Serving the Georgia Mountains Area
We are now 3 weeks in to the DHS/GDOL/WIA Collaborative and have filled 282 slots. We are continuing to process previously submitted paperwork and develop additional job sites.
Youth are currently working in a variety of settings such as city/county government offices, libraries, humane societies, parks and recreation centers and grocery stores.
The area has also developed a Green Corps program in which youth explore organic farming and carbon footprints.
The Georgia Department of Human Services and the Georgia Department of Labor entered into a contractual agreement to serve 10,000 eligible youth for an 8 week period. Eligible youth will be matched with employers who will serve as supervisors and mentors. Youth may work up to 35 hours per week and will earn $8.50 per hour. Workers compensation insurance is provided through the contract and the employer assumes no expense.
The Georgia Mountains WIA office has been allocated 345 slots. The program begins June 1st and will operate for 8 weeks.
We are now 3 weeks in to the DHS/GDOL/WIA Collaborative and have filled 282 slots. We are continuing to process previously submitted paperwork and develop additional job sites.
Youth are currently working in a variety of settings such as city/county government offices, libraries, humane societies, parks and recreation centers and grocery stores.
The area has also developed a Green Corps program in which youth explore organic farming and carbon footprints.
The Georgia Department of Human Services and the Georgia Department of Labor entered into a contractual agreement to serve 10,000 eligible youth for an 8 week period. Eligible youth will be matched with employers who will serve as supervisors and mentors. Youth may work up to 35 hours per week and will earn $8.50 per hour. Workers compensation insurance is provided through the contract and the employer assumes no expense.
The Georgia Mountains WIA office has been allocated 345 slots. The program begins June 1st and will operate for 8 weeks.
The Georgia Department of Human Services and the Georgia Department of Labor entered into a contractual agreement to serve 10,000 eligible youth for an 8 week period. Eligible youth will be matched with employers who will serve as supervisors and mentors. Youth may work up to 35 hours per week and will earn $8.50 per hour. Workers compensation insurance is provided through the contract and the employer assumes no expense.
The Georgia Mountains WIA office has been allocated 345 slots. The program begins June 1st and will operate for 8 weeks.
The Georgia Department of Human Services and the Georgia Department of Labor have entered into a contractual agreement to make available $33,864,000.00 in TANF Emergency Funding for a Summer Youth Work Experience project, in partnership with the State’s twenty (20) Workforce Investment Boards (WIBs). These funds are American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds and are designated to be used for work experience opportunities for youth ages 14-18 years old that are eligible for TANF services.
The Georgia Mountains WIA office is currently reviewing the list of eligible youth that has been provided by the Georgia Department of Human Services. We are also working to develop appropriate worksites and complete worksite inspections to ensure that the youth will have a safe and meaningful work experience.
Youth are scheduled to begin work June 1st and have the opportunity to work for an 8-week period earning $8.50 per hour.
The Jobs for Veterans Act (P.L. 107-288) and its corresponding regulations (20 CFR Part 1010) specify that veterans and eligible spouses are identified as covered persons and are entitled to priority over non-covered persons for employment, training and placement services. This entails priority for enrollment in a program, as well as priority for participation in the full range of services available through the program. The U.S. Department of Labor’s (USDOL’s) vision, as communicated in Veterans Program Letter 07-09 and Training and Employment Guidance Letter 10-09, issued on November 10, 2009 (http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives), is that workforce programs will identify, inform and deliver comprehensive services to covered persons. Priority of service applies only to USDOL-funded programs and services.
Priority of service requires that covered persons must be served prior to non-covered persons. Covered persons must still meet all eligibility and program requirements, where they exist. Individuals who are covered persons must be served by any available staff ahead of non-covered persons. Each customer must be asked, when first accessing services, if he or she is a veteran or eligible spouse. Individuals who identify themselves as covered persons are not required to verify their status as veterans or eligible spouses at the point of service entry, unless they immediately undergo eligibility determination and formal enrollment into a program. For services that do not entail eligibility determination (e.g., core services), staff should deliver all appropriate services upon request.
For priority of service purposes, a covered person is a:
1. Veteran - an individual who has served at least one day in active military, naval or air service, and was discharged under “other than dishonorable” conditions. This includes full-time duty in the National Guard or a Reserve component, except full-time duty for training purposes.
Note that this is the WIA definition of veteran (at least one day of active military service), not the definition used for LVERs and DVOP staff to provide services (at least 180 days of active military service).
2. Eligible spouse - the spouse of:
a. any veteran who died of a service-connected disability;
b. any member of the Armed Forces serving on active duty who, at the time of the spouse’s request for priority has been listed for at least 90 days as: missing in action; captured in line of duty by a hostile force; or forcibly detained or interned in line of duty by a foreign government or power;
c. a veteran who has a total disability resulting from a service-connected disability (as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs); or
d. a veteran who died while a total disability, resulting from a service-connected disability, was in existence
The Georgia Mountains Workforce Investment Area 2 office as well as the applicable partner agencies will post information in visible areas, conveying the office’s intention to provide priority of service. Applicants may complete the Georgia Department of Labor Veteran/Eligible Spouse Priority of Service Information sheet. The completed sheet may be submitted to the appropriate intake personnel for review and if eligible, these individuals will be served ahead of non-covered persons. Applicants will not be required to verify their status until they undergo eligibility determination and formal enrollment into a program. The following documents will be accepted as documentation of an individual’s status:
Some programs, such as the Workforce Investment Act, are required by law to provide a priority or preference for a particular group of individuals, or require a program to spend a certain portion of program funds on a particular group of persons. For programs with this type of mandatory priority, local areas must determine the status of each individual veteran or eligible spouse and apply priority as follows:
A. Program-eligible veterans and eligible spouses who meet mandatory or spending priorities, or who meet the area’s applicable income eligibility requirements must receive the highest level of priority of service
B. Program-eligible individuals who are not covered persons who meet mandatory or spending priorities or who meet the area’s income eligibility requirements receive the second level of priority of service
C. Veterans and eligible spouses outside the program-specific mandatory priority or spending requirements receive the third level of priority of service
D. Non-covered persons outside the program-specific mandatory priority or spending requirements receive the fourth level priority of service
If there is a waiting list for services, veterans and eligible spouses will be selected first to receive the service, provided the covered person has been determined eligible and is qualified for the service.
The Georgia Mountains Workforce Investment Board at its January meeting approved the following expanded supportive services for WIA ARRA Customers:
Vehicle Repairs - up to $2000
Uniforms/Work Attire - up to $250
COBRA Payments - up to 3 months
Driver’s Education - up to $250
Automobile Insurance - up to 3 months
Medical Insurance - up to 3 months
Rental/Housing Assistance - up to $3000
Utility Payments - up to $1000
Gas Cards - up to $250
Extended Dependant Care - up to 6 weeks during job search
All supportive services must be pre-approved by the applicable WIA case manager and the WIA Director. No reimbursements will be made to the customer. Expanded supportive services will be discontinued once the ARRA funds have been depleted.
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program offers free tax preparation if you earned less than $48,000 in 2009. Please visit www.atlantaprosperity.org or call 211 or (404)614-1000 to find the nearest VITA tax site to you. Persons with disabilities needing assistance, please call The Center for Financial Independence and Innovation at (888) 541-2344 or email info@thecfii.org.
The Georgia Mountains WIA has completed the required local area plan updates. The updates are available by contacting Kimberlee Wilson at (770) 538-2724.
