To announce the release and availability of Comparison of State Unemployment Insurance Laws 2011

The Department of Labor (Department) is clarifying the amount of grant funding available for the second round of grants that will be awarded under the H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants competition and encouraging applicants to apply by November 17, 2011.

To provide information on the definition and implementation of the UI Performs Core Measure for UI Integrity.

To provide guidance to the states regarding the content of the WIA Annual Report narrative, provide strategies for business engagement (as referenced in section 4, part c), and address the procedures for submission of the report to the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). The Annual Report is due on Monday, October 3, 2011.

To advise states about President Obama’s Hardest Hit Fund and advise states to consider ways that unemployed workers facing severe financial hardship can be informed of the program, specifically through One-Stop Career Centers, state websites, and other methods as identified by the individual state.

To announce the launch of the "Improper Payment High Priority States" initiative to reduce the unacceptably high levels of improper UI payments in those states.

This Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) provides information to state workforce agencies about changes to NAICS coding for calendar year 2012 and requests that states update industry codes on employer unemployment insurance (UI) accounts.

To transmit the subject computation for State Workforce Agency usage in computing minimum weekly DUA amounts for all major disasters declared during the first quarter of Fiscal Year (FY) 2012.

To remind states of their obligations to provide meaningful access to the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program for individuals with limited English proficiency and to provide guidance to states about reasonable steps that should be taken to help ensure individuals understand their rights and responsibilities related to UI.

To provide states with instructions for payment of interest due on Title XII advances at the end of each Federal fiscal year and to explain the consequences to the states of failing to timely pay interest due.

UIPL 27-11 was not issued.

To announce a U.S. Department of Labor (Department) initiative to support states in convening cross-functional UI integrity task forces in September 2011, and developing state-specific strategic plans to aggressively reduce the UI improper payment rate and alert state UI administrators that the initiative is underway.

To share the publication of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council "Reentry MythBuster" series, which is aimed at dispelling commonly held misunderstandings about Federal policies that affect ex-offenders and their reentry into society.

As the Federal partner in the national workforce investment system, the Department of Labor (the Department) has seen the benefits of the use of state partnership and consortia approaches to support the public workforce investment system.

To provide updated information to the state workforce agencies, local workforce investment boards (LWIBs), and One-Stop Career Centers on the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency Program, including changes to the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) policies for Employment Networks (ENs)

To provide guidance to State Workforce Agencies (SWAs) or agencies designated by Governors as “Cooperating State Agencies” (CSAs) (jointly referred to as “states”) to submit Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) determination amendment requests to the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance (OTAA).  Effective October 1, 2011, the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) encourages states to submit all requests to amend existing TAA certifications under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended via the following electronic mail address: amendments.taa@dol.gov.

To solicit nominations for the 2011 UI Innovation Awards and announce the upcoming presentation of the 2011 Performance Awards.

To provide checklists of all currently active ETA Advisories as well as checklists of all ETA Advisories rescinded/cancelled since the previously issued checklists.

This change Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) is being issued to reflect modifications made to the original TEGL 11-01, which include the following: updated information regarding the regression modeling tool for target setting, revised time periods to submit renegotiated goals, and updated language to include the common measures waiver in negotiations.

This guidance letter describes criteria and procedures the Department of Labor (DOL) will use when considering state requests to revise negotiated levels of performance established under title IB of WIA.

To request that states designate ASUs in order for the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) to allot funds under WIA for the period beginning on July 1, 2012.