AWBA Utilization: The attached listing identifies the AWBA which is to be used when computing the weekly amount of disaster unemployment assistance (DUA) for major disasters where the date of the disaster for the individual occurs during the first quarter of FY 1993 (refer to 20 CFR 625.6). The AWBA for each State is based on the total amount of unemployment insurance paid in that State in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the quarter in which the major disaster began. States shall use the AWBA, rounded to the next higher dollar amount, in the computation of the DUA weekly benefit amount. An updated listing will be provided for each subsequent calendar quarter. Action Required: State Employment Security Agency Administrators are requested to provide this information to appropriate staff.

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Reference: Training and Employment Information Notice (TEIN) No. 27-93, dated January 11, 1994; TEIN No. 43-93, dated March 25, 1994; TEIN No. 49-93, dated April 25, 1994; and Federal/State/local partnership "Next Steps" conferences held around the country during March, April and May, 1994. Background: The increased funding for Title III in Program Year (PY) 1994 presents a unique opportunity to improve the dislocated worker program, and the overall employment and training system. As mentioned in TEIN No. 27-93, a portion of PY 1994 Title III discretionary funds has been earmarked for special TAT projects designed by and for the States to encourage and support program improvement projects as part of State efforts to improve program quality and capacity. There are two related efforts to improve program quality and capacity. Many States and substate areas, called Pioneers, have volunteered to undertake customer service improvements and measure customer satisfaction, which has been identified as a priority objective by the Department of Labor. Also, as part of the effort to build a partnership among the Federal, State and local levels of the employment and training system, an Enterprise Council has been formed. It consists of representatives from each of the three partners. The council will coordinate review of critical issues for EDWAA reinvention and customer service improvement. Discussion: The Program Improvement Initiative is to include a comprehensive review of the status of the State's Title III system in several critical areas. The process includes 1) an assessment of the current capabilities of the State's Title III delivery system, 2) the goals/standards to be used to assess effectiveness of current and future capability, and 3) priority program improvement actions to be completed in PY 1994. This initiative is an effort to encourage and support on-going program improvement efforts by the States, and should be coordinated with other fund sources and program improvement plans. These funds are to implement improvements to the delivery of services to dislocated workers in the Title III program. States should ensure that Title III program improvement projects take into account the need for coordination and integration of the entire JTPA/ES/UI training and employment system, including UI profiling and related reemployment services, capacity-building efforts under JTPA (TEIN Nos. 43-93 and 49-93), and one-stop career centers. Any State desiring to access funds set aside for this initiative must prepare a "Program Improvement Project Plan." Attachment I includes a description of the program dimensions which program improvement projects may address, and a set of tables which describe the information to be provided. The tables are for illustrative purposes, and it is up to the States to decide if they will use them for their submission. This plan should supplement, not supplant, ongoing State TAT activities. Some examples of types of projects that could be undertaken as part of this initiative are State and substate staff training related to customer satisfaction measurement and feedback systems, the preparation of individualized service plans, and the development of customer-focused information on program services and capabilities. Pioneer States and substate areas should consider how projects funded under this initiative can assist in their customer satisfaction efforts. The assessment of current capability and standards/goals to be used to assess effectiveness must be completed for all the program dimensions identified in Attachment I, plus any others identified by the States. The State can choose which program dimensions it wishes to address with program improvement actions in PY 1994. For the selected program dimensions, the State should describe the planned actions, indicate whether any existing State resources will be used, and whether additional funding will be required under the Program Improvement Initiative. ETA anticipates that the assessment of current capabilities and the preparation of the Program Improvement Plan will be undertaken jointly by State and Substate partners. All projects must be completed by the end of PY 1994 to the extent possible, but in any event, no later than six months from the receipt of the funds by the Regional Office. Note that the program dimensions identified may apply to many or all parts of the State's training and employment system, and that systems in place to address these dimensions may serve more than just the Title III dislocated worker program. Regional Office staff will be available to assist States in assessing current capabilities and in identifying potential areas for TAT investments. Regional Offices will convene meetings of the States within each Region in order to have States share their draft plans and determine if there are areas where coordination or collaboration would be feasible, and to inform the States of the procedures that the Regional Offices will use to review the final Program Improvement Project Plans. In addition, Regional Title III coordinators will exchange information on the plans of their States in order to ascertain if there are opportunities for coordination or collaboration across Regions. In their final plans, States should indicate whether a project will be undertaken in collaboration with one or more other States, and the level and types of resources being provided. Attachment II is a chart which lists the funds apportioned to each State against which States can draw to the extent they wish to fund projects in an approved Program Improvement Project Plan. The amounts for each State were determined by providing a base amount for each State, with an additional amount related to the number of SSAs in the State. Submission of Program Improvement Project Plans: The final Program Improvement Project Plan should be submitted as soon as possible but not later than January 13, 1995 to the Regional Office. A copy should be sent to the following address: James D. Van Erden, Administrator Office of Work-Based Learning Attention: Program Improvement Project Employment and Training Administration U.S. Department of Labor, Room N4649 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20210 Regional Office staff will review the plans for relevance to the program dimensions and the identified needs, and will forward their comments to the National Office. A State which does not intend to request these TAT funds is not required to submit a Program Improvement Project plan. Any funds not awarded will be used for other TAT purposes. Funds will be made available through a vehicle designated by the Regional Offices, such as a state cooperative agreement or 8A contract. Other Activities Under the Initiative: Each Regional Office will also receive additional TAT funds that can be used for program improvement projects in States in their Region, for multi-regional program improvement efforts, and for costs associated with the meetings discussed in Section 4. In addition, some funds will be set aside for the National Office to address any topics which seem of wide interest based on the program improvement projects underway in the States and possibly for a national meeting to review program improvement efforts. Action: Regional Offices will contact States about scheduling the meetings on the Program Improvement Initiative as soon as possible. States should continue preparation of their program improvement project plans, and plan to attend regional meetings to share their draft plans.

