TEN_8_13_Att.pdf

ETA Advisory File Text

Department of Labor s Employment and Training Administration Suspension of Federal Government Services Questions and Answers Grants Operating Under Obligated Funds This Section does not apply to Unemployment Compensation UC Grants which are addressed in a separate section of the document 1 Question What happens if there is a shutdown Answer Those grants to which the Department of Labor DOL has already obligated funds to the grantees will be able to continue operating with funds that already have been made available by DOL. However if there is not a continuing resolution or appropriations act the Department will be unable to award new grants and there will be delays in making other funding available. In addition recently awarded new grantees will not have access to federal project officers nor the technical assistance that may be necessary to properly implement the award. 2 Question How would a government shutdown impact the Department s ability to monitor the daily activities and technical and financial performance of its grants Answer For most ETA programs staff will not be working to answer questions provide technical assistance or to resolve any technical issues with data or report submissions. Additionally oversight activities and daily functions associated with the grants would be severely limited with the few exceptions discussed in these Q As. 3 Question Under a shutdown will current Employment and Training Administration ETA grantees be able to draw down funds Answer Yes. For grants for which DOL has already obligated funds the funds are available through the Health and Human Services HHS Payment Management System PMS which we have been informed will be operational. However in the event of problems technical assistance for PMS may be very limited or not available and HHS would be responsible for public notification. 4 Question What impact would a government shutdown have on the Department s grant recipients if none of their invoices are processed during this time Answer As a standard practice ETA grant recipients with a few exceptions discussed in later Q As draw down funds through the HHS PMS in the amount needed for disbursement. This practice is expected to continue during a period of shutdown. The remaining unexpended balances should be accessible and the PMS should be operational. However in the event of problems in PMS technical assistance may be extremely limited or not available. 5 Question Will grant modifications be approved Answer ETA has developed a process for identifying and processing Disaster National Emergency Grant NEG actions as discussed further in Q As 31-32. With the exception of Disaster NEG actions there may be an extremely limited number of grant actions in instances of an emergency that would necessitate the processing of a grant action under a shutdown. Other than these exceptions grant actions will not be processed. 2 6 Question Will there be any impact on the Workforce Investment Act WIA Adult or Dislocated Worker Formula allotments to states Will states receive the allotments for WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker funding streams that become available October 1 2013 on or near that date Answer A government shutdown may delay the Adult and Dislocated Worker Formula allotments. We cannot at this time estimate the length of delay in allotting funds because we do not know if or how long the lapse in appropriations will last. 7 Question Will there be any impact on the WIA Youth Formula allotments to states or the Wagner-Peyser Employment Service allotments to states Answer No. The Program Year 2013 funds for these programs have been allotted. States may continue to operate these programs and draw down funds through the HHS PMS. See Q A 3 8 Question What will happen if a grantee is on a restricted drawdown as a sanction or a special award condition for a high-risk recipient and cannot immediately draw funds from the PMS Answer This question is applicable to only a handful of grants. We have identified the grants in question and will notify grantees that delays will be experienced in reimbursement. As a result it is possible that some of these grantees may decide to cease operating during a period of shutdown. Performance and Financial Reporting for Grantees 9 Question Would grantees need to report during a shutdown Answer As long as grantees have funding grantees would continue to be responsible for following all of the terms and conditions of the grant including fiscal and performance reporting requirements. That said grantees should be advised that many of ETA s Management Information Systems such as EBSS will be turned off during the shutdown and grantees will not be able to access these reports until the government re-opens. Grantees should make back-up documentation plans accordingly. Once the government reopens grantees will be responsible for submitting reports for the next quarterly due date. 10 Question What do I do if my competitively-awarded grant uses a DOL grants performance and financial management systems Answer Grantees are responsible to continue to operate grants according to the rules and regulations that are part of their statements of work. Because many of ETA s Management Information Systems such as EBSS will be turned off during the shutdown grantees will not be able to log on to the existing performance and financial reporting systems to maintain participant records. Grantees will need to do this manually during a government shutdown so that once the government re-opens they are able to submit accurate performance and financial reports. 