Trade Adjustment Assistance Program (TAA)

 

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program is a federal entitlement program that assists U.S. workers who lose their jobs or are threatened with job loss as a result of foreign trade. The TAA Program, established by the Trade Act of 1974, has been amended eleven times over the past 48 years. The program was terminated as of 06/30/2022.

The Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 terminates the TAA Program on July 1, 2022. Termination follows a one-year period from July 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, known as Reversion 2021, which limited group eligibility, reduced program funding, and restricted benefits available to workers.

Program termination means the Department of Labor is unable to certify new petitions for TAA after June 30, 2022. Petitions filed an approved prior to 06/30/2023 are not affected by termination.

TAA Termination Fact Sheet (dol.gov)

For more information contact TradeActNH@NHES.nh.gov

Informational Brochures and Links

• Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program Brochure (English)
• Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program Brochure (Spanish)
• On the Job Training
• Trade Adjustment Reform Act, Department of Labor

 

Trade Adjustment Assistance Program

The TAA program has and will continue to help workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade to quickly rejoin the workforce by providing them with the means to attain competitive and marketable skills for today’s increasingly competitive work environment.

 

Petition

The first step to receiving TAA benefits and services is to file a petition on-line with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) through https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/tradeact/petitioners or by contacting one of our resource center staff at NH Works.

The petition may be filed by:

• A group of two or more workers from the same firm
• A certified or recognized union or other duly authorized representative of the group of workers to include the employer(s) of the group of workers: an American Job Center operator or American Job Center partners including State workforce officials, employment security agencies, or dislocated worker unit and rapid response team members

Upon receiving a petition, DOL initiates an investigation to determine whether the circumstances of the layoff meet the group eligibility criteria established by the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.

NH serves Trade affected workers through in-person and virtual settings in our American Job Centers named NH Works. If your employer is TAA-certified, you can reach out to the local NH Works office for assistance in learning more about and enrolling in one of the TAA benefit programs below:

 

Petition filing instructions

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/tradeact/petitioners

 

Program Benefits

The program offers a variety of benefits and services to eligible workers, including:

• Job training
• Income support (TRA)
• Job search and relocation allowances
• Tax credit to help with the costs of health insurance (HCTC)
• Wage supplement to certain reemployed trade-affected workers that are at least 50 years of age or older (RTAA)
• https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/tradeact/benefits

 

Training Assistance

The TAA program assists eligible workers to re-train in high wage-high demand careers. Training assistance through the TAA program pays 100% of all required training costs; including tuition, books, fees, and required materials/supplies.
Approved training programs may include:

• Classroom Training
• Occupational skills training (technical certificates, Associate degrees, Bachelor’s degrees, etc.)
• Remedial training and Pre-requisite training (Adult Basic Education, High School Equivalency, etc.)
• Employer-Based Training
• On-the-Job Training (OJT)

Apprenticeship training Individuals interested in applying for TAA training assistance must engage with a Job Center Trade Representative or Trade Navigator. To get started, locate your local NH Works.

 

Job Search Assistance

Looking for a job can be stressful. Whether you are looking for a new job, considering a change in career paths, or developing a plan for your career, the TAA program can help! The TAA program and your local Job Center offers a wide variety of services to assist your job search efforts.

 

Job Search Allowance

The TAA program assists eligible workers who search for work outside of the normal commuting area (10 miles) by reimbursing costs incurred to travel to the job search activity. Job Search Allowance reimburses 90% of pre-approved expenses incurred while attending an approved job search activity (e.g. interview, employer testing, job fair, etc.) up to $1,250.00.

 

Relocation Allowance

The TAA program assists eligible workers who successfully obtain qualifying employment outside of the normal commuting area (10 miles) and must relocate for the new employment. The Relocation Allowance benefit pays 90% of pre-approved expenses incurred to move the participant, family, and household goods plus a one-time lump sum payment of $1,250.

 

Case Management Services

The TAA program offers a host of case management services to assist you in your job search needs. These services include:

• Comprehensive and Specialized Assessments
• Individual Employment Plans (IEP)
• Information on Available Training Providers/Programs
• Financial Aid Information
• Short-Term Pre-Vocational Services
• Employment Statistics Information (Labor Market Information)
• Supportive Service Information

Individuals interested in applying for TAA job search assistance must engage with a Trade Representative. To get started, locate your local NH Works.

Income Support

• Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA)

Individuals who plan to participate or who are actively participating in full-time TAA-approved training may be eligible to receive up to an additional 104-weeks of income support if enrolled within 26-weeks of the TAA certification or individual separation date from the trade-affected employer, whichever is later.

 

• Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA)

TAA participants age 50 or older who gain re-employment making less than their separation wage from the trade-affected employer, may be eligible for the RTAA or ATAA Benefit. RTTA and ATAA are wage subsidies that provide 50% of the difference between the separation wage and reemployment wage up to $10,000 or two-years, whichever occurs first.

Individuals interested in applying for TAA income support must engage with a Trade Representative. To get started, locate your local NH Works.

 

• Health Coverage Tax Credit

TAA participants who are actively engaged in the TAA program and receiving unemployment insurance compensation, Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA), Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) or Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) wage subsidy payments may be eligible to apply for the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC).

If you are enrolled in a qualified healthcare plan and meet the above TAA requirements, you may be able to apply for a tax credit of 72.5% of your monthly healthcare premiums.

HCTC is administered solely by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

For additional information regarding HCTC benefits or to apply for the HCTC benefit, please contact the IRS at http://www.irs.gov/HCTC or by calling (844)-853-7210.

 

Who Qualifies

If a worker is a member of a worker group certified by the DOL, that worker may be eligible to receive benefits.

6 Criteria for Approval of Training Once Petition is Approved

• There is no suitable employment (which may include technical and professional employment) available for the adversely affected worker
• The worker would benefit from appropriate training
• There is a reasonable expectation of employment following completion of such training
• Training approved by the Secretary is reasonably available to the worker from either governmental agencies or private sources
• The worker is qualified to undertake and complete such training
• Such training is suitable for the worker and available at a reasonable cost

 

What to Expect

TAA Process

 

Status of petition

To find out the status of a certification or to review companies previously certified under the Trade Act, select Determinations and enter the State on which you wish to obtain information on the US Department of Labor's at https://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/petitioners/taa_search_form.cfm.

 

Where to Get Help

Raquel Rocha, Trade Act Coordinator
45 South Fruit Street
Concord, NH 03301-3857
(603) 228-4056 Fax: (603) 229-4355
Raquel.A.Rocha@nhes.nh.gov or contact your local NHES office