Trade Adjustment Assistance Program
Getting back to work after a trade related layoff
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OVERVIEW AND PETITION PROCESS
Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a federal entitlement program that assists U.S. workers who have lost or may lose their jobs as a result of foreign trade. This program seeks to provide adversely affected workers with opportunities to obtain the skills, credentials, resources, and support necessary to become reemployed. Since 1975, the TAA program has served more than 2 million U.S. workers.*
The first step to receiving TAA benefits and services is to file a petition on-line or by mail with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).
Petitions are available online or from the Alaska TAA Coordinator. The petition may be filed by:
Two or more workers in the same firm or subdivision;
The workers' employer;
A union official or other duly authorized representative of such workers; or
American Job Center operators or partners (including state workforce agencies and dislocated worker units).
Upon receiving a petition, DOL initiates a review to determine whether the circumstances of the layoff meet the group eligibility criteria established by the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
To learn more, please visit the federal Trade Act website at: doleta.gov/tradeact.
* Based on reported figures for 1997-2013 and extrapolated estimates for 1975-1996.
PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
A TAA petition identifies a foreign trade-affected worker group at a specific firm or subdivision and covers all individuals in that group. For example, if a group of air freight workers are laid off by a company in Alaska due to a shift in operations to another country, then that worker group is potentially trade-affected. Generally, if a worker is laid off due to foreign trade, a petition must be submitted within one year of the layoff for that worker to be covered by the petition and the certification if DOL approves the petition.
A group of workers may be eligible for TAA if their jobs are lost or threatened due to foreign trade-related circumstances as determined by the DOL review.
These circumstances may include:
Increased imports;
A shift in operations to certain countries;
Supply or downstream production to certain companies with TAA-certified workers.
DOL determines group eligibility to apply for TAA benefits and services.
Workers in a certified group will be notified by their state, at which time they may apply for individual eligibility for benefits and services.
BENEFITS AND SERVICES
If a worker is a member of a worker group certified by DOL, that worker may be eligible to receive the following benefits and services at your local Alaska Job Center:
Employment and Case Management Services
Skills assessments, individual employment plans, career counseling, supportive services, and information on training, labor markets, and more (through TAA or other Alaska Job Center programs).
Training
Classroom training, on the-job training, customized training designed to meet the needs of a specific employer or group of employers, apprenticeship programs, and more.
Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA)
Income support available in the form of weekly cash payments to workers who are enrolled in a full-time training course and have exhausted their Unemployment Insurance (UI).
Job Search Allowance
Reimbursement for costs of seeking employment outside of the worker's commuting area.
Relocation Allowance
Reimbursement for relocation costs for employment outside of the worker's commuting area.
Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) and Reemployment TAA (RTAA)
A wage subsidy for up to two years that is available to reemployed older workers and covers a portion of the difference between a worker's new wage and their old wage (up to a specified maximum amount).
Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)
A federal tax credit for eligible TAA recipients to help make health insurance premiums more affordable.
ALASKA JOB CENTERS
Alaska Job Centers are full service career centers. Services provided generally include:
Apprenticeship information
Career exploration
Interviews that get job offers
Job searches that get results
Job training information
Layoff prevention and response
Office skills assessments
Resumes that get interviews
Access to jobs in demand
Employment application assistance
Personal career coaching
Re-entry assistance
Ticket to Work
It is important to maintain contact with your local Alaska Job Center to meet required TAA deadlines and receive guidance on benefits and services available to workers.
CONTACT INFORMATION
For further information, or if you think you have lost your job due to a foreign trade-related layoff, contact:
The Alaska TAA Coordinator:
EMAIL: dol.taa@alaska.gov
PHONE: (907) 465-6275
OR
Your nearest Alaska Job Center:
WEB: jobs.alaska.gov/offices/index.html
PHONE: (877) 724-2539
OR
WEB: To learn more about how to file or check on the status of a TAA petition, or to obtain more information on benefits and services, please visit the Alaska Trade Act website at:
Or the U.S. Department of Labor Trade Act website at:
Note: This brochure is intended as a general description and is not legally binding.
We are an equal opportunity employer/program. Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request
to individuals with disabilities.
Rev. 7/22