11 Will states still be expected to submit the WIA Annual reporting and validation by October 1 2013 Will our systems be up and running if we have shutdown on that day for state submissions Answer States are required to submit their WIA Annual Report validation results and their WIA Annual Report data tables to ETA no later than October 1 2013. Should there be a lapse in 3 appropriations that results in a government shutdown the EBSS portal will not be available for report submissions on October 1 2013 therefore the state will NOT be considered late for this submission. Once the government is operational states will have three business days to submit the required reports after that three-day period the state will be considered late. As a reminder WIA Annual Report Narratives are due to ETA by November 15 2013. Contracts Management 12 Question How would a government shutdown impact the Department s contracts Answer Stop work orders may need to be issued to certain contractors depending on various considerations. At this time we do not know which contractors will need to receive stop work orders but your servicing contracting officer will let the affected contractors know at the appropriate time if they will need to stop work. Contractors who do not receive stop work orders should continue performance of your contracts. Many Contracting Officers and Contracting Officer Representatives will not be available during a shutdown. As a result there may be a delay or inability to process contractor invoices and it is anticipated that payments will not be made until after the government reopens. This is true even if your contract has sufficient funding to allow performance. Please note that there will be some exempt personnel supporting exempt program contracts see the Q As 14-19 relating to Job Corps . If you have additional questions contractors should contact their servicing contracting officer. Questions regarding the payments and monitoring of technical and financial performance should be referred to your Contracting Officer Representative. American Job Center Operations 13 Question What would be the impact on American Job Center AJC operations if there is a government shutdown Answer States are currently operating AJCs using Program Year 2013 formula grant funding and other prior year funds for Wagner-Peyser Employment Service WIA Adults Dislocated Workers Youth and the national programs and would be able to use those funds to continue to operate in the case of a Federal shutdown. However states are facing significant challenges with the funding of WIA as the sequestration cut for the Fiscal Year FY 2013 budget was taken out of the WIA Adult and Dislocated Worker allotments in July 2013 and states are awaiting the advance funds in the October 1 2013 allotment. If the government shuts down and DOL is unable to obligate those funds it will put further strain on the system. AJC operations would rely solely on carry-over funding and may need to shutdown and or conduct temporary layoffs in the face of uncertain future funding. These disruptions to service would impact states and local areas ability to provide assistance to job seekers and employers. Also states would be able to continue to deliver Trade Adjustment Assistance TAA training and services using FY 2013 funds recently allotted during a Federal government shutdown as well as prior year funds FY 2012 and FY 2011 that remain available for expenditure. As discussed in question 46 there will also be funds available to pay TAA benefits. 4 Some customer services provided via Federal contract may not continue. The DOL National Toll Free Helpline 1-866-4-USA-DOL will continue operating for emergency services only specifically for questions pertaining to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and mine disasters. All other call center services such as ETA s Toll Free Helpline for job seekers needing assistance at 1-877-US-2JOBS TTY 1-877-889-5267 will not be available. Certain national websites such as servicelocator.org careeronestop.org and mynextmove.dol.gov are grant-funded and would continue to operate. Job Corps 14 Question Will Job Corps centers have enough funds to operate if the government was to shutdown Answer Yes. Job Corps center operations can continue as there is sufficient funding for all Job Corps contracts through at least November 1 2013. We cannot at this time estimate the impact on Job Corps centers because we do not know if or how long the shutdown will last. ETA and the Department will continue to evaluate the funding situation of Job Corps centers during a shutdown. 15 Question What if an incremental obligation is due during a shutdown Answer ETA and the Department will evaluate the situation of Job Corps centers as the need for incremental obligations arises. ETA plans to take action to provide funds if needed to ensure the health and safety of students. 16 Question Whom should I contact if there is an emergency at my Job Corps center Answer The Job Corps Regional Director in each region will be working and will serve as the primary point of contact for all center issues in his or her region. 17 Question What if we experience a facility emergency Answer The Office of Job Corps will call upon the expertise of subject matter-related staff such as facilities management personnel on an emergency basis. 18 Question Will the Office of Job Corps continue to conduct compliance assessments and monitoring trips Answer While Job Corps will have a small contingent of Federal staff available to manage the administration of the program these staff will not travel for compliance assessments and monitoring trips in the event of a shutdown and would only travel for emergency purposes. The Regional Directors also part of the small contingent will increase desk audit activities to the extent possible to partially offset the inability to travel during this time. 19 Question What can centers do to help Answer Job Corps Centers should continue to focus on three critical areas in executing the program s mission 1 safety of students and staff 2 program accountability and 3 student achievement. We ask centers to continue to keep students the number one priority by providing a safe learning and living environment and helping students achieve their career goals. Corporate offices should increase their accountability activities to monitor center and staff compliance with Job Corps policies procedures and requirements. 