administration by that state.
4
  The employment and case management minimum (Case Management Min. 5%) column sets out the minimum available to each state from
the TaOA funds each state receives in the Second Distribution that states must use for the provision of employment and case management
services. See Section 4.b. of TEGL No. 18-19 regarding the statutory restrictions on use of TaOA funds to provide employment and case
management services for workers covered by petitions certified under the 2002 Program.

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