Veterans Retraining Assistance Program outreach and reporting

Accessible letter PDF: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2013/TEGL_8_12_Chg1_Acc.pdf

CLASSIFICATION
   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION               Wagner-Peyser/WIA/VETS
               ADVISORY SYSTEM                          CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
                                                        OWI/OPDR
          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
                                                        DATE
             Washington, D.C. 20210                     August 30, 2013


ADVISORY:       TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 8-12,
                CHANGE 1

TO:             STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
                STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS
                STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS
                STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS
                STATE LABOR COMMISSIONERS
                AMERICAN JOB CENTERS
                EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION REGIONAL
                ADMINISTRATORS
                WOMEN’S BUREAU REGIONAL ADMINISTRATORS
                SUB-RECIPIENTS OF DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FUNDS

FROM:           GERRI FIALA /s/ for ERIC SELEZNOW
                Acting Assistant Secretary


SUBJECT:        Update on the Roles and Responsibilities of the Public Workforce System in
                Tracking, Offering Employment Services, and Reporting Outcomes of Veterans
                Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) Participants.

1. Purpose. To inform the workforce system about the required process for providing outreach
   to and tracking outcomes of VRAP participants, including how the Department of Labor
   (DOL) will make available VRAP participant information to state grantees. It also includes
   procedures for American Job Center (formerly known as One-Stop Career Center) staff to
   offer VRAP participants employment assistance upon program completion or termination as
   required by the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011. This guidance provides specifications for
   reporting to DOL on outreach activities and the employment outcomes of VRAP participants.
   This change also corrects an inconsistency on the reporting values, offers more details on
   report due dates, provides instruction for reporting individuals who are both VRAP
   participants and Extended Unemployment Compensation (EUC) claimants, and provides
   programmatic updates.


 RESCISSIONS                                           EXPIRATION DATE
 TEGL 8-12                                             Continuing

2. References.

   •      Section 211 of the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 (“VOW Act,” Title II of Pub. L.
          112-56);
   •      Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-96;
   •      American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, Pub. L. 112-240;
   •      Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) 37-11, Notification of Available
          Funding to Implement Veterans-Related Reporting Requirements in the Labor Exchange
          Reporting System (LERS);
   •      TEGL 7-12, Implementing the Veterans-Related and Other Reporting Change
          Requirements in the Labor Exchange Reporting System (LERS); and,
   •      Training and Employment Notice (TEN) 43-11 and Veterans’ Program Letter (VPL) 07-
          12, Overview of the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), section 211 of the
          VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011.

3. Background. On November 21, 2011, President Obama signed the VOW Act (Title II of
   Pub. L. 112-56) into law, which established the VRAP. Under the VRAP, the Department of
   Veterans Affairs (VA), in cooperation with DOL, pays up to 12 months of retraining
   assistance to unemployed, eligible veterans aged 35 to 60 who participate in training
   programs for “high demand 1” occupations. Eligibility is jointly determined by DOL and VA.
   The “high demand” occupations list is a national list, as determined by ETA, using data from
   the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

   VRAP has accepted the full complement of applications to enroll 45,000 veterans in Fiscal
   Year (FY) 2012, from July 1, 2012 through September 30, 2012; up to an additional 54,000
   veterans may enroll from October 1, 2012 through October 1, 2013, with training concluding
   by March 31, 2014. The VA will continue accepting applications and issuing certificates of
   eligibility until 99,000 applicants are enrolled in training. The training slots will be paid on a
   first come first serve basis until the maximum of 99,000 participants enrolled in training is
   reached. American Job Center staff should advise individuals they have assisted and who
   have been deemed eligible for VRAP by VA that they should enroll in training as soon as
   possible as an eligibility determination no longer guarantees access to the program.

   In order to qualify for retraining assistance, a veteran must satisfy the following eligibility
   criteria:

          •    Be at least 35 but not more than 60 years old, at the time of application;
          •    Be unemployed on the date of application;
          •    Not be enrolled in any Federal or state job-training program at any time during the
               previous 180-day period as of the application date;
          •    Be in receipt of an other than dishonorable discharge from the last period of active
               duty service in the armed forces;
          •    Not be eligible for any other VA educational assistance;


   1
       A list of “high demand” occupations is available at: http://benefits.va.gov/vow/docs/VRAP_High_Demand.pdf


       •    Not be in receipt of VA compensation for a service-connected disability rated totally
            disabling by reason of unemployability; and
       •    Submit an application no later than October 1, 2013.