5 Grant Competitions 20 Question What happens to Grants.gov if the government shuts down Answer Grants.gov is used to publicize grant solicitations and receive applications. HHS anticipates that the Grants.gov system will remain in an operational status but with reduced federal support staff presence should a lapse in appropriations occur. In addition HHS anticipates that the Grants.gov Contact Center will remain available and provide assistance to callers. However ETA does not have any open grant solicitations at this time. 21 Question Will potential applicants be able to submit applications through Grants.gov for SGAs Answer HHS anticipates that the Grants.gov system will remain in an operational status but with reduced federal support staff presence should a lapse in appropriations occur. In addition HHS anticipates that the Grants.gov Contact Center will remain available and provide assistance to callers. However ETA does not have any open grant solicitations at this time. 22 Question Will potential applicants be able to get answers to questions related to the open SGAs Answer While ETA does not have any open SGAs at this time under a shutdown grants specialists and the program and grants policy staff that would normally provide guidance on answers will not be available. Questions would need to be answered after personnel return to work. Trade Adjustment Assistance TAA 23 Question What venues will be available for the public to file petitions for TAA benefits and services Answer TAA petitions may be filed using paper petitions via the U.S. Postal Service or faxed to 202 693-3584 202 693-3585 or 202 693-3986. While petitions may be filed there will be no staff available to receive petitions enter petitions into the data system or investigate those petitions during a shutdown. Further petitioners will not receive a follow-up letter of receipt of petition or customer service contact from staff nor will the status of the petition appear on the Web site until after the government re-opens. The Department will use the U.S. Postal Service postmarked date as the date of receipt for petitions filed. Likewise the date stamped on all fax transmittals will serve as date of receipt for all filed petitions. Although the public will be able to access the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance Web site home page for important instructions regarding shutdown the public will be unable to submit on-line Trade petitions. Petitioners are encouraged to submit paper petitions using the venues described above. 24 Question What venues will be available for workers whose petitions have been denied to file requests for reconsideration Answer Requests for reconsideration should be submitted via the U.S. Postal Service or faxed to 202 693-3584 202 693-3585 or 202 693-3986. While requests may be submitted there would 6 be no staff available to receive the request or to investigate the request until after the government re- opens. DOL will use the U.S. Postal postmark or facsimile date to determine whether the 30 day filing deadline for requests for reconsideration is met. All Trade appeals must be submitted no later than 30 calendar days from the time the determination is entered in the Federal Register notice. During a shutdown the window of appeal may be adjusted accordingly beyond 30 calendar days after the Government resumes business operations. 25 Question What public communication resources such as the ETA Toll Free Helpline 1-877- US-2JOBS TTY 1-877-889-5267 will be available to trade-affected workers and the general public to answer questions about filing for TAA benefits and services Answer Operator Assistance for the Trade hotline will not be available during a government shutdown. However any inquiries or messages related to Trade Adjustment Assistance that require technical assistance may be left on the hotline voicemail and will be responded to in the order received once the government reopens. Callers seeking immediate or urgent assistance should access the America s Service Locator at http www.servicelocator.org where they can find the closest AJC to obtain information about benefits and services under the Trade program. No Federal staff will be available to provide technical assistance answer questions or provide referral information during government shutdown. 26 Question Will states be able to access available TAA Training Funds from the Reserve Account Answer States will not be able to receive Reserve Funds for TAA training during a shutdown because Federal staff will not be available to review requests authorize funds or answer any questions about funding. The final distribution of FY 2013 funds was allocated to states before the shutdown and no Reserve Funds are available. Once funds run out additional funding for administration of the program will not be available until a continuing resolution or an annual appropriation is enacted. 27 Question Will States be able to obtain technical assistance in administering the benefit and services provisions for certified trade-affected workers Answer Since the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance Federal staff will be unavailable during a government shutdown all t echnical assistance questions related to TAA benefits and services should be directed to the State TAA and or Trade Readjustment Allowance Coordinators. 