2023 consolidated WIOA grant applications for outlying areas, Change 1

CLASSIFICATION
   EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION                WIOA/Wagner-Peyser
               ADVISORY SYSTEM                           CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
          U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR                       OWI-DASG
             Washington, D.C. 20210                      DATE
                                                         June 2, 2023

ADVISORY:       TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT GUIDANCE LETTER NO. 15-22, Change 1

TO:             STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES
                ALL STATE WORKFORCE LIAISONS

FROM:           BRENT PARTON
                Acting Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:        Change 1 to Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 15-22:
                Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult, Dislocated Worker,
                and Youth Activities Program Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2023; PY
                2023 Allotments for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES)
                Program; and PY 2023 Allotments of Workforce Information Grants to States

1. Purpose. To provide information to outlying areas (American Samoa, Commonwealth of the
   Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Republic of Palau, and U.S. Virgin Islands) on submitting
   a single application for WIOA title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities
   program allotments for PY 2023.

2. Action Requested. Outlying areas must follow the requirements in this guidance, designated
   in the attachment as Appendix VII, to obtain the federal funds needed to manage their WIOA
   title I programs as a consolidated grants.

3. Summary and Background.

   a. Summary – TEGL No. 15-22 indicated the Employment and Training Administration
      (ETA) would provide additional guidance specifically to outlying areas, and this Change
      1 provides that guidance.

   b. Background – TEGL No. 15-22, issued on April 21, 2023, announced PY 2023 WIOA
      state and outlying area allotments and provided guidance on how to request those funds.
      The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, allows outlying areas to submit a single
      application according to the requirements established by the Secretary for a consolidated
      grant for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth funds.

4. Instructions. In TEGL No. 15-22, Appendices I through VI provided guidance, and
   Attachments A through K provided formula descriptions and allotment tables. This change 1
   provides Appendix VII with specific instructions to outlying areas for a consolidated
   application and reporting requirements. Outlying areas must follow steps identified in
   Appendix VI if they are not consolidating the Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth funds.

  RESCISSIONS                                             EXPIRATION DATE
  None                                                    Continuing

   Outlying areas must follow steps identified in Appendix VII if they do want to consolidate
   those funds into a single grant.

5. Inquiries. Please direct questions to the appropriate ETA Regional Office.

6. References.

   •   TEGL No. 15-22, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult, Dislocated
       Worker and Youth Activities Program Allotments for Program Year (PY) 2023; PY 2023
       Allotments for the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES) Program; and PY 2023
       Allotments of Workforce Information Grants to States,
       https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/advisories/tegl-15-22; and
   •   Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328).

7. Attachment(s).

   •   Appendix VII: Submission Requirements and Financial Reporting for Outlying Areas
       WIOA Title I Grant Consolidation

Appendix VII – Submission Requirements and Financial Reporting for Outlying Areas
WIOA Title I Grant Consolidation

1. Submission Requirements. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, an outlying
   area may choose to consolidate WIOA title I funding for Program Year (PY) 2023. To apply
   for a consolidated award, an outlying area must submit an electronically signed copy of an
   SF- 424, Application for Federal Assistance, through Grants.gov for a single WIOA grant
   award under the Funding Opportunity Number listed below. Outlying areas that do not
   choose to consolidate funds must follow the same submission requirements as identified in
   Appendix VI for states.

        •    ETA-TEGL-15-22-Ch1-OA [CFDA 17.290]

  Attachment K provides the total PY (April/July) and FY (October) amounts available under a
  consolidated grant application for any outlying area requesting a consolidated grant. The
  electronically submitted SF-424 through Grants.gov constitutes an official signed document
  and reflects the amount for the consolidation of WIOA title I funding streams for an outlying
  area. The closing date for receipt of the SF-424 is 30 days from the issue of this TEGL,
  Change 1.

