To inform state workforce agencies that 100 percent reimbursement for unemployment insurance (UI) above-base administrative expenses is provided for under the FY 2009 continuing resolution (CR) and that states may request a portion of their first quarter FY 2009 above-base funds in advance of the end of the quarter.

To announce the release and the availability of report titled Literature Review: Intermediaries and FBCOs Working Together.

To announce the release and availability of the following ETA Occasional Papers:

• Investing in Labor Market Information (LMI): A Summary of the State LMI Improvement Grants
• Investing in Labor Market Information (LMI): Insights from the Recovery Act LMI Grants
• Using Real-Time LMI To Explore Green Jobs
• Disseminating Labor Market Information: Insights from the State LMI Improvement Grants
• Strategic Partnering to Advance LMI: Insights from the State LMI Improvement Grants

To provide the workforce development system with information related to the 2014 General Education Development (GED®) Test series.

To inform states that the UI Benefits and Adjudication National Training Forum is scheduled for April 14-16, 2009, in Portland, Oregon, and to encourage states to participate in the conference.

To announce the release and the availability of the following Youth Opportunity (YO) Grant Initiative items:

• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Summary and Implications
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Executive Summary
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Ethnographic Evaluation Final Report
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Impact and Synthesis Report
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Management Information System Final Report
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Process Evaluation Final Report
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Appendices
• Youth Opportunity Grant Initiative: Public Data Set

To advise state agencies of plans to improve, streamline, and automate UCX claims processing, including plans to automate the UCX claim notification and the Quarterly Detailed Benefits Payment Data (QDBPD) by providing them in electronic format to the Federal military branches for unemployment compensation (UC) purposes.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the release and availability of a report entitled: Implementation Analysis of High-Growth Job Training Initiative Programs.

To announce the annual list of Labor Surplus Areas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009.

To remind states of options that are available under Federal unemployment compensation (UC) law to mitigate layoffs, permit payments for certain self-employment activities, and extend benefits to individuals who have exhausted their regular UC.