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The TAA program helps workers who have lost their jobs as a result of foreign trade. The program offers a variety of benefits and services to eligible workers, including:

job training income support (TRA) job search and relocation allowances a wage supplement to certain reemployed

trade-affected workers 50 years of age and older (A/RTAA)

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Department of Career Services (DCS)

Administers TAA benefits

One-Stop Career Centers (OSCC)

Provide employment and case management

services

Educational Institutions/Vendors

Trains TAA Clients

Department of Unemployment

Assistance (DUA)

Administers TRA benefits

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Company files a petition with DOL DOL investigates the petition. If approved,

DOL issues a certification; a five-digit number is assigned to the certification

Workers are notified about the Trade certification by DCS

Workers go to OSCC for services and case management

Benefits are administered by DCS and DUA

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1. Legal Notice in the newspaper2. Mailing to all workers notifying them of the certification3. Interested Parties Notice

This is an email that is sent to various vendors around the State letting them know about the affected workers.

We hope this will encourage vendors to work with their local Career Centers to market and/or expand current programs and develop new programs which will serve the affected population.

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Trade’s Axiom:

The least amount of training at the lowest reasonable cost in the shortest amount of time to obtain the skills, credentials, resources, and support necessary to become suitably reemployed.

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Reasonable Costs:◦ Remedial Training: $10,000 (per year)◦ Occupational Training: $20,000 total◦ Degree Programs: $28,000 total◦ MAX (including travel, subsistence, etc.): MAX (including travel, subsistence, etc.): $35,000 $35,000

totaltotal

These costs are for ALL TAA Participants, regardless of petition number

Currently in Massachusetts, for NEW contracts that commenced July 1, 2013 and after, a training program (tuition, fees and books) cannot exceed:

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Training which exceeds the maximum number of weeks allowed may not be paid for under the TAA program.

2002 TAA Program

2009 TAA Program

2011 and 2014-R TAA Programs

Up to 104 weeks

Up to 130 weeks if the worker was also enrolled in remedial training

Up to 130 weeks

Up to 156 weeks if the worker was also enrolled in remedial training

Up to 130 weeks

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2002 and 2014-R TAA Programs

2009 and 2011 TAA Programs

Training may only be approved on a full-time basis

Certified workers may not begin approved training until they have been totally or partially separated from adversely affected employment

Training may be approved on a full-time or part-time basis, although full-time training is required for TRA eligibility.

Certified workers may begin approved training when threatened with separation from adversely affected employment

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A worker may only be approved for one training program per certification.

Note: A training program may be comprised of several training components (ie, remedial training first, then vocational training)

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Examples of remedial training include:

Basic math & writing skills English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Courses leading to a GED Coursework required for entry into a training

program (Pre-requisites)

Remedial training can also occur concurrently with other training.

Remedial training can occur at any time of the training program, but it is encouraged to be taken prior to occupational trainings or degree programs.

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Income support for UP TO 13 weeks for students meeting required benchmarks

Schools will need to provide progress reports or utilize TAA’s benchmark

report form. Student will be given this form to provide to the school.

◦ What are schools currently using to track progress?◦ What can TAA do to help schools with this required process?

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Becoming a Qualified Vendor…

Respond to RFR 14-01https://www.commbuys.com/bso/To execute a new contract, please follow the instructions to review the Request for Response (RFR) Click on Contract & Bid Search, once you are on Advanced Search, click on Bids and Enter Bid #: S154212; Click on Find It (results will populate) scroll down to see results Click on S154212-vCurrent to download information and learn more about getting into contract with Trade Program.

Complete TrainingTrainingProPro Requirements

RFR 14-01◦ Open Enrollment application process◦ RFR agreement ends June 30, 2018◦ New RFR would be drafted before the end date of

RFR 14-01

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Supplier Diversity Program (Replaces Affirmative Market Program) Certificate of Good Standing Registration with Secretary of State Licensing by the Department of Education Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) Authorization Single Point of Contact ( S.P.O.C.) Discount Program Selections

◦ Prompt Pay Discount◦ Dollar Volume Discount

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Authorization to submit payment requests is receipt of Participant Approval Notification (consists of Budget/Payment Schedule, etc)

Payment requests must be submitted on a timely basis.

◦ There are consequences of not submitting timely payment requests.

Payment requests must be submitted in accordance with the budget/payment schedules.

◦ Any payments not submitted in accordance with the budget/payment schedules are subject to return.

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Elements of Participant Approval Notification:

◦ Notification Letter◦ Participant List◦ Budget/Payment Schedule◦ Course Description◦ Break in Training Verification◦ Refund Policy

Role of the S.P.O.C. Transparency of the Participant to the Contract Process

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Website: www.mass.gov/dcs/trainingPro

For TAA approval, a course must meet these minimum requirements for performance:

Completion Rate: >/= 70%Entered Employment Rate: >/= 60%

TAA courses go through an auto-approval process first. If they meet certain criteria then the course is auto approved. If not, the course is put into a pending status for a TAA staff manual determination to be made.

Course approvals last for 1 year. You must resubmit courses for approval the day after they expire. The system at this time will not allow you to do it any earlier.

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Are you wondering what happens once you send YOUR invoices in to

the Commonwealth of MA for payment from the Trade Program?

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According to Budget Payment Schedule,

vendor submits P.V. to Accounts Payable

Accounts Payable passes the P.V. on to

the Trade Unit

Trade Unit reviews P.V. and data enters payment information

into financial database and sends

back to AP

AP processes payments approved

by the Trade Unit

EFT is sent out to vendors accordingly

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Most recent participant list to be sure that the student being billed for is listed

Budget Payment Schedule to make sure we are being billed as scheduled at time of approval

For any colleges and universities, a Course Outline is needed to show what classes are being taken and when (TAA now has a Course Outline form for schools to use!)

Any bookstore Purchase Orders will require receipts as well as a course outline to be sure we are paying for appropriate items, REQUIRED by all students in training

Please note: Class outlines and book lists are received from counselors prior to training approval.

Some examples of reviewed items include:

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Invoices can be sent to the Trade Unit via AP at any point within the quarter. Billing does not have

to occur on the last day of each quarter listed.

Invoice can be sent 10/1/11-

12/31/11Invoice can be sent 4/1/11-

6/30/11

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Using this web site, vendors to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts can easily and quickly:

◦ Access their payment information ◦ View scheduled payments ◦ View payment history◦ Print the form to request Electronic Funds

Transfer (EFT)◦ And read news and updates of interest to vendors

Visit us at:

https://massfinance.state.ma.us/VendorWeb/vendor.asp

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Accounts Payable: accountspayable@detma.orgBeverly NisbettBNisbett@detma.org617-626-5937

Contracts: Myrna MolinaMMolina@detma.org617-626-5214

COMMBUYS: HelpdeskCOMMBUYS@state.ma.us 888-627-8283

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TrainingPro: Help DeskMOSES@detma.org617-626-5003

Trade Unit (TAA): Help Desk*617-626-6007

* Please note, this is a mailbox that is checked daily. Your message will be returned by one of our staff members within 24 hours.