Corrected 2015 lower living standard income levels

CLASSIFICATION
   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION                  WIOA
               ADVISORY SYSTEM                             CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR                         OWI/Workforce Information
             Washington, D.C. 20210                        DATE
                                                           December 22, 2015

ADVISORY: TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 10-15

TO:           STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
              STATE WORKFORCE ADMINISTRATORS
              STATE LABOR COMMISSIONERS
              STATE AND LOCAL WORKFORCE BOARD CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS
              STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS
              STATE LABOR MARKET INFORMATION, WORKFORCE INFORMATION,
              OR RESEARCH DIRECTORS

FROM:         BYRON ZUIDEMA /s/ for PORTIA WU
              Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:      Correction to the 2015 Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL).

1. Purpose. To provide program guidance on the application of the LLSIL corrections for
   eligibility determination.

2. References.
   • Federal Register /Vol. 80, No. 136 /Thursday, July 16, 2015 pp. 42123-42124.
      Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; Lower Living Standard Income Level
      (LLSIL) Correction
   • Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 59 / Friday, March 27, 2015 pp. 16450-16456 Workforce
      Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA); Lower Living Standard Income Level
   • Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, (Pub. L. 113-28) Section 3(36)(B)

3. Background. The Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration (ETA)
   issues an annual lower level standard income level (LLSIL) which is used for determining
   income eligibility in WIOA title I programs including the Youth program and Indian and
   Native American Program. The term ‘‘low-income individual’’ is defined in WIOA Section
   (3)(36) and includes six different components. One of the components is an individual who
   is in a family with total family income that does not exceed the higher of—
   (I) the poverty line; or
   (II) 70 percent of the lower living standard income level.

   ETA issued the initial LLSIL information via Federal Register Notice on March 27, 2015.
   Subsequently, ETA issued a correction to the annual LLSIL on July 16, 2015, also via a
   Federal Register Notice. The corrections changed the income threshold used for eligibility
   for certain areas. These corrections applied to values for three regions within Tables 1, 4, and
   5 of the LLSIL listings.
 RESCISSIONS                                              EXPIRATION DATE
 None                                                     Continuing

4. Application of the LLSIL Corrections. All program participants who were determined
   eligible for services under the LLSIL levels published in the March 27, 2015 Federal Register
   Notice should remain eligible for WOIA Title I services, even if they would not qualify under
   the corrected LLSIL levels. All program participants whose eligibility is determined
   subsequent to this notification should be evaluated based on the LLSIL levels provided in the
   July 16, 2015 Federal Register Notice, and currently posted on the ETA Web site at
   http://www.doleta.gov/Programs/lsa.cfm. Any eligibility determinations made using the
   corrected LLSIL levels on July 16, 2015 or thereafter are and remain valid.

5. Action Requested. States should take note of and begin using the correct LLSIL levels as
   described in Section 4.

6. Inquiries. Questions regarding this guidance should be directed to the appropriate ETA
   regional office.

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