Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is available to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of trade with other countries. TAA includes a variety of benefits and services to help unemployment workers find a new job. Workers may be eligible for training, reemployment services and money to move to a new location for a job. Assistance may also include Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) which provides a weekly income if your benefits have run out and you are still unemployed.
Every 30 days, you will be sent a Progress and Attendance in TAA Approved Training K-BEN 5424 form. Provide this form to the school you are attending. The school must certify that you are attending full time, that you are attending all scheduled classes and activities and that you are making satisfactory progress in the course of training. If you are not attending full-time, have not attended all classes and activities or are not making satisfactory progress, then you may be denied benefits.
There are three types of TRA benefits: Basic TRA, Additional TRA and Completion TRA. In addition to meeting the qualification requirements, there are particular windows of time each type of TRA can be paid to you.
Basic TRA
There is a 104-week eligibility period for Basic TRA. This window of time begins running the week after your most recent layoff. During this 104-week period, you will first receive your UI benefits until they exhaust. After exhausting your UI benefits, if you are still meeting all TRA qualification requirements, you can begin drawing Basic TRA benefits.
Additional TRA
Additional TRA is payable within a 78-week eligibility period that begins when Basic TRA ends or whenever full-time training begins if at some point after Basic TRA ends. However, you may only receive 65 weekly payments during this 78-week period. Additional TRA has an additional qualification requirement that you must actually be attending full-time training in order to be eligible for Additional TRA.
Completion TRA
Within the last 20 weeks of your training, Completion TRA is available to you for up to 13 weeks of payment. You must be attending training, must substantially meet required performance benchmarks of the training program and must complete the training within the 20-week period.
For more information on TRA call: (785) 291-6142