28 Question How will the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance determine the date new petitions are received when staff is not available to accept new petitions during a shutdown and what issues will result from that delay Answer Since there will be no Federal staff available to receive petitions enter petitions into the data system or investigate those petitions during a shutdown DOL will use the U.S. Postal Service postmarked date as the date of receipt for a filed petition. Likewise the date stamped on any fax transmittal will serve as date of receipt for all filed petitions . Although the public will be able to access the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance Web site home page for important instructions regarding shutdown the public will be unable to submit on-line Trade petitions. A shutdown would result in a delay to the start or continuation of the investigation and the 40-day period for issuing determinations. Adversely affected workers who are waiting for a determination may be served 7 under a partner program such as WIA or NEG but the delay in issuing determinations will result in a delay in workers being able to access TAA-funded benefits and services. Also the impact date date of earliest coverage of a petition is one year before the date the petition was signed not the date it was received therefore there will be no effect on the earliest date of coverage. The program regulations require that the petition date may not be more than 30 days before the filing date so if the Department receives a petition dated more than 30 days before the filing date the Department will amend the petition date to be in compliance with the regulations and the impact date will be one year before the amended petition date. 29 Question Will decisions on petitions that are currently under investigation be delayed Answer Yes. Federal staff would not be conducting investigations during a shutdown therefore determinations will be delayed. Foreign Labor Certification 30 Question The Department s goal is to make a decision on labor certification applications to employers within a specified number of days. If there is a government shutdown how will this affect the number of days allowed to process an application Answer In the event of a government shutdown processing times in the foreign labor certification programs will be extended and may cause delays in decisions in applications in those programs. National Emergency Grants NEG 31 Question The Department s goal is to make a decision on NEGs within 30 working days of receiving a complete and fundable NEG application. If there is a government shutdown will the clock continue ticking during this time Answer If a government shutdown occurs no action will be taken on pending NEG applications and modifications during this time with the exception of Disaster NEG requests see Q A 32 . The Department will resume analyzing NEG applications and modification requests when government operations resume and will try to abide by the 30 working day policy for complete and fundable applications minus the number of days the government was shutdown. In the event of a lengthy shutdown the Department will be unable to meet this goal. 32 Question Will disaster NEG applications be accepted during a government shutdown Answer If a government shutdown occurs the Department will have a staff person monitoring the NEG electronic application system to determine if any new Disaster NEG applications are submitted as a result of any Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA declarations for Public Assistance during the shutdown period. The Department will continue to analyze and award new disaster NEG applications and financial increment requests only during this time although turnaround times could be prolonged as a result of staffing restrictions. 8 Registered Apprenticeship 33 Question What would be the impact of a government shutdown on registered apprenticeship activities Answer ETA through the Office of Apprenticeship OA is the Registration Agency in 25 states. Federal staff is directly responsible for the registration of new programs and oversight of new and existing programs and apprentices in these states. Generally program sponsors in these states would experience delays in registration of new programs and new apprentices and verification of their status as registered apprenticeship programs during this period in which Federal staff is unavailable to complete these registrations or verify an employer s status as a bona fide registered apprenticeship program. Such delays may impact some employers ability to hire new apprentices and or to bid on new projects that require proof of registered apprenticeship program status. Federal staff would not be able to issue Davis-Bacon certifications necessary to verify that an apprentice is registered with OA and therefore can be paid less than the prevailing wage. Without such certifications employers could be found to be violation of wage and hour laws and regulations. Apprentices who complete an apprenticeship during the period of a government shutdown would experience delays in receipt of the certificates of completion of apprenticeship which could affect their wages. In many licensed trades in order to sit for the licensing examination the apprentice must present proof of a DOL Completion Certification. Without this certificate apprentice graduates who are unable to complete the licensure examinations would then experience delays in receiving wage increases associated with being a licensed professional in their skilled trade. Apprenticeship sponsors and the 25 states that have State Apprenticeship Agencies would also be affected by the shutdown through the deactivation of Registered Apprenticeship Partners Information Data System RAPIDS the online tool used to report data on apprenticeship programs and apprentices causing a backlog in data reporting and the inability to retrieve data. Electronic Tools 34 Question Will the DOL ETA Toll-Free Helpline be available during a shutdown Answer No. The ETA Toll-Free Helpline at 1-877-US-2JOBS TTY 1-877-889-5267 that provides information to job seekers and others to identify state and local job training and related programs and services will not operate. 