TAA-159 (New, 1/2007) CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (TAA)

Reemployment Questions and Answers for Workers in TAA Training

Do I Have to Seek or Accept Work While I Participate in Approved Training?
Workers enrolled in TAA-approved training are not required to seek or accept employment while participating in training.
If you were approved to attend TAA training, the approval was based, in part, on a finding that there was no suitable
employment available and there was no reasonable prospect of suitable employment becoming available in the
foreseeable future. If eligible for Unemployment Insurance (UI) or Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA), while
participating in approved training you are relieved of the job-seeking obligations required of other workers filing for UI and
TRA; you may instead devote your attention to completing your approved training program.

The approval of appropriate training was intended to expedite your return to suitable employment. In fact, the goal of
Trade Adjustment Assistance is your return to suitable employment. Consequently, there may be implications if you
accept employment during training and achieve the goal of the program earlier than expected.

You must report any employment to your TAA counselor. Employment obtained during
training may affect your eligibility for TAA benefits.
What If I Decide to Take a Job?
Determining Whether Your Employment Is “Suitable”
If you obtain employment after training has been approved, the Connecticut TAA program must determine whether
the employment meets the definition of "suitable" by comparing the skill and wage levels of your new job with that
of your trade-impacted employment. If the new job pays at least 80% of your past average weekly wage AND is of
equal or greater skill level, it will be considered "suitable." (Generally, part-time and temporary employment will not
be deemed “suitable.”) The “average weekly wage” from past employment is calculated by dividing the total wages
earned during your “high” quarter by 13; 80% of that figure is the target wage. The “high” quarter is the highest of
the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters that precede the quarter of your first TAA-qualifying
separation. Your TAA counselor can help you determine your “average weekly wage.”
The Impact of “Suitable” Work on Your Training
Approval of training will be rescinded if you obtain suitable employment before beginning training. If suitable
employment is obtained once training has begun, you will be permitted to complete the current semester or module
but will be advised that TAA funding will not continue beyond that based on your return to suitable employment. In
either case, you would be issued a determination affording appeal rights. Although you are entitled to only one
training program under a single TAA certification, TAA assistance may be available to help you complete your
previously approved training program if you again become unemployed and are found to be lacking marketable
skills.
The Impact of “Unsuitable” Work on Other TAA Benefits
If you obtain full- or part-time work deemed unsuitable, you may continue to participate in training with TAA
approval and funding, providing you continue to attend training on a full-time basis. Earnings -- and any separation,
if found disqualifying for Unemployment Insurance (UI) purposes -- may affect your entitlement to TRA, however, if
otherwise eligible. Wages from part-time employment may extend the duration of TRA if your weekly TRA amount,
when reduced by two-thirds of your weekly gross wages, still permits payment of partial benefits. Workers may not
receive TRA if eligible for UI; wages from employment may provide you with entitlement to a new UI claim if you are
partially or totally unemployed, possibly at a lower weekly benefit amount than TRA. Your ability as an eligible TAA
recipient to claim the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) or participate in the advance HCTC, if otherwise eligible
for HCTC, depends on your continued receipt of UI or TRA.

If I Already Have a Job, Must I Continue to Work During My Training? May I Leave Training to Take a Job?
You may elect to terminate from or reduce hours at unsuitable employment, if reasonable and necessary to begin or
continue TAA-approved training, without being subject to ineligibility or disqualification for UI or TRA as a result. You may
also choose to discontinue training to accept employment, whether suitable or unsuitable, and will not be penalized for
failing to complete TAA training because such action would constitute justifiable cause for leaving training.
The information contained in this notice has been explained to me. I have received a copy of this notice.

Sign and Print Name Date

See Title 20 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 617.2, 617.22 (a)(1), 617.22(g), 617.18(b); Connecticut General Statutes,
Chapter 567, Section 31-236b, 31-236d. DISTRIBUTION: Worker, ES Operations/TAA Unit, CTWorks file.