Acceptance of applications began on May 15, 2012, and will continue through October 1,
2013. The application is a joint VA/DOL electronic application which can be accessed from
the VOW to Hire Heroes Act Web site (http://benefits.va.gov/vow). DOL and VA are each
responsible for determining eligibility based on specific criteria. Veterans apply for the
program by signing into their VA Veterans Online Application 2 (VONAPP) or by registering
for a new account. Once the participant has selected the VRAP application, he or she will
first answer questions pertaining to DOL’s eligibility requirements: age, unemployment
status, and previous enrollment in a Federal or state job-training program in the past 180-
days. The veteran then affirms that the statements he or she made are true and correct. After
the veteran submits this information, DOL will determine whether the applicant is initially
eligible or ineligible for the VRAP based on the information provided in the applicant’s self-
attestation. If determined ineligible, the veteran will receive a system generated letter (on the
screen and printable) explaining the reason for his or her ineligibility and informing him or
her of the right to appeal. The letter also refers the veteran to the nearest American Job
Center by calling 1-877-US2-JOBS (1-877-872-5627) toll free, or by going to the America’s
Service Locator Web site (www.servicelocator.org). A veteran can reapply for the program
if he or she believes he or she answered a question incorrectly or if the circumstances that
resulted in ineligibility change.

A veteran who was enrolled in Federal or state job training during the 180 days before
applying to the VRAP is statutorily ineligible to enroll in the VRAP. However, a veteran
who received non-training services during that time period remains eligible for the VRAP.
For example, a veteran who received Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Adult or Dislocated
Worker services within the 180 days before applying for the VRAP would remain eligible for
the VRAP as long as the veteran was not enrolled in training during that time. In addition,
veterans who have been certified eligible for VRAP continue to receive priority for any
program or service for workforce preparation, development, or delivery that is directly
funded, in whole or in part, by DOL as required by 38 USC 4215. This includes entitlement
to priority placement in DOL-funded job training programs.

If the veteran is determined initially eligible under DOL requirements, he or she will
continue the application so that VA can conduct its eligibility determination. VA will
determine eligibility by ensuring the applicant: received an other than dishonorable
discharge from the last period of active duty service in the armed forces; is not eligible for
any other VA educational assistance; and, is not in receipt of VA compensation for a service-
connected disability rated totally disabling by reason of unemployability. The veteran will
also indicate the “high demand” occupation in which he or she is applying for training. As
part of the VA application process, the veteran will need to have bank routing and account
information in order to complete the application. If the veteran is determined eligible based
on the information submitted, he or she will receive a system generated letter in the mail


2
    Link to VONAPP: http://www.gibill.va.gov/apply-for-benefits/application/


   informing him or her of the next steps to utilize the benefit. If determined ineligible by VA,
   the applicant will receive an individualized letter indicating the specific reasons for denial
   and appeal rights. Veterans with questions regarding the status of their applications may
   send an electronic inquiry on the VA Web site, (http://www.gibill.va.gov) or contact the VA
   Education Call Center at 1-888-GIBILL-1 (1-888-442-4551).

   After being determined eligible by DOL and the VA, the veteran is able to receive a VRAP
   stipend from VA for up to 12 months to participate in a full-time training program for a “high
   demand” occupation offered by a community college or technical school. Once the
   application is approved by DOL and the VA, the training may begin. The veteran will need
   to enroll in the training program. The school certifying official must verify each veteran’s
   enrollment by providing an enrollment certification form to VA. The veteran will then
   receive a monthly educational assistance stipend paid directly to the student ($1,564 per
   month as of October 1, 2012, this amount is updated every October 1st through a cost of
   living adjustment). The training program must lead to an associate degree or a certificate (or
   other similar evidence of the completion of the program of education or training) leading to a
   “high demand” occupation. In certain situations, VA has made available an Advance
   Payment option to enable VRAP participants to obtain funding prior to the start of their
   programs. For more information on the Advance Payment option, as well as other frequently
   asked questions please visit: https://gibill.custhelp.com/app/answers/list/kw/vrap.

4. Providing Participant Contact Information to the States and Local Areas. American Job
   Center staff are responsible for providing outreach to offer employment services to VRAP
   participants within 30 days of the participants completing or terminating training. In order to
   facilitate the provision of employment services to VRAP participants, DOL regularly
   receives a data file from the VA with participant information. DOL sorts and compiles
   appropriate data for each state (for purposes of this TEGL, the term “state” means any of the
   50 United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam)
   and will disseminate a participant data file on a weekly basis that will include separate tabs
   for those new participants the VA indicates have completed or terminated training, those
   participants who completed training within the previous 30 days, and the total VRAP
   participants in the state. The “Notification Weeks” field of the report provides the number of
   weeks remaining (between one and four) to provide employment assistance to each exiter
   within the required 30-day period. Please note that only the program exiters are required to
   be contacted; the total participants tab can be used as a leading indicator for future VRAP
   exiters. This information is provided in an Excel spreadsheet for each state and will be
   disseminated via a federally maintained secure File Transfer Protocol (sFTP). Each state will
   be responsible for retrieving its file from the sFTP site and disseminating the information to
   the appropriate individuals to ensure that outreach will be conducted by local American Job
   Center staff as quickly as possible. Each state will have to use sFTP client software to access
   the participant data file. States may use any existing sFTP software they have, or acquire any
   sFTP software of their choosing. A brief tutorial outlining one of the ways to obtain and use
   free sFTP software is available in Attachment A.


   The participant data file that will be disseminated via the sFTP will include the below listed
   data elements. A sample of the participant data file and explanation of the data elements is
   also available in Attachment B:

       •   First Name                                        •   State
       •   Middle Name                                       •   Zip Code
       •   Last Name                                         •   Name of Facility
       •   Date of Birth                                     •   Course Name
       •   Email Address                                     •   Objective Name
       •   Phone Number                                      •   Notification Weeks
       •   High Demand Occupation                            •   DOL-assigned unique identifier
           Selected                                          •   Employment Assistance
       •   Address

   Each state file will be password-protected and encrypted so that each state may ONLY
   view/extract its own file. The usernames and passwords for each state will be distributed
   separately to the state designated contacts by DOL. Once a file is received by a state, it
   should then be distributed securely among the American Job Centers where appropriate.
   While the actual method of dissemination of this file is within state discretion, one
   recommendation is to use the zip code of residence to cross-match the participant to the
   closest American Job Center. The assigned Center would then be responsible for contacting
   the participant.

   Please note that as of the signing of this guidance, the federally maintained sFTP site is not
   yet available. Until such time when this site is operational, DOL will manually email a
   password-protected file to state contacts where VRAP exiters are present. States can obtain
   the password for this file from the corresponding ETA Regional Office Performance
   Specialist. DOL will soon require states to enter into Data Transfer Agreements (DTAs)
   with the Department in order to receive participant files. This protocol is part of the
   implementation of sFTP.

   Additionally, DOL is currently finalizing a DTA with VA which will include the transfer of
   Social Security Numbers (SSNs). As part of the DTA states enter with DOL, states will have
   the ability to “opt-in” to receiving SSNs. For States that elect not to receive SSNs, they will
   still be required to sign the DTA to receive the participant files, but will not need to complete
   the “opt-in” provision.

   Because these data files contain personally identifiable information (PII), states should
   follow all applicable state and Federal laws concerning the storage, handling, access and
   transmissions of PII, as well as the applicable guidance set forth by DOL and VA.

5. Offering Employment Assistance. Once an American Job Center receives a VRAP file, the
   Center manager should assign participants to staff as appropriate per the roles and
   responsibilities for each staff person. Assigned staff should attempt to provide outreach to
   each participant assigned. An outreach attempt is considered any of the following:


      •   physical letter sent to participant,
      •   phone call to participant, or
      •   email sent to participant.

   If contact with the veteran is made, staff should encourage the individual to visit the
   American Job Center so that staff can provide employment services to the veteran and
   register him or her into the state’s Wagner-Peyser system. States may wish to contact
   veterans earlier than when they exit the program to offer case management and other
   employment assistance while they are in training or before they begin training. In instances
   where the initial outreach attempt is not successful, a minimum of two additional attempts
   should be made within the 30-day period after the VRAP participant completed or terminated
   training; after the third failed attempt, no further outreach is required. If contact using one of
   the methods (e.g. phone call) is not successful, ETA encourages staff to attempt additional
   contact using alternative methods (e.g. email or physical letter).

   The above described outreach attempts will result in one of the following scenarios and
   responses:
          a) Contact made, participant already found employment: In this scenario, the
              participant may not want/need additional services as he or she has already found
              employment. However, since this individual will not be a new registrant in the
              Wagner-Peyser program, this outcome will not be counted for workforce system
              performance purposes, but it will need to be tracked for documenting outreach
              and reporting for VRAP;
          b) Contact made, participant is not seeking further assistance: If a participant is not
              willing to participate in additional follow-up services or refuses to register for
              Wagner-Peyser services over the phone, then this outcome will not count for
              performance purposes but will need to be tracked for documenting outreach and
              reporting for VRAP. Note that services cannot be denied if the veteran refuses to
              register for Wagner-Peyser;
          c) Contact cannot be made: After three attempts to contact the veteran within the
              specified 30 day timeframe, if no contact is made, the veteran will be deemed
              “non-responsive.” The individual will be excluded for performance purposes but
              documentation of outreach to the veteran will need to be tracked;
          d) Contact made, participant looking for a job/requests further assistance: All
              attempts should be made to encourage the veteran to go to the American Job
              Center, or to sign-up for Wagner-Peyser services virtually. This will allow staff
              the ability to serve and track the participant, and it will also greatly aid in
              reporting performance outcomes; and
          e) Contact made, result is other than scenarios listed above: There are possible
              situations where a veteran may be contacted and one of the scenarios above did
              not occur. If the participant was contacted and the result was something other
              than the four scenarios listed above, that scenario will be tracked as described in
              Section 6 of this TEGL.

6. Reporting VRAP Outcomes. DOL and VA are required to report to Congress no later than
   July 1, 2014, on the performance of the VRAP. This report must include:


   •   total VRAP participants,
   •   number who earned a credential (associates degree, certificate, other credential), and
   •   “data related to the employment status” of participants.

In order to report on the employment status as required in the VOW Act, DOL is seeking to
leverage the Wagner-Peyser program and information reported through LERS. DOL will use
the current employment measures of Entered Employment Rate (EER), Employment
Retention Rate (ERR), Average and Median Earnings to satisfy the reporting requirement on
employment status. The VA is collecting the data on credentials obtained through the
program.

Changes to the LERS (outlined in TEGL 7-12) approved by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) on August 7, 2012, require states to modify their reporting systems to include
a “Special Program Identifier” field in the individual record layout. In order to track the
outcomes specific to VRAP participants, DOL is requiring the code “VRAP” be used in the
Special Program Identifier to flag the individual as a VRAP participant. Please note that for
reporting purposes an individual is only considered a VRAP participant once they have
entered training. Individuals should only receive the “VRAP” code if they have been
confirmed to be in training (e.g., an individual is currently in VRAP training and seeks
employment assistance from an American Job Center, an American Job Center Staff member
helped a VRAP participant enroll in training and the veteran has been confirmed in training,
or the veteran is identified in the data file of VRAP participants sent by DOL to the state). In
the event that a VRAP participant is also an Emergency Unemployment Compensation
(EUC) claimant with “REUC” flagged in their Special Program Identifier field, the state
should flag the participant as “VRUC.” This will allow for full reporting on the VRAP as
well as the EUC services required by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of
2012 and extended through 2013 in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. For
information regarding the Special Program identifier for Wagner-Peyser reporting, please
consult the 406 Handbook at
http://www.doleta.gov/performance/guidance/WIA/406_handbook.pdf. States would then be
able to query their systems to provide information on the outcomes for those VRAP
participants registered in Wagner-Peyser. Additionally, if a VRAP participant is placed into
a program funded by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), these individuals should also be
flagged by using the code “VRAP” under the ‘Third NEG Project ID/Special Project ID’
field (Field 313) in the state’s Workforce Investment Act Standard Record Data file.

In order to enroll as many VRAP participants into the Wagner-Peyser program as possible,
and consequently have states report on the participants through the LERS, DOL is
recommending the assigned case managers take the following steps for reporting:

   •       Once the case manager is assigned by the Center Manager, the case manager will
           receive his or her file on VRAP participants and should first query the existing
           reporting system to see if the participant has already been registered in Wagner-
           Peyser or enrolled in WIA. Using the participant’s name, date of birth, address,
           state, zip code, phone number, and email provided in the file the case manager


           should be able to discern if the participant has been registered in Wagner-Peyser
           or enrolled in WIA previously. If the manager can find the participant and can
           reasonably conclude the person is the same as the one already registered, then the
           case manager should flag the individual in the management information system
           with the Special Projects field as “VRAP” or “VRUC” if the participant is also on
           Extended Unemployment. After the participant has been flagged as a VRAP
           participant, the case manager should then provide the outreach and employment
           assistance as outlined in section 5 of this document. (Note: If state management
           information systems are capable of querying the records and flagging individuals
           as “VRAP” or “VRUC,” ETA recommends the state workforce agencies do this
           step before disseminating to local American Job Centers).
   •       If the participant has not already been registered into the Wagner-Peyser program
           or enrolled in the WIA program, then the case manager should provide the
           outreach and employment assistance as outlined in section 5 of this document and
           attempt to have the veteran go to the American Job Center and register for the
           Wagner-Peyser program when receiving employment services. If the individual
           comes to the Center for services, the case manager should flag the participant as a
           VRAP participant in the Special Projects field as “VRAP.”
   •       In order to ensure employment services were offered to every participant, it is
           necessary to document the results of each participant contact. The “Employment
           Assistance” column in the file the states receive from DOL should be used to
           report on the outcome of the contact for each individual:
                o The case manager should put a “1” in the “Employment Assistance”
                   column if the individual was contacted and did not need employment
                   assistance because he or she already had a job.
                o The case manager should put a “2” in the “Employment Assistance”
                   column if the individual was contacted and does not come in to receive
                   employment assistance for any other reason.
                o The case manager should put a “3” in the “Employment Assistance”
                   column if the individual was non-responsive to the offer of employment
                   assistance.
                o The case manager should put a “4” in the “Employment Assistance”
                   column if the individual was either already registered in the Wagner-
                   Peyser program, or if the case manager was able to register the individual
                   after VRAP training was completed.
                o The case manager should put a “5” in the “Employment Assistance”
                   column if the individual was contacted, and the result was other than any
                   of the scenarios listed above.

Each state should collect this information from the American Job Center on a quarterly basis,
so the state can share the file documenting the outreach efforts with DOL. ETA has received
approval of an Information Collection Request from OMB (OMB Control Number: 1205-
0511) so that it may require reports containing this data from the states, due within a 45-day
reporting period following the end of each quarter (see table below for the reports timeline
and submission deadlines). States should send the participant outreach file as an Excel
attachment in an email to [email protected]. States will only need to include the “DOL-assigned


   unique identifier” and the “Employment Assistance” fields in the report they send to DOL
   (Attachment C). States are required to send these files to the [email protected] email account on
   a quarterly basis so DOL can provide timely updates to Congress on outreach efforts for
   providing employment assistance.

7. Collection Timeline. Since OMB approval was granted on May 31, 2013, states will be
   required to collect this information for the quarter beginning July 1, 2013. However,
   previous guidance recommended that states begin collecting this information, and so some
   states may have reports available. If states have been collecting this information, DOL
   requests the first report to include all VRAP exiters from the program inception through
   September 30, 2013 in order to obtain historical data on the program from implementation
   date. After the initial report, subsequent quarterly reports should only report on the
   participants who exited the VRAP program for that quarter. If a VRAP participant exits at
   the end of a quarter, he or she should be reported on in the quarter they exited VRAP (e.g.
   state receives a participant file on 9/30/13, they should include the outreach to the VRAP
   participant on the reports due 11/15/13). The timeline for collection extends over four
   quarters and is outlined by date of collection in the table below:


    Quarter of Collection                           Submission Deadline
    November 2012 through September 30,             November 15, 2013
    2013 (where available)
    October 1, 2013 through December 31,            February 15, 2014
    2013
    January 1, 2014 through March 31, 2014          May 15, 2014
    April 1, 2014 through June 30, 2014             August 15, 2014


8. Action Requested. States should disseminate this guidance to personnel responsible for
   performance reporting on Wagner-Peyser Act and WIA programs. States should also ensure
   local areas receive this guidance so that case managers can familiarize themselves with the
   outreach and reporting requirements for VRAP. States should immediately ensure they
   currently have sFTP software, and if they do not, to access the free software linked in this
   TEGL or other sFTP software. States should ensure they have established methods to
   disseminate participant data to local areas on a regular basis and receive reports to send back
   to DOL.