  For outlying areas whose consolidated grant application is approved, the PY 2023 WIOA
  Youth funds will be awarded during the period of availability beginning April 2023. The PY
  2023 “base” allotment of WIOA Adult and Dislocated Worker funds will be awarded during
  the period of availability beginning July 2023. The FY 2024 “advance” allotment of WIOA
  Adult and Dislocated Worker funds will be awarded in the period of availability starting
  October 2023. A copy of the executed PY 2023 WIOA Agreement will be available upon
  award of funds.

  In addition, Guam and Virgin Islands must submit an electronically signed SF-424,
  Application for Federal Assistance, through Grants.gov for each Wagner-Peyser Act
  Employment Service (ES) program under Funding Opportunity Numbers:

   •        ETA-TEGL-15-22-ES [CFDA 17.207]
   •        ETA-TEGL-15-22-WIG [CFDA 17.207]

  Guam and Virgin Islands must follow the instructions in this TEGL to receive Workforce
  Information Grants to States (WIGS) funding, including submission of SF-424s. Note that WIGS
  have specific grant deliverable requirements not outlined in this document. A forthcoming TEGL
  will list these grant deliverable requirements for all WIGS grantees.

  An electronically submitted SF-424 through Grants.gov constitutes an official signed
  document and must reflect the amount for each ES program and WIGS. The closing date for
  receipt of each ES program SF-424 is 30 days from the issue date of this TEGL. ETA will
  award the ES program and WIGS funds in July 2023. A copy of the executed PY 2023 ES
  Agreement will be available upon award of funds.

Appendix VII                               -1-

2. Grants.gov Submission Process. Outlying areas must submit the SF-424, Application for
   Federal Assistance, through Grants.gov. Outlying areas needing to register with Grants.gov
   may do so here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-registration.html
   Registration is a one-time process, and outlying areas that already have a Grants.gov account
   do not need to register again. To submit the required SF-424s, outlying areas must:

   •    Select the SEARCH GRANTS tab on the Grants.gov homepage.
   •    Under the section, BASIC SEARCH CRITERIA, enter the Funding Opportunity Number
        referenced above in Section 1 of this appendix for the combined WIOA funding streams
        (i.e. “ETA-TEGL”). Guam and Virgin Islands will also enter in the Funding Opportunity
        Number for each of the two Wagner-Peyser funding streams.
   •    Select the link to the applicable Opportunity Number provided in the search results.
   •    Select the PACKAGE tab.
   •    Under the ACTIONS column, select APPLY.

   Submitting the SF-424 through Grants.gov constitutes an electronically signed SF-424,
   Application for Federal Assistance. For WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth
   Outlying Areas Consolidated Grants and the Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service grants
   (Guam and Virgin Islands), the Estimated Funding section of the SF-424 (item #18) must
   reflect the exact amount of the designated outlying area allotment, referenced in the
   attachments to TEGL 15-22. Additionally, Item #11 of the SF-424 must include the Catalog
   of Federal Domestic Assistance Number (CFDA) for the applicable WIOA funding stream,
   which is referenced above in Section 1. Also, Item #15 of the SF-424 must indicate the
   amount of Indirect Costs claimed by the recipient. Example: “Indirect Costs for this award
   are estimated at $19,000.” (A dollar amount must be inserted even if it is $0).

  This submission process can be complicated and time-consuming. As such, the Department
  strongly encourages outlying areas to initiate the process as soon as possible, in order to allow
  time to resolve unanticipated technical problems.

  As of April 4, 2022, the DUNS Number was replaced by a new, non-proprietary identifier
  requested in and assigned by SAM.gov. This new identifier is being called the Unique Entity
  Identifier (UEI), or the Entity ID. To learn more about SAM’s rollout of the UEI, please visit
  the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA), Unique Entity Identifier Update webpage.

  Before submitting, outlying areas must also ensure their registration with the System for
  Award Management (SAM) is current. (SAM replaced the Central Contractor
  Registry.) Instructions for registering with SAM can be found at
  https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. An awardee must maintain an active SAM
  registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award
  or an application under consideration. To remain registered in the SAM database after the
  initial registration, outlying areas must review and update the registration at least every 12
  months from the date of initial registration. Failure to register with SAM and maintain an
  active account will result in Grants.gov rejecting your submission.