35 Question What about the Workforce3One Website that offers e-learning information and knowledge sharing among grantees employers and others in the workforce network will individuals be able to access the Website Answer The Workforce3One Website will continue to be accessible. However the content would not be refreshed under a shutdown. Certain other national Web sites such as servicelocator.org careeronestop.org and mynextmove.dol.gov are grant-funded and would continue to operate. 9 Unemployment Compensation 36 Question What will happen with unemployment compensation UC during the shutdown Additionally for new claimants how will the government shutdown affect processing time Answer State agencies are responsible for paying UC and will continue doing so for existing as well as new claimants as long as allocated administrative funds remain available See Q A 42 . States will be able to withdraw benefit funds from appropriate accounts to pay eligible claimants. Claims processing for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees UCFE and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers UCX could be delayed since Federal agencies may not have staff available to provide wage and separation information. See Q A 50 37 Question Will states be able to continue to obtain Title XII advances from the Federal Unemployment Account FUA in the Federal Unemployment Trust Fund UTF Answer Yes. On October 1 2013 the FUA will have approximately three weeks of funds available. These funds are available even if an annual appropriation or a continuing resolution is not enacted. Federal staff will be available during a shutdown to make additional transfers if necessary. 38 Question Will states be able to pay UCFE and UCX benefits during a federal shut-down Answer Yes these benefits would continue to be paid as long as allocated administrative funds remain available See Qs As 42 and 45 . Since Federal agencies would be shut down states may need to rely on claimants self-certification to verify earnings. This documentation should include an earnings and leave statement. See Q A 53. 39 Question Will states be able to pay EB if there is a federal shutdown Answer Yes. EB is 100 percent federally-funded for weeks of unemployment beginning before December 31 2013 with a phase-out period and states may continue to draw funds from the Extended Unemployment Compensation Account EUCA in the UTF. 40 Question Will states be able to pay Emergency Unemployment Compensation EUC during a shutdown Answer Yes funding for EUC benefits state EUC administrative costs and RES REAs will be available. Benefits under this program also are funded from the EUCA. Funding for EUC continues unaffected if an annual appropriation or continuing resolution is not enacted. The EUC statute also provides funding to cover the state administrative costs of EUC as well as such sums as necessary for RES REAs. Sufficient funds will be available in EUCA on October 1 to cover a two-week period. Additional funds sufficient to cover benefits and administration for the remainder of the calendar year have been made available and will be transferred into EUCA or the Employment Security Administration Account as needed. 41 Question Will states be able to receive reimbursement for Short Time Compensation benefit costs during a Federal shutdown Answer States may continue to draw funds that have already been allocated to them. However Federal staff will not be available to process additional reimbursement requests until after the shutdown ends. 10 42 Will administrative funds be available for regular compensation UCFE UCX EB and Trade Adjustment Assistance TAA including Trade Readjustment Allowances TRA Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance ATAA and Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance RTAA Answer Administration of all these programs is funded through a grant all funds allocated to states before the shutdown may be used after the shutdown in accordance with the grant agreement. However once those funds run out additional funding for administration of these programs will not be available until a continuing resolution or an annual appropriation is enacted. See Q A 45. 43 Will funding for Disaster Unemployment Insurance DUA be available Answer Yes. Excepted staff at DOL will be made available to process DUA funding authorizations from FEMA and FEMA will have excepted personnel available to process disaster requests. 44 If funds are needed or problems with funding are encountered will Federal staff be available to perform the necessary operations and to answer questions Answer Yes. Federal staff will be available to ensure availability of approved grant and benefit funds and to address these questions and problems related to excepted activities. Excepted staff at DOL and at the Department of the Treasury will be available to perform any necessary functions with the UTF. In addition the Department of HHS will make staff available to cover the PMS. 45 If the states are able to pay regular unemployment compensation EB and get advances to pay compensation why can t administrative funding be made available to perform those tasks Answer Funding for advances is provided through a two-year appropriation while administrative funding for regular compensation and EB relies on annual appropriations. States with zero balances in their UTF accounts may obtain advances to pay regular compensation solvent states have money in their UTF accounts to pay benefits. So funding for regular compensation and EB is assured during a Federal shutdown. In contrast administrative funding for regular compensation and EB comes from the Department s annual appropriations and the shutdown is occurring because an appropriation has not been enacted. 