9. Inquiries. Please direct questions regarding this notice and instructions to the appropriate
   ETA regional office.

10. Attachments.
    A. Guide to obtaining free FTP software
    B. Sample VRAP Participant Report
    C. Sample Quarterly State Outreach Report

Attachment 1: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2013/TEGL_8_12_Chg1_Att_A.pdf

Attachment A
                         Guide to Obtaining Free FTP Software
Using sFTP – Secure File Transfer Protocol

Secure File Transfer Protocol (sFTP) is an interactive file transfer program which performs high
speed file transfer operations over an encrypted secure shell (ssh) transport. Ssh provides secure
encrypted communications between two un-trusted hosts over an insecure network such as the
Internet. In order to retrieve files from the Department of Labor (DOL), the sFTP protocol
allows for high speed data transfers of large files in a secure, encrypted manner.

The DOL Employment and Training Administration (ETA) will be placing the weekly Veterans
Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) data files it receives from the Veterans Administration
on its sFTP server by state. State users will be able to login weekly using any sFTP program and
download the VRAP Excel spreadsheet format data file to their computers.

Many government IT offices already have approved sFTP client programs and simply need the
address of the DOL ETA sFTP server and their username and password to access the files.

For those that are unfamiliar with sFTP, or do not have access to an sFTP client program, there
are many ways to run an sFTP communications program, including installing a command line
program, a Graphical User Interface (GUI) version of the program, or installing an add-on to a
web browser such as Internet Explorer (IE) or FireFox.

A free open source command line version of sFTP initially developed at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) is available from the Putty group (Note – DOL does not endorse
any specific product, there are several products which can be used to fulfill the sFTP
requirements), and can be found at:
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

By right clicking on the sftp.exe program, a compiled program can be downloaded and saved as
a fully working command line version of sFTP to a local computer. No installation is necessary;
the program is ready to run.

To run the program, simply click on the program file in Windows explorer, and users will see a
command line interface box:

The user then types in the command to open a connection to the address of the DOL ETA sFTP
server (e.g. open ftp.google.com).

ETA will provide to each state the ftp address or site name of its ftp server to the approved
contact staff for each state.

The user is then prompted for their username and password, which will be supplied to you by
ETA at a later date as well. Once logged into the ETA ftp server, the user can then list and
retrieve the files.

The basic commands are “ls” for list files, and “get filename.xls” for retrieving to the local
computer. Users must type in the full filename, wildcards such as “*” are not supported. File
transfers are dependent on internet connectivity speeds, but are usually quite fast (less than 30
seconds).

Once a user has retrieved the file, then can disconnect and close the session by typing the
command “exit.”

There are other versions of free sFTP software available as well, including graphical interfaces
such as FileZilla which has an interface that looks like the standard Windows explorer screen
and supports drag and drop operations. FileZilla is available at:

http://filezilla-project.org/

Attachment 2: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2013/TEGL_8_12_Chg1_Att_B.pdf

Attachment B
                               Sample VRAP Participant Report

This attachment is a sample of what each state’s Veterans Retraining Assistance Program
(VRAP) file will look like. Each state will receive a file with their state’s VRAP participants
(e.g. Florida will receive participants from Florida ONLY). This attachment will identify each
data field shared with the states and a quick explanation of what the field is. There will be three
tabs on the workbook: first tab will be new exiters, the second tab will be exiters within the
previous 4-weeks, and the third tab will show all participants within the state.
First – This is the First Name of the VRAP participant.
Middle – This is the Middle Name of the VRAP participant (if applicable).
Last – This is the Last Name of the VRAP participant.
DOB – This is the Date of Birth (DOB) of the VRAP participant (e.g. 1/1/1960).
Email Address – This is the email address provided by the VRAP participant on their
application (Note – This is a required field to complete the application, so every participant
should have an email address).
Phone – This is the phone number provided by the VRAP participant on their application.
High Demand Occupation – This is the occupation chosen by the VRAP participant in which
he or she will receive training.
Address Line 1 – This is the address provided by the VRAP participant on their application
State – This is the state of residence provided by the VRAP participant on their application.
Zipcode – This is the zip code provided by the VRAP participant on their application.
Name of Facility – This is the educational institution in which the VRAP participant received
training.
Course Name – This is the educational program the VRAP participant was trained in (Note –
This may be the course taken, the credential being pursued, or the program in which they are
enrolled).
Objective Name – This is the educational credential the VRAP participant has completed or
terminated from (Note – This can be an Associate’s degree or other educational program).
Notification Weeks – This is the number of weeks remaining to contact the VRAP participant to
offer employment services within the required 30-day period. (Note – This will countdown from
each week starting at “4”)
DOL-Unique ID – This is a unique VRAP participant identifier (ID) established by the
Department of Labor (DOL) (Note – It is not personally identifiable information).
Employment Assistance – This field will be blank when states receive the files, it is to be filled
in by the American Job Center staff to document the outreach to VRAP participants (Note –
Instructions on how to record outreach are provided in the Training and Employment Guidance
Letter).