References. Pub. L. 97-300, section 401(k) (JTPA, as amended); Federal Register notice, Volume 59, No. 184 (59 FR 48914), September 23, 1994; Pub. L. 92-463, section 10 (Federal Advisory Committee Act). Background. In response to grantee requests, the Department made a committment at the last Council meeting in Albuquerque to issue a DINAP Bulletin announcing the next meeting of the NAETC, in addition to the mandatory publication of the meeting time(s) and place(s) in the Federal Register. This bulletin fulfills that committment. Information. Pursuant to the attached Federal Register notice, the next meeting of the NAETC will be held in Washington at the Department of Labor on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 25 and 26, 1994. Both day's sessions will be held in rooms N-4437 B, C, and D, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, or until adjournment. The meeting will be open to the public, with public comment permitted between 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm on October 25. Agenda items are covered in the Federal Register notice, but will include several topics including proposed program regulations and the proposed automated reporting system. Questions. Contact your DINAP Federal Representative.

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References: Training and Employment Information Notice (TEIN) No. 3-94, dated August 25, 1994, and the Job Training Partnership Act Amendments of 1992. Background: Section 701 (i) of the JTPA Amendments directs the Secretary, the Governors, and SDAs to conduct a comprehensive review of current policies, practices, procedures and delivery systems in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Act. A contract was awarded to James Bell Associates, and its subcontractors, the Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and MAXIMUS Inc., in June 1993, to conduct an independent evaluation of Amendments progress. Training and Employment information Notice (TEIN) No. 3-94, dated August 25, 1994, identified 30 SDAs selected for site visits for the collection of information concerning the implementation of the Amendments. In response to the concerns raised by several Regional Offices, seven of the original thirty SDAs selected for site visits will be replaced with new randomly selected SDAs. This will reduce the burden for these seven SDAs, who recently participated in a JTPA Amendments Implementation Review conducted by DOL Regional Offices. SDA Sites: a. The seven originally selected SDAs to be replaced are: Region State SDA# SDA Name 1 VT 50005 VERMONT CONSORTIUM 2 NY 36015 NEW YORK CITY 4 AL 1015 ALABAMA SDA DIVISION 5 IL 17045 CITY OF CHICAGO SDA 9 5 IN 18005 LAKE SHORE (FORMERLY LAKE COUNTY) 5 MN 27010 MINNEAPOLIS E & T PROGRAM 8 MT 30010 BALANCE OF MONTANA CONSORTIUM b. The seven new SDAs which have been selected as replacements are: Region State SDA # SDA Name 1 MA 25040 BRISTOL CONSORTIUM 2 NY 36110 ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY 4 GA 13015 CENTRAL SAVANNAH RIVER AREA CONSORTIUM 5 IL 17125 SDA 25 (PIC FOR SDA 25) 5 OH 39020 YOUNGSTOWN CITY IN MAHONING COUNTY 5 MN 27040 RURAL MINNESOTA CEP 8 CO 30010 DENVER CITY/COUNTY Action Required: (1) Those States containing any of the 7 original SDAs who have been replaced should notify these SDAs that they will no longer be visited by the contractor (James Bell Associates, Inc.). (2) Those States containing any of the seven replacement SDAs should notify each SDA of the upcoming visit, and explain that James Bell Associates, Inc., will be contacting them directly to arrange the most convenient time possible for the on-site visit, which is expected to take place sometime between now and December 1994.

