WIOA Program FAQ

WIOA Program

• Who is eligible to receive services under the WIOA program?

  • Adults: individuals over 18 years of age
  • Dislocated workers: individuals who become unemployed through no fault of their own and displaced homemakers
  • Employed workers: individuals who are employed but need services to obtain or retain employment which leads to self-sufficiency
  • Youth: individuals age 14 years to 24 years of age, (youth who fall between the ages of 18 and 24 may receive services as a youth or adult or both at the same time)

• What are the eligibility criteria for Adult Program?

  To be eligible to receive career services as an adult in the adult and dislocated worker programs, an individual must be 18 years of age or older.

  Individuals between 18 years of age and 24 years may be served as an Adult or Youth or co-enrolled in both programs.

• What are the eligibility criteria for the Dislocated Worker Program?

  The term ‘‘dislocated worker’’ means an individual who:

  • (A) has been terminated or laid off, or who has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment; is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation; or has been employed for a duration sufficient to demonstrate, to the appropriate entity at a one-stop center, attachment to the workforce, but is not eligible for unemployment compensation due to insufficient earnings or having performed services for an employer that were not covered under a State unemployment compensation law; and (iii) is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation;
  • (B) has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment as a result of any permanent closure of, or any substantial layoff at, a plant, facility, or enterprise; is employed at a facility at which the employer has made a general announcement that such facility will close within 180 days; or for purposes of eligibility to receive services other than training services, career services, or supportive services, is employed at a facility at which the employer has made a general announcement that such facility will close;
  • (C) was self-employed (including employment as a farmer, a rancher, or a fisherman) but is unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the community in which the individual resides or because of natural disasters;
  • (D) is a displaced homemaker; or
  • (E) is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, and who has experienced a loss of employment as a direct result of relocation to accommodate a permanent change in duty station of such member; or is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and who  is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.

• What are the eligibility criteria for Youth Programs?

  WIOA Section 129(a)(1) establishes the eligibility criteria that an individual must meet to participate in the WIOA youth program. Every individual receiving services under the WIOA youth program must meet either the In-School Youth or as an Out-of-School Youth eligibility criteria and enroll in the program. All youth must be a United States citizen or have the right to work in the U.S. and males must comply with selective service registration requirements. Separate eligibility criteria for ISY and OSY are outlined below.

  In School Youth (ISY)

  An individual who meets the ISY eligibility criteria must:

  1. Be attending school, including secondary or postsecondary school and,

  2. Be between the ages of 14 and 21 at the time of enrollment and,

  3. Low-income, and

  4. Meet one or more of the following conditions:

   Basic skills deficient.

   An English language learner.

   An offender.

   A homeless individual.

   A runaway.

   An individual in foster care or has aged out of the foster care system.

   A child eligible for assistance under section 477 of the Social Security Act or in an out-of-home placement.

   An individual who is pregnant or parenting.

   A youth who is an individual with a disability.

   An individual who requires additional assistance to complete an educational program or to secure or hold employment. Note: Up to five percent of youth in a given program year (ISY and OSY, who ordinarily would be required to meet the low-income criteria for eligibility purposes, are allowed a low-income exemption based on this barrier).

  Out-of-School Youth (OSY)

  An individual who meets the OSY eligibility criteria must:

  1. Not be attending school and,

  2. Be between the ages of 16 to 24 at the time of enrollment, and

  3. Meet one or more of the following conditions:

   A school dropout.

   A youth who is within the age of compulsory school attendance, but has not attended school for at least the most recent complete school year calendar quarter.

   A recipient of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent who is a low-income individual and is—  Basic skills deficient or  An English language learner.

   An offender.

   A homeless individual.

   A runaway.

   In foster care or has aged out of the foster care system.

   Eligible for assistance under section 477 of the Social Security Act

   In an out-of-home placement.

   Pregnant or parenting.

   Have a documented disability.

   A low-income individual who requires additional assistance to enter or complete an educational program or to secure or hold employment. Note: Up to five percent of youth in a given program year (ISY and OSY), who ordinarily would be required to meet the low-income criteria for eligibility purposes, are allowed a low-income exemption based on this barrier. 

• What are Career Services?

  • Basic Career Services
  • Individualized Career Services
  • Follow-up Services

• What are Basic Career Services?