VRAP Participant Information – Sample
(Attachment B)


                                                                 High                                                                                                          DOL-
                                                                 Demand                                                           Course         Objective      Notification   Unique     Employment
First   Middle   Last   DOB        Email Address    Phone        Occupation    Address      State   Zipcode   Name of Facility    Name           Name           Weeks          ID         Assistance

                                                                                                                                                 Associates
                                                                 Computer      111 Any                                                           in Science
                                                                 Support       Rd.,                           Anytown             Other          (Less than 4
John    James    Doe    1/1/1960   [email protected]   5555555555   Specialists   Anytown FL   FL        99999   Community College   Technologies   Years)                   4    11111111

Attachment 3: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/TEGL/2013/TEGL_8_12_Chg1_Att_C.pdf

Attachment C
                            Sample Quarterly State Outreach Report
This attachment is a sample of the report the Department of Labor (DOL) is requesting states
provide back to DOL on a quarterly basis. The reports can be emailed to the [email protected]
account. This file will only contain two data fields so that no personally identifiable information
(PII) will be transmitted from the states to DOL. Each VRAP participant will have a “DOL –
Unique ID” which will be used to provide an aggregate report to DOL on the services and
outreach provided to each participant. Each state will send in a report quarterly with the
following two fields completed:

DOL – Unique ID – This is provided by DOL in the report, and should be filled out in each
quarterly report.

Employment Assistance – This field is blank when DOL sends the report. This is to be filled
out with a numeric field detailing the outreach performed for the VRAP participant as outlined in
the Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) and below. (Note – In the sample report
a “1” is filled in, this means the individual was contacted and did not come in to receive
additional services because he or she has already found employment. This individual would
have been registered into Wagner-Peyser reporting. For each DOL-Unique ID, there should be a
“1”, “2”, “3”, “4” or “5” entered based on the level of outreach done for each participant.)
    The above described outreach attempts in the TEGL will result in one of the following
    scenarios and responses:
             1. Contact made, participant already found employment: In this scenario, the
                 participant may not want/need additional services as he or she has already found
                 employment. However, since this individual will not be a new registrant in the
                 Wagner-Peyser program this outcome will not be counted for workforce system
                 performance purposes but will need to be tracked for documenting outreach and
                 reporting for VRAP. If this scenario occurs, enter a “1” in the Employment
                 Assistance field next to the appropriate DOL-Unique ID.
             2. Contact made, participant is not seeking further assistance: If a participant is not
                 willing to participate in additional follow-up services or refuses to register for
                 Wagner Peyser Services over the phone then this outcome will not be counted for
                 performance purposes but will need to be tracked for documenting outreach and
                 reporting for VRAP. If this scenario occurs, enter a “2” in the Employment
                 Assistance field next to the appropriate DOL-Unique ID.
             3. Contact cannot be made: after three unsuccessful attempts to contact the veteran
                 within the specified 30 thirty day timeframe the veteran will be deemed “non-
                 responsive.” The individual will be excluded for performance purposes but
                 documentation of outreach to veteran will need to be maintained. If this scenario
                 occurs, enter a “3” in the Employment Assistance field next to the appropriate
                 DOL-Unique ID.
             4. Contact made, participant looking for a job/requests further assistance: All
                 attempts should be made to persuade the veteran to come into the American Job
                 Center, or to sign-up for Wagner-Peyser services virtually. This will not only
                 allow for staff to better serve and track the participant, but it will also greatly aid

   in providing performance outcomes. If this scenario occurs, enter a “4” in the
   Employment Assistance field next to the appropriate DOL-Unique ID.

5. Contact made, result is other than scenarios listed above: There are possible
   situations where a veteran may be contacted and one of the scenarios above did
   not occur. If this scenario occurs, enter a “5” in the Employment Assistance field
   next to the appropriate DOL-Unique ID.

Participant Tracking - Sample (Attachment C)
DOL- Unique ID Employment Assistance
      11111111                                 1