The Trade Adjustment Act (TAA) Program is federally funded to help workers that have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. The TAA Program focuses on helping foreign trade-related laid-off workers find opportunities for training and other support services. Successful petition submissions allows laid-off workers the opportunity to acquire new job training as well as job finding services until they make a successful transition into a new career or position.
Eligibility
There is a wide variety of jobs that could be affected by foreign trade. However, these are the following types of jobs that may be at risk:
- Produce products that face increasing foreign import competition
- Shift in production from U.S. to another country that has free trade agreement which would result in increased imports into U.S.
- Workers whose firms supply articles for firms with TAA-certified workers or provide additional, value-added production processes directly for firms with TAA-certified workers.
If your company provides the above mentioned types of product and/or services, and have also lost your job, you may consider submitting a petition to the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA) to receive certification to confirm your job loss was connected to foreign-trade. A minimum of three workers that have been affected by foreign trade can petition the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA). In addition, your former employer, union, state workforce official, or One-stop staff may submit a petition on behalf of the laid-off workers.
Benefits
By acquiring TAA certification, workers that were laid-off due to foreign trade can access a wide variety of job seeking and job training tools. Here is a list of some of the services available to successful TAA petitioners:
- Trade Readjustment Allowances
- Training
- Employment & Case Management Services
- Job Search Allowances
- Relocation Allowances
How to Apply
1. A group of three or more people from the same company may apply for the TAA petition process to request certification their jobs were affected by foreign trade.
2. Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA) initiates an investigation and offers a ruling. If the OTAA finds the petitioners were affected by foreign trade, they are eligible for TAA certification and subsequent services.
3. Once signed, the petition is then sent to both the TAA Office in Washington D.C. and local DLIR office.
4. Once certified by OTAA, claimants can then go to their local WDD One-Stop Office to receive various training and other support services.
To learn more about the potential benefits of receiving TAA certification, contact your local American Job Center (AJC) or visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s website.