  • Eligibility determination
  • Outreach, intake (including worker profiling), and orientation to information and other services available through the one-stop delivery system. For the TANF program, States must provide individuals with the opportunity to initiate an application for TANF assistance and non-assistance benefits and services, which could be implemented through the provision of paper application forms or links to the application Web site
  • Initial Assessment of skill levels including literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency, as well as aptitudes, abilities (including skills gaps), and supportive services needs
  • Labor exchange services, including job search and placement assistance, recruits and other business services on behalf of the employer, include information and referral
  • Provision of referrals to and coordination of activities with other programs and services
  • Provision of workforce and labor market employment statistics information including: job vacancy listings in labor market areas: information on job skills necessary to obtain the vacant jobs listed; and Information relating to local occupations in demand and the earnings, skill requirements, and opportunities for advancement for those jobs
  • Provision of performance information and program cost information on eligible providers of education, training, and workforce services by program and type of providers
  • Provision of information, in usable and understandable formats and languages, about how the local area is performing on local performance accountability measures, as well as any additional performance information relating to the area's one-stop delivery system
  • Provision of information, in usable and understandable formats and languages, relating to the availability of supportive services or assistance, and appropriate referrals to those services and assistance, including: Child care; child support; medical or child health assistance available through the State's Medicaid program and Children's Health Insurance Program; benefits under SNAP; assistance through the earned income tax credit; and assistance under a State program for TANF, and other supportive services and transportation provided through that program
  • Provision of information and meaningful assistance to individuals seeking assistance in filing a claim for unemployment compensation. “Meaningful assistance” means: (A) Providing assistance on-site using staff who are well-trained in unemployment compensation claims filing and the rights and responsibilities of claimants; or (B) Providing assistance by phone or via other technology, as long as the assistance is provided by trained and available staff and within a reasonable time
  • Assistance in establishing eligibility for programs of financial aid assistance for training and education programs not provided under WIOA

• What are Individualized Career Services?

  Individualized career services must be made available if determined to be appropriate in order for an individual to obtain or retain employment. These services include the following services, as consistent with program requirements and Federal cost principles:

  1) Comprehensive and specialized assessments of the skill levels and service needs of adults and dislocated workers, which may include diagnostic testing and use of other assessment tools and in-depth interviewing and evaluation to identify employment barriers and appropriate employment goals;

  2) Development of an individual employment plan, to identify the employment goals, appropriate achievement objectives, and appropriate combination of services for the participant to achieve his or her employment goals, including the list of, and information about, the eligible training providers;

  3) Group counseling;

  4) Individual counseling;

  5) Career planning;

  6) Short-term pre-vocational services including development of learning skills, communication skills, interviewing skills, punctuality, personal maintenance skills, and professional conduct services to prepare individuals for unsubsidized employment or training;

  7) Internships and work experiences that are linked to careers;

  8) Workforce preparation activities;

  9) Financial literacy services;

  10) Out-of-area job search assistance and relocation assistance; and

  11) English language acquisition and integrated education and training programs.

• What are Training Services?

  • Occupational skills training including training for nontraditional employment
  • On-the-job training
  • Programs that combine workplace training with related instruction, which may include cooperative education programs
  • Private sector training programs
  • Skill upgrading and retraining
  • Entrepreneurial training
  • Adult education and literacy activities provided in combination with training
  • Customized training

• What are training services for adults and dislocated workers?

  Types of training services are listed in WIOA sec. 134(c)(3)(D). This list is not all-inclusive and additional training services may be provided.

  a) Occupational skills training, including training for nontraditional employment;

  b) On-the-job training (OJT);

  c) Incumbent worker training;

  d) Programs that combine workplace training with related instruction, which may include cooperative education programs;

  e) Training programs operated by the private sector;

  f) Skills upgrading and retraining;

  g) Entrepreneurial training;

  h) Transitional jobs in accordance with WIOA sec 134(d)(5) a;

  i) Job readiness training provided in combination with services listed in items (a) through (h) above;

  j) Adult education and literacy activities, including activities of English language acquisition and integrated education and training programs, provided concurrently or in combination with training services listed in item (a) through (g) above; and

  k) Customized training conducted with a commitment by an employer or group of employers to employ an individual upon successful completion of the training .

  Training programs offered by eligible training programs are also subject to approval. Each local board approves training programs offered by eligible training providers according to its local policies. Training providers must report student performance outcomes through the Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP), as well as cost information.