46 Will states be able to pay TAA TRA ATAA and RTAA Answer Yes. Funds for FY 2014 benefits and wage insurance obligations will be made available through the FY 2013 Advances to the Unemployment Trust AUTF appropriation which made funds available through September 30 2014. The AUTF appropriation makes funds available to the Federal Unemployment Benefits and Allowances FUBA account from which TAA TRA ATAA and RTAA are paid. 47 Question Should states continue to submit UI required reports Answer States will continue to submit UI required reports just as they did before the shutdown using the same process software and deadlines. Please be aware that no technical or operational support will be available. 11 48 Question Will states be able to access Reed Act Funds Answer States will have full access to Reed Act Funds in their accounts in the UTF. 49 Question Will there be any restrictions on State transfers to their accounts in the UTF Answer There will be no restrictions on state transfers to the UTF. 50 Question Will there be any impact on the cross-match with the Social Security Administration SSA Answer No. SSA has advised the Department that the cross-match will be operational for states use as under normal conditions. 51 Question Will there be any impact on the National Directory of New Hires NDNH Operation Answer HHS which administers the NDNH database has advised the Department that the NDNH system will be operational since it is automatically run. However there will be minimal or no technical support should any issues arise. 52 Question Will the Systematic Alien Verification for Eligibility SAVE system be operational Answer The Citizenship and Immigration Services CIS has confirmed that SAVE will be operational during the shutdown. 53 Question Will there be anyone available in Federal agencies to get information on wage credits for Federal Employees who file for UI Answer The answer to this question is currently unknown however if a Federal agency does not respond to a Form 931 within the allotted time within 12 days of the request date the state agency will follow normal operating procedures using an affidavit process to determine both monetary and non-monetary eligibility. States will complete a Form 935 Claimant s Affidavit of Federal Civilian Service Wages and Reason for Separation and ask the Federal employee to provide credible evidence of Federal employment such as a Standard Form 50 SF-50 earnings and leave statements or a W-2. One copy of the Form 935 will be forwarded to the Federal agency and one copy retained by the state as supporting documentation. Some Federal agencies may have staff working during a shutdown to complete the Form 931 Request for Wage and Separation Information. 54 Question Will the weekly UC claims report be published Answer Yes Federal staff will be available to publish the weekly claims report. 55 Will the EB and EUC trigger notices be published and if not what information will be used to determine entitlement status for claimants Answer The trigger notices will be published during the shutdown using the latest available information. States will continue to report IUR triggers as the Department will have excepted personnel available to review and approve state determinations. Upon approval states will follow the usual process to publicize and notify claimants of any IUR change. See Q As 53 and 54 . 12 56 If TUR trigger data is not available during the shutdown and after resumption of operations TUR trigger data show that a state s EB or EUC status would have changed absent the shutdown will states be required to retroactively change a claimant s entitlement status for the affected weeks and either pay additional amounts or attempt to collect benefits paid that wouldn t been paid absent the shutdown Answer If the shutdown is more than three weeks in duration entitlement status determined by the TUR indicator will be determined by new trigger notices issued retroactively only for the last three weeks of the shutdown. See 20 CFR 615.12 d . 57 How do states contact emergency DOL personnel and submit IUR trigger determinations Answer The phone number to contact excepted personnel at the Department is 202 693-3029. Messages will be returned. Documents can be submitted by FAX at 202 693-3229. These phone numbers are NOT toll free. 58 What action if any will be taken if a state submits an application for an STC or an SEA grant Answer STC applications that are received during a government shutdown will not be processed. These applications will be on hold. The deadline for SEA grant applications has passed the deadline was August 14 2013. Other 59 Question What impact if any would this have on any pending rulemaking deadlines Answer Depending on the length of the possible government shutdown it could mean that regulation development is delayed and therefore might affect the current Regulatory Agenda next action dates. For Notices of Proposed Rulemaking with open public comment periods please check the www.regulations.gov website for guidance on submitting public comments. 60 Question Will there be any additional costs burdens imposed on grantees during a shutdown Answer It is not possible to determine any additional costs at this time. However as technical assistance will not be available grantees may face additional burdens in operating grants in compliance with administrative and program requirements without benefit of ETA guidance.