The purpose of national emergency grants is to provide supplemental dislocated worker funds to States, Local Boards and other eligible entities in order to respond to the needs of dislocated workers and communities affected by major economic dislocations and other worker dislocation events which cannot be met with formula allotments.

We use funds reserved under WIA section 132(a)(2)(A) to provide financial assistance to eligible applicant for grants under WIA section 173.

These include:

(a) Plant closures;

(b) Mass layoffs affecting 50 or more workers at a single site of employment;

(c) Closures and realignments of military installations;

(d) Multiple layoffs in a single local community that have significantly increased the total number of unemployed individuals in a community;

(e) Emergencies or natural disasters, as defined in paragraphs (1) and (2) respectively, of section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122(1) and (2)) which have been declared eligible for public assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and

(f) Other events, as determined by the Secretary.

(a) For projects within a State. A State, a Local Board or another entity determined to be appropriate by the Governor of the State in which the project is located may apply for a national emergency grant. Also, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Alaska Native entities, Indian-controlled organizations serving Indians, or Native Hawaiian organizations which are recipients of funds under section 166 of the Act (Indian and Native American Programs) may apply for a national emergency grant.

(b) For inter-State projects. Consortia of States and/or Local Boards may apply. Other private entities which can demonstrate, in the application for assistance, that they possess unique capabilities to effectively respond to the circumstances of the major economic dislocation(s) covered in the application may apply.

(c) Other entities. The Secretary may consider applications from other entities, to ensure that appropriate assistance is provided in response to major economic dislocations.

We publish instructions for submitting applications for National Emergency Grants in the Federal Register. The instructions specify application procedures, selection criteria and the approval process.

(a) Applications for national emergency grants to respond to mass layoffs and plant closures may be submitted to the Department as soon as:

(1) The State receives a notification of a mass layoff or a closure as a result of a WARN notice, a general announcement or some other means determined by the Governor to be sufficient to respond;

(2) Rapid response assistance has been initiated; and

(3) A determination has been made, in collaboration with the applicable Local Board(s) and chief elected official(s), that State and local formula dislocated worker funds are inadequate to provide the level of services needed by the workers being laid off.

(b) An eligible entity may apply for a national emergency grant at any time during the year.

(c) Applications for national emergency grants to respond to a declared emergency or natural disaster as described in § 671.110(e), cannot be considered until FEMA has declared that the affected area is eligible for disaster-related public assistance.

(a) National emergency grants may provide adjustment assistance for eligible dislocated workers, described at WIA section 173(c)(2) or (d)(2).

(b) Adjustment assistance includes the core, intensive, and training services authorized at WIA sections 134(d) and 173. The scope of services to be provided in a particular project are negotiated between the Department and the grantee, taking into account the needs of the target population covered by the grant. The scope of services may be changed through grant modifications, if necessary.

(c) National emergency grants may provide for supportive services to help workers who require such assistance to participate in activities provided for in the grant. Needs-related payments, in support of other employment and training assistance, may be available for the purpose of enabling dislocated workers who are eligible for such payments to participate in programs of training services. Generally, the terms of a grant must be consistent with Local Board policies governing such financial assistance with formula funds (including the payment levels and duration of payments). However, the terms of the grant agreement may diverge from established Local Board policies, in the following instances:

(1) If unemployed dislocated workers served by the project are not able to meet the 13 or 8 weeks enrollment in training requirement at WIA section 134(e)(3)(B) because of the lack of formula or emergency grant funds in the State or local area at the time of dislocation, such individuals may be eligible for needs-related payments if they are enrolled in training by the end of the 6th week following the date of the emergency grant award;

(2) Trade-impacted workers who are not eligible for trade readjustment assistance under NAFTA-TAA may be eligible for needs-related payments under a national emergency grant if the worker is enrolled in training by the end of the 16th week following layoff; and

(3) Under other circumstances as specified in the national emergency grant application guidelines.

(d) A national emergency grant to respond to a declared emergency or natural disaster, as defined at § 671.110(e), may provide short-term disaster relief employment for:

(1) Individuals who are temporarily or permanently laid off as a consequence of the disaster;

(2) Dislocated workers; and

(3) Long-term unemployed individuals.

(e) Temporary employment assistance is authorized on disaster projects that provide food, clothing, shelter and other humanitarian assistance for disaster victims; and on projects that perform demolition, cleaning, repair, renovation and reconstruction of damaged and destroyed structures, facilities and lands located within the disaster area. For such temporary jobs, each eligible worker is limited to no more than six months of employment for each single disaster. The amounts, duration and other limitations on wages will be negotiated for each grant.

(f) Additional requirements that apply to national emergency grants, including natural disaster grants, are contained in the application instructions.

(a) State and Local Board grantees may request and we may approve the application of existing general statutory or regulatory waivers and workflex waivers to a National Emergency Grant award. The application for grant funds must describe any statutory waivers which the applicant wishes to apply to the project that the State and/or Local Board, as applicable, have been granted under its waiver plan, or that the State has approved for implementation in the applicable local area under workflex waivers. We will consider such requests as part of the overall application review and decision process.

(b) If, during the operation of the project, the grantee wishes to apply a waiver not identified in the application, the grantee must request a modification which includes the provision to be waived, the operational barrier to be removed and the effect upon the outcome of the project.

(a) Rapid response is a required Statewide activity under WIA section 134(a)(2)(A), to be carried out by the State or its designee in collaboration with the Local Board(s) and chief elected official(s). Under 20 CFR 665.310, rapid response encompasses, among other activities, an assessment of the general needs of the affected workers and the resources available to them.

(b) In accordance with national emergency grant application guidelines published by the Department, each applicant must demonstrate that:

(1) The rapid response activities described in 20 CFR 665.310 have been initiated and carried out, or are in the process of being carried out;

(2) State and local funds, including those made available under section 132(b)(2)(B) of the Act, have been used to initiate appropriate services to the eligible workers;

(3) There is a need for additional funds to effectively respond to the assistance needs of the workers and, in the case of declared emergencies and natural disasters, the community; and

(4) The application has been developed by or in conjunction with the Local Board(s) and chief elected official(s) of the local area(s) in which the proposed project is to operate.

(a) In general, the program requirements and administrative standards set forth at 20 CFR parts 663 and 667 will apply.

(b) Exceptions include:

(1) Funds provided in response to a natural disaster may be used for temporary job creation in areas declared eligible for public assistance by FEMA, subject to the limitations of WIA section 173(d), this part and the application guidelines issued by the Department;

(2) National emergency grant funds may be used to pay an appropriate level of administrative costs based on the design and complexity of the project. We will negotiate administration costs with the applicant as part of the application review and grant award and modification processes;

(3) The period of availability for expenditure of funds under a national emergency grant is specified in the grant agreement.

(4) We may establish supplemental reporting, monitoring and oversight requirements for national emergency grants. The requirements will be identified in the grant application instructions or the grant document.

(5) We may negotiate and fund projects under terms other than those specified in this part where it can be clearly demonstrated that such adjustments will achieve a greater positive benefit for the workers and/or communities being assisted.