• What is an eligible training provider (ETP) and what training providers are exempt from ETP requirements?

  An ETP:

  a) Is the only type of entity that receives funding for training services, as defined in 20 CFR 680.200, through an individual training account;

  b) Must be included on the State list of eligible training providers and programs under this subpart;

  c) Must provide a program of training services; and

  d) Must be one of the following types of entities:

  1) Institutions of higher education that provide a program which leads to a recognized postsecondary credential;

  2) Entities that carry out programs registered under the National Apprenticeship Act (29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.); or

  3) Other public or private providers of training services, which may include: (i) Community-based organizations; (ii) Joint labor-management organizations; and (iii) Eligible providers of adult education and literacy activities under title II of WIOA if such activities are provided in combination with training services.

  On-the-job training (OJT), Incumbent Worker Training and customized training are not subject to the Eligible Training Provider requirements.

• How are eligible training providers selected?

  WIOA establishes requirements that a training provider must meet in order to be eligible to receive adult or dislocated worker funds under this title. Institutions which are certified under the Higher Education Act and provide programs leading to a two or four-year degree or certificate and entities that carry out apprenticeship programs registered under the National Apprenticeship Act qualify as eligible training providers.

  Providers of programs not meeting either of those two conditions must satisfy alternative procedures for initial eligibility. These institutions must apply with local boards to be recognized as eligible training providers.

• What are Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) and when is appropriate to use a contract rather than an ITA?

  WIOA requires that training be provided to adults and dislocated workers through the use of Individual Training Accounts (ITA), which allow participants to choose among eligible providers. Specifically, the one-stop system provides participants with the list of eligible providers and related performance information. The participant then selects the program that best meets his/her needs, with payment arranged through the ITAs. 

  Training services for eligible individuals are typically provided by training providers who receive payment for their services through an ITA. The ITA is a payment agreement established on behalf of a participant with a training provider. WIOA title I adult and dislocated workers purchase training services from State eligible training providers they select in consultation with the career planner, which includes discussion of program quality and performance information on the available eligible training providers. Payments from ITAs may be made in a variety of ways, including the electronic transfer of funds through financial institutions, vouchers, or other appropriate methods. Payments also may be made incrementally, for example, through payment of a portion of the costs at different points in the training course.

  Contracts for services may be used instead of ITAs only when one or more of the following five exceptions apply, and the local area has fulfilled the consumer choice requirements:

  1) When the services provided are on-the-job-training (OJT), customized training, incumbent worker training, or transitional jobs.

  2) When the Local Board determines that there are an insufficient number of eligible training providers in the local area to accomplish the purpose of a system of ITAs. The determination process must include a public comment period for interested providers of at least 30 days, and be described in the Local Plan.

  3) When the Local Board determines that there is a training services program of demonstrated effectiveness offered in the area by a community-based organization or another private organization to serve individuals with barriers to employment. The Local WDB must develop criteria to be used in determining demonstrated effectiveness, particularly as it applies to the individuals with barriers to employment to be served.

  4) When the Local Board determines that it would be most appropriate to contract with an institution of higher education or other provider of training services in order to facilitate the training of multiple individuals in in-demand industry sectors or occupations, provided that the contract does not limit consumer choice.

  5) When the Local Board is considering entering into a Pay-for-Performance contract, and the  Local Board ensures that the contract is consistent with Pay-for-Performance contract requirements.

• What is a Career Center?

  The State of Florida provides workforce program services, including Welfare Transition through local career centers. Each local area operates at least one physical career center which may be supplemented by a network of affiliated sites. The local board designates career center operators and conducts oversight of the workforce system in its area.

  The career center system includes a variety of educational and workforce agencies, referred to as career center partners. Required partners include programs authorized under:

  • Title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
  • The Wagner-Peyser Act
  • The Adult Education and Literacy Act
  • The Vocational Rehabilitation Act
  • The Welfare-to-Work grants
  • Title V of the Older Americans Act
  • Postsecondary vocational education under the Perkins Act
  • Trade Adjustment Assistance
  • Veterans employment services under chapter 41 of title 38, U.S.C.
  • Unemployment compensation laws
  • Community Service Block Grants
  • Employment and training activities carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development

  Additional programs also may be partners in the career center with the approval of the local board and local elected officials.

• How do I find a Career Center?

  Career centers are located in each of the Local Workforce Development Areas. Find your local career center.