Trade Adjustment Assistance Program

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers Program assists workers who have been laid off or whose jobs have been threatened (e.g., reduced hours or reduced wages) because of foreign trade or competition. The TAA program provides resources to help trade-affected workers obtain new skills and find suitable employment. Workers covered under an U.S. Department of Labor certified Trade Act petition may be eligible to receive TAA program benefits including:

• Training and marketable credentials
• Career and reemployment services
• Income support, known as Trade Readjustment Allowance(s)
• Job Search Allowances
• Relocation Allowances
• Wage supplements for workers aged 50 and older

• Help for Trade-Affected Workers (Frequently Asked Questions)

Trade Act Petition Certification

The TAA program provides resources to help workers obtain new skills and find suitable employment when foreign trade or competition reduces the demand for the products they make or the services they provide. For group eligibility, a Trade Act petition must be filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. To file a petition, the eligible entities are trade-affected companies, worker unions, two or more trade-affected workers, or the Local TAA Coordinator. For petition assistance or program eligibility questions, please contact the Florida Department of Commerce State Trade Program’s TAA Petition Navigation Leads. After the US Department of Labor investigates the petition filing, it determines whether the statutory criteria have been met. If the Department of Labor grants the petition to certify the worker group, then individual workers may apply for TAA services and benefits. If a petition has been certified, it does not ensure every individual worker’s eligibility. Identified workers will be mailed a certified letter by the Florida Department of Commerce's State Trade Program notifying them when and where to file an individual initial application for TAA program benefits.

Trade Adjustment Assistance Program Benefits

When the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) certifies a petition indicating a group of workers as eligible for worker trade adjustment assistance, USDOL establishes an "impact date" identifying when layoffs, reduced work schedules or threats of layoffs began due to increased foreign competition from imports or because of a shift in production from the trade impacted employer to any foreign country. All workers in the group may apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) including Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) and other benefits. Upon individual review and determination, if a worker is found eligible for TRA, then these benefits will provide income support to workers enrolled inTrade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) approved training as well as those workers who have been placed on a waiver of training requirements.

Certified Trade Act Petitions

• U.S. Department of Labor Latest Trade Act Certifications
• Florida’s Latest Trade Act Certifications

State Resources

• Policy and Guidance
• Help for Trade-Affected Workers (Frequently Asked Questions)
• State Rapid Response Program 
• TAA Statewide Training Materials
• What-to-Expect: From-Petition-to-Participation
• Co-enrollment Help Center

Participant Success Stories

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program seeks to provide adversely affected workers with opportunities to obtain the skills, credentials, resources, and support necessary to (re)build skills for future jobs. The TAA Program provides training, employment and case management services, job search allowances, relocation allowances, income support in the form of Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA), and income supplementation in the form of Reemployment TAA (RTAA). Read the success stories from our trade-affected workers:

Florida Success Stories
USDOL Success Stories
U.S. Department of Labor TAA Success Story Form
U.S. Department of Labor Authorization to Release Information Form