Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Dislocated Workers are individuals who are:

• Unemployed and have lost their job through no fault of their own, or
• Who have received a layoff notice and are unlikely to return to their previous occupation or industry

Adults are individuals who are:

• Age 18 or older
• In need of workforce services, training or retraining to secure unsubsidized employment

Services available to adults and dislocated workers include:

• Basic Career Services
• Eligibility determination for additional assistance of whether the individual is eligible to receive assistance from the adult, dislocated worker, or youth programs
• Outreach, intake (including worker profiling), and orientation to information and other services available through the one-stop delivery system. For the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, States must provide individuals with the opportunity to initiate an application for TANF assistance and non-assistance benefits and services, which could be implemented through the provision of paper application forms or links to the application Web site
•  Initial assessment of skill levels including literacy, numeracy, and English language proficiency, as well as aptitudes, abilities (including skills gaps), and supportive services needs
•  Labor exchange services, including—
•  Job search and placement assistance, and, when needed by an individual, career counseling, including—
•  Provision of information on in-demand industry sectors and occupationsand
•  Provision of information on nontraditional employment and
•  Appropriate recruitment and other business services on behalf of employers, including information and referrals to specialized business services other than those traditionally offered through the one-stop delivery system
•  Provision of referrals to and coordination of activities with other programs and services, including programs and services within the one-stop delivery system and, when appropriate, other workforce development programs
•  Provision of workforce and labor market employment statistics information, including the provision of accurate information relating to local, regional, and national labor market areas, including—
•  Job vacancy listings in labor market areas
•  Information on job skills necessary to obtain the vacant jobs listed and
•  Information relating to local occupations in demand and the earnings, skill requirements, and opportunities for advancement for those jobs
•  Provision of performance information and program cost information on eligible providers of education, training, and workforce services by program and type of providers
•  Provision of information, in usable and understandable formats and languages, about how the local area is performing on local performance accountability measures, as well as any additional performance information relating to the area's one-stop delivery system
•  Provision of information, in usable and understandable formats and languages, relating to the availability of supportive services or assistance, and appropriate referrals to those services and assistance, including: Child care child support medical or child health assistance available through the State's Medicaid program and Children's Health Insurance Program benefits under SNAP assistance through the earned income tax credit and assistance under a State program for TANF, and other supportive services and transportation provided through that program
•  Provision of information and meaningful assistance to individuals seeking assistance in filing a claim for unemployment compensation.
•  “Meaningful assistance” means:
•  Providing assistance on-site using staff who are well-trained in unemployment compensation claims filing and the rights and responsibilities of claimants or
•  Providing assistance by phone or via other technology, as long as the assistance is provided by trained and available staff and within a reasonable time.
•  The costs associated in providing this assistance may be paid for by the State's unemployment insurance program, or the WIOA adult or dislocated worker programs, or some combination thereof.
•  Assistance in establishing eligibility for programs of financial aid assistance for training and education programs not provided under WIOA.
  
  
• Individualized career services
•  Comprehensive and specialized assessments of the skill levels and service needs of adults and dislocated workers, which may include—
•  Diagnostic testing and use of other assessment tools and
•  In-depth interviewing and evaluation to identify employment barriers and appropriate employment goals
•  Development of an individual employment plan, to identify the employment goals, appropriate achievement objectives, and appropriate combination of services for the participant to achieve his or her employment goals, including the list of, and information about, the eligible training providers
•  Group counseling
•  Individual counseling
•  Career planning
•  Short-term pre-vocational services including development of learning skills, communication skills, interviewing skills, punctuality, personal maintenance skills, and professional conduct services to prepare individuals for unsubsidized employment or training
•  Internships and work experiences that are linked to careers
•  Workforce preparation activities
•  Financial literacy services
•  Out-of-area job search assistance and relocation assistance and
•  English language acquisition and integrated education and training programs.
•  Follow-up services must be provided, as appropriate, including: Counseling regarding the workplace, for participants in adult or dislocated worker workforce investment activities who are placed in unsubsidized employment, for up to 12 months after the first day of employment.
•  In addition to the requirements in paragraph (a)(2) of this section, TANF agencies must identify employment services and related support being provided by the TANF program (within the local area) that qualify as career services and ensure access to them via the local one-stop delivery system.
  
  
• Training services such as on-the-job training and customized training
  
  
• Follow-up services
  
  
• Supportive services such as transportation vouchers or childcare assistance

Eligibility for Basic Career Services

Any person seeking to be served with WIOA funds must be a United States citizen or authorized to work in the United States. Military Selective Service registration requirements must be met by male participants.

To be eligible for service under the Dislocated Worker Program an individual must:

• Have been terminated, laid off, or notified of layoff
• Be eligible for or have exhausted Unemployment Compensation Benefits or has worked long enough to establish an attachment to the Labor Market AND
• Be unlikely to return to his/her previous occupation or job

Dislocated workers may also be individuals who are laid off due to:

• Plant closures or substantial layoffs at a plant or facility
• Employment at a facility at which the employer has made a general announcement that that facility will close

Also included as Dislocated Workers are self-employed individuals, farmers, ranchers, and fishermen who are unemployed due to economic conditions or a natural disaster.

Displaced Homemakers who have been dependent on the income of another family member and are no longer receiving that support and who are unemployed or underemployed and having difficulty in obtaining work or upgrading employment are also considered dislocated workers. 

Eligibility for Training Services for Adults

To receive Training Services, participants must meet the following criteria:

• Is unlikely or unable to obtain or retain employment, that leads to economic self- sufficiency or wages comparable to or higher than wages from previous employment, through career services                                                                                                                                                              
• Is in need of training services to obtain or retain employment that leads to economic self-sufficiency or wages comparable to or higher than wages from previous employment.                                                                                                                                                                                        
• Has the skills and qualifications to successfully participate in the selected program of training services.
• Has selected a program of training services directly linked to the employment opportunities in the local area or the planning region, or in another area to which they are willing to commute or relocate.
• Is unable to obtain grant assistance from other sources to pay the costs of their training or require assistance beyond that available under grant assistance from other sources to pay the costs of such training.

Services are to provided according to the Adult Priority of Service:

• First, to veterans and eligible spouses who are included in the groups given statutory priority for WIOA Adult formula funding. This means that veterans and eligible spouses who are also recipients of public assistance, other lowincome individuals, or individuals who are basic skills deficient receive first priority for services with WIOA Adult formula funds for individualized career services and training services.
• Second, to non-covered persons (that is, individuals who are not veterans or eligible spouses) who are included in the groups given priority for WIOA adult formula funds.
• Third, to veterans and eligible spouses who are not included in WIOA’s priority groups.
• Fourth, priority populations established by the Governor and/or Local WDB.
• Last, to non-covered persons outside the groups given priority under WIOA