Workforce Services for Individuals

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program

The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program is a federal program that assists U.S. workers who have lost their job or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of foreign trade. Benefits to an eligible worker include employment and case management, training, Trade Readjustment Allowance, job search and relocation allowance, Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance, health care tax credit, and resources and supportive services to become reemployed quickly.

The TAA program is one option for employers who are concerned about their employees’ futures. The program can help workers explore options and employers can retain their workforce during the transition.

Eligibility

Is the business’s layoff possibly TAA eligible? Ask yourself the following questions:

Increased Imports

Did the increase in imports contribute to worker separation or the threat of separation?
Did the increase contribute to the decline in the sales or production of articles of the business?

Shifts to a Foreign Country

Has the business either shifted articles or the supply of services to a foreign country, and did the shift contribute to the employees’ separation or threat of separation?

Acquisition from a Foreign Country

Has the business acquired articles or services from a foreign country that are like or directly competitive with articles the business produces?
Has the acquisition of articles or services contributed to the employees’ separation or threat of separation?

Secondary Component Supplier or Downstream Producer

Is the business a supplier or a downstream producer to a firm that employed a group of workers who received a TAA certification of eligibility, and the supply or production is related to the article or service that was the basis for each certification?

If you answered yes to at least one of these questions, your business might be eligible for a TAA petition. If you’re not sure, reach out to DLR and we can assist you.

Filing a petition

If foreign trade has directly or indirectly contributed to the loss of jobs, a petition may be filed to determine eligibility. Please note, TAA does not provide automatic eligibility for TAA based on global economic or environmental conditions.

To start the process, file a petition for TAA with the U.S. Department of Labor (U.S. DOL). Easy online filing can be done by:

Two or more workers of a business
A business official
A union or other duly authorized representative
A state workforce official or operator of an American Job Center

View U.S. DOL petition instructions and forms. Our employment specialists can also assist with submissions.

Once a petition is reviewed and certified by the U.S. DOL, the Department of Labor and Regulation will provide an informational meeting outlining the benefits of TAA to those eligible.

What else should we know?

Once a layoff is suspected to be trade- related, a petition is filed on behalf of the affected workers. U.S. DOL then assigns an investigator to determine whether foreign trade is a contributing cause of the job losses. If the U.S. DOL certifies a group of workers under the petition, the workers are individually eligible to apply for several benefits and services at no expense to the workers’ business.

Do I have to respond to the request and comply with the investigation?

Yes, responding to the request is mandatory. A petition is not considered negative; it shows that the business is invested in doing what’s best and right for its employees and community. The investigator assigned to your petition is there to help you.

Will the information we share be made public?

U.S. DOL publishes basic information regarding petitions, investigations and determinations in the Federal Register and on its website. One concern for responding businesses is the confidential, proprietary or otherwise sensitive nature of business data requested by U.S. DOL. Each of the U.S. DOL data collection forms contains assurances that U.S. DOL “will protect the confidentiality of the information provided to the full extent of the law.”

Resources

Trade Adjustment Assistance Brochure

For more information about TAA assistance with a petition, contact your job service office.

Visit the Services for dislocated workers webpage.

Visit the U.S. DOL Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers webpage for additional resources.

Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary