Operational Guidance | OG 01-2025: Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) Statewide Long-Term Unemployed and Significantly Underemployed Definitions
- Date: February 6, 2025
- Subject: Disaster Recovery National Dislocated Worker Grant (NDWG) Statewide Long-Term Unemployed and Significantly Underemployed Definitions
- From: Andrea L. DeSantis, Assistant Secretary for Workforce
Purpose:
The purpose of this guidance is to provide definitions for “long-term unemployed” and “significantly underemployed” specific to the Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant (DWG), determine basic eligibility under “temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the emergency or disaster,” and to establish acceptable source documentation to determine such eligibilities.
Background:
Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), 20 CFR 687.170(b) establishes eligibility for participants to enroll in allowable activities and receive services provided through Disaster Recovery DWG, including individuals temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the emergency or disaster, dislocated workers as defined in WIOA Sec. 3(15), long-term unemployed individuals, and self-employed individuals who become unemployed or significantly underemployed as a result of the emergency or disaster. Pursuant to the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) Employment and Training Administration’s (ETA’s) Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 09-24, Disaster Recovery DWG recipients are responsible for developing written policies and procedures for determining participant eligibility, such as long-term unemployed and significantly underemployed. Further, USDOL recommends that states and other entities eligible to apply for Disaster Recovery DWG develop a definition for long-term unemployed individuals in the manner that best meets their local needs and maximizes access to services with a reasonable interpretation of the term “long-term unemployed.”
Action:
Local Workforce Development Boards and the Division of Workforce Solutions are to use the attached definitions and source documentation for eligibility for Disaster Recovery DWG applicants. The attachment should be distributed to appropriate parties involved in participant eligibility.
Effective Date:
October 11, 2024
Expiration:
Indefinite
Contact:
Programmatic Monitor
Attachment:
Long-Term Unemployed and Significantly Underemployed Definitions