Background: The final rule for the 1992 Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) Amendments was published on September 2, 1994, as a separate Part II of the Federal Register, and the Department arranged for copies to be provided directly to the States. To respond quickly to the JTPA community's need for information on these rule changes, the Employment and Training Administration is providing training sessions through its Regional Offices. Training Design: Although each Regional Office is arranging for sites and dates separately, sessions will start in some locations before the end of October 1994. Our goal is that all sessions will be concluded by December 1994. This training is intended to reach the Service Delivery Area/Substate Grantee level and is designed to present an overview of information, including time for participant discussion, that will last about one day. These sessions will deal only with the major changes and concomitant issues which may require clarification. Consequently, participants should have a substantial under- standing of the Amendments and of the areas of the interim final rule which were changed. Training Schedule: The training schedule in each Region is being developed by the Regional Office in consultation with the States to correlate with State needs. At some sites, schedules may include additional days of subject specific training and opportunities to continue the dialogue on ways to improve the job training system. Action: Please alert your SDAs/SSGs to the availability of this training opportunity.

Background. The Native American Cultural Heritage Month Committee at the Department of Labor has selected as its theme for this year's activities "The Birth of the White Buffalo: A Celebration of the Partnership of All Peoples". We have decided to make this a cultural event of true significance by enlisting the help of Native American High school students across the country. We are proposing a Poster Art and Essay contest that will provide these children with the opportunity to address this year's theme creatively and imaginatively using visual and written mediums. Action Required. We need the Grantees to assist us in this endeavor. We propose to conduct the contest at the Grantee level and then at the National level. The Grantees will provide the contest rules and requirements to the schools or to their summer youth participants (see attachment) and receive and initially judge the entries. Each Grantee will forward the finalist entries (not to exceed 5 entries) to the Department of Labor, where the winners will be selected by a panel composed of Native American artists, Native American educators, and other interested individuals. All finalist entries will be displayed in the Department as soon as they are received. We hope to get the Secretary of Labor to present the awards to the winners and their Tribal representatives at festivities scheduled for November the 30th. Finalist entries must be received by November 16th and will become the property of the Department. Contest rules and requirements are attached. We need a written response from you, directed to Gloria Duus at the address indicated under DEADLINE in the Rules and Requirements, indicating whether or not you can participate by October 21, 1994. Inquiries. Questions or suggestions should be addressed to Committee Chairperson Gloria Duus on (202) 219-5504.

The purpose of this Bulletin is to announce the retirement of Herb Fellman, former Chief, Division of Indian and Native American Programs (DINAP), from Federal service as of September 30, 1994. As most of you know, until October 1993 when he was reassigned as Chief of the Older Worker's Division, Mr. Fellman had been working in the Indian and Native American Program for over 20 years. For half of those 20 years, he served as Chief of the Division. In recognition of his years of Federal service (he began in 1952) and his many years of work for Indian programs, OSTP/DINAP is planning a retirement luncheon on November 15, 1994, in his honor. (The enclosed flyer gives more details of the luncheon.) Since most grantee staff will not be able to attend the luncheon, we are requesting that grantees send in their "Best Wishes"/"Good Luck" letters or cards to be presented to Mr. Fellman at the luncheon. Send your greetings before November 15 to: Mr. Thomas M. Dowd Chief Division of Indian and Native American Programs 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Room N-4641 Washington, D.C. 20210 Attention: Herb Fellman Those planning to attend the luncheon should be aware that DINAP and grantee staff must use personal funds for any expenses related to the luncheon itself, including travel. Follow the instructions on the flyer for more details about the luncheon.