Appendix VII                                -2-

  For technical issues encountered during application submission, outlying areas may call 800-
  518-4726 or 606-545-5035 to speak to a Customer Support Representative, or email the
  address found in https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html. The Contact Center is
  open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but closes on federal holidays.

  Outlying areas should e-mail all submission questions to Janice Sheelor, Grants Management
  Specialist, at [email protected]. The email must reference the specific Funding
  Opportunity Number, and include a contact name, email address, and phone number.

3. Separate Grants. For all states and outlying areas receiving WIOA and Wagner-Peyser
   formula grants, ETA has determined that it is necessary to de-couple programs that were
   previously awarded under a single grant prior to PY 2023 and execute them as separate
   awards as part of an ongoing effort to improve data quality and fulfill reporting requirements
   to USASpending.gov. Prior to PY 2023, the annual allotments for the three separate WIOA
   programs were distributed under a single grant award using the “AA” program identifier.
   Similarly, while the Wagner-Peyser ES Program grant and the Workforce Information Grants
   were distributed under a single grant award using the “ES” program identifier. Starting in PY
   2023, ETA will award a separate grant to states and outlying areas for each WIOA and ES
   program unless an outlying area submits a consolidated grant application and is approved.

  For the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Outlying Areas Consolidated Grant, this
  will result in a grant award as follows:

   •   PY 2023 WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Outlying Areas Consolidated
       Grants and FY 2024 Advance funding under program identifier “AO.”

  For the Employment Service programs for Guam and Virgin Islands, this will result in two
  separate grant awards as follows:

   •   Wagner-Peyser ES Program: PY 2023 ES funding under program identifier “WP.”
   •   Workforce Information Grants to States (WIGS): PY 2023 WIGS funding under
       program identifier “WG.”

4. Reporting. For the WIOA formula programs consolidated grant, outlying areas are required
   to submit two ETA 9130 Basic quarterly financial status reports each quarter. One will cover
   funds received for the periods beginning in April and July (see Attachment K Totals Column
   for PY Apr/July). A separate report is required for the funds received for the period beginning
   in October (see Attachment K Totals Column for FY October). The WIOA quarterly financial
   reports cover financial data, in one report, for the sum of statewide Youth, statewide Adult,
   statewide Dislocated Worker, statewide Rapid Response (Dislocated Worker activities), local
   Youth, local Adult, and local Dislocated Worker activities. For many outlying areas, there
   may not be a distinction between “statewide” and “local” activities. The Department also
   requires Guam and Virgin Islands to submit the designated financial reports each quarter for
   the ES program funds and the WIGS funds. ETA will provide future guidance regarding any
   modified performance reporting requirements.

Appendix VII                                -3-

  Please refer to published ETA guidance and instructions on the ETA Advisory publication
  page (https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/).

5. Grant Award Descriptions.

  WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Outlying Areas Consolidated Grants

  Purpose: The purpose of the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Outlying Areas
  Consolidated Grants is to serve individuals and help employers meet their workforce needs.
  This program enables workers to obtain good jobs by providing them with career services like
  job search assistance, training opportunities, and services to enter or re-enter the workforce.
  This program also can deliver comprehensive youth services that focus on assisting out-of-
  school youth and in-school youth, with one or more barriers to employment, prepare for
  employment and postsecondary education opportunities; attain educational and/or skills
  training credentials; and secure employment with career/promotional opportunities.
  Activities to be performed: WIOA specifies that most WIOA services provided for the
  Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs, are delivered through the American Job
  Center network, also known as one-stop career centers. Outlying areas receiving a
  consolidated grant may use funds interchangeably between Adult, Youth, and Dislocated
  Worker programs.
  Expected outcomes: Outcomes for the WIOA consolidated grants for outlying areas are to
  ensure that individuals can access and receive the employment and training services they are
  eligible for, so that they may become employed or advance in employment. For youth served,
  program outcomes are to provide activities that lead to the attainment of a secondary school
  diploma or recognized post-secondary credential and/or employment. Grantees report against
  performance measures for these outcomes. ETA will provide future guidance regarding any
  modified performance reporting requirements.
  Intended beneficiaries: Services provided under the WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and
  Youth Outlying Areas Consolidated Grants are available to any individuals who would
  qualify for eligibility under the WIOA Title I Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth programs.
  Subrecipient Activities: The grantees may subaward funds from the WIOA Adult,
  Dislocated Worker, and Youth Outlying Areas Consolidated Grants to provide
  individualized career services, training, supportive services and youth service activities
  including tutoring; paid and unpaid work experiences, occupational skill training, follow-up
  services; and comprehensive guidance and counseling, and supportive services.

  Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Service (ES)

  Purpose: The purpose of the ES program is to bring together individuals looking for
  employment and employers looking for job seekers. The program does this by providing a
  variety of services, which are available to all individuals. The program provides job seekers
  with career services, including labor exchange services, job search assistance, workforce
  information, referrals to employment, and other assistance. Employers can use the ES to post
  job orders and obtain qualified applicants.

Appendix VII                               -4-

  Activities to be performed: The ES is a universal access program that provides services to
  all individuals who need services. Allowable services include assessments of career interests,
  career guidance when appropriate, job search workshops, and referral to jobs or training as
  appropriate. Services offered to employers include referral of job seekers to job openings;
  matching job requirements with applicants' experience, skills and other attributes; helping
  with special recruitment needs; assisting employers with hard-to-fill job orders; assisting with
  job restructuring; and helping employers assist laid-off workers. Training services are not
  provided and not allowable under the ES program.
  Expected Outcomes: The ES program outcomes are to ensure that individuals are able to
  access and receive the services they need to overcome barriers to employment and reenter the
  workforce system as quickly as possible.
  Intended beneficiaries: This is a universal access program that is available to all individuals
  who are US citizens.
  Subrecipient Activities: The grantees may subaward funds to conduct LMI research.

  Workforce Information Grants to States (WIGS) program

  Purpose: The purpose of this grant is to develop and disseminate essential state and local
  labor market information (LMI) for a range of customer groups: 1) job seekers; 2)
  businesses/employers; 3) workforce and labor market intermediaries such as employment,
  school, and career counselors, and case managers at American Job Centers, who help
  individuals find a job or make career decisions, or engage businesses seeking skilled workers;
  4) program and service planners at educational institutions and community-based
  organizations; 5) policy makers, including state and local workforce development boards
  (WDBs); 6) partners, such as economic development entities and human resource
  professionals; and 7) other customers, including recipients of workforce development grants,
  researchers, commercial data providers, and the media.
  Activities to be performed: Grantees must populate and maintain a database (the Workforce
  Information Database or WID), produce two types of public products (employment
  projections and a statewide economic analysis report), and ensure LMI staff are adequately
  trained. ETA also encourages grantees to produce other reports and data in addition to those
  required. Grantees have wide discretion in both the topics and presentation format. These
  reports should include accurate data, actionable information, and resources that enable data
  users to make informed decisions about the reemployment, work-based learning, training, and
  career pathways strategies that lead to rapid reemployment and worker advancement along a
  continuum of high-demand and higher wage jobs.
  Expected Outcomes: By performing these duties users of LMI will have sufficient
  information to make informed decisions regarding employment, careers, education, and
  training.
  Intended Beneficiaries: Job seekers, employers, staff in American Job Centers, state and
  local WDBs, national/state/local policy makers, students, academic researchers, labor market
  analysts, and other users of LMI.
  Subrecipient Activities: An outlying area may use WIGS funding to work with a
  subrecipient to conduct a study or research an LMI topic when a state LMI office does not
  have sufficient staffing or knowledge to conduct the work themselves.

Appendix VII                                -5-