DES MOINES — Unemployment Insurance benefits and state workforce agencies are vital to unemployed Americans who rely on both as they work to find new employment.
To support their efforts, the U.S. Department of Labor awarded, on June 29, $80 million to workforce agencies in 44 states and the District of Columbia to provide re-employment and eligibility assessments. Iowa received a grant of $957,875. The funds will also implement the new Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessments program.
The grants will fund services such as in-person assessments at American Job Centers. These assessments of eligible claimants include the following: development of an individual re-employment plan; access to labor market information specific to the individual’s location, job skills and employment prospects; a complete review of the claimant’s eligibility for UI benefits; and referrals to re-employment services or training at American Job Center.
The U.S. Department of Labor has awarded grants through this initiative for 11 years. For the first time these grants will be available to fund reemployment services for these beneficiaries.