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Institute for Workplace Studies----------------- Professor Samuel B. Bacharach

School of Industrial & Labor Relations-------- Director, Institute for Workplace Studies

Cornell University

16 East 34th Street, 4th floor---------------------- Stuart Basefsky

New York, NY 10016 -------------------------------Director, IWS News Bureau

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Congressional Research Service (CRS)

 

Federal Programs Available to Unemployed Workers

Katelin P. Isaacs, Coordinator, Analyst in Income Security

David H. Bradley, Specialist in Labor Economics

Benjamin Collins, Analyst in Labor Policy

Janemarie Mulvey, Specialist in Health Care Financing

January 9, 2013

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34251.pdf

[full-text, 18 pages]

 

Summary

Four groups of federal programs target unemployed workers: unemployment insurance, health

care assistance, job search assistance, and training. This report presents information on federal

programs targeted to unemployed workers specifically, but does not attempt to discuss meanstested

programs (such as Medicaid or SSI) that are available regardless of employment status.

 

When eligible workers lose their jobs, the Unemployment Compensation (UC) program may

provide up to 26 weeks of income support through the payment of regular UC benefits.

Unemployment benefits may be extended by the temporarily authorized Emergency

Unemployment Compensation (EUC08) program. Unemployment benefits may also be extended

for up to 13 or 20 weeks by the permanent Extended Benefit (EB) program if certain economic

conditions exist within the state. Workers whose job loss is caused by foreign competition may be

eligible for extended income support through the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers

(TAA) program. If an unemployed worker is not eligible to receive UC benefits and the worker’s

unemployment may be directly attributed to a declared major disaster, a worker may be eligible to

receive Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits.

 

Two federal laws may aid unemployed workers in the purchase of health insurance. The first, the

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), allows unemployed

workers in certain circumstances to continue health insurance coverage from their employers. The

second, the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC), allows certain TAA participants to receive an

advanceable and refundable tax credit for purchasing qualified health insurance.

 

Federal support for Americans seeking assistance to obtain, retain, or change employment is

undertaken by a national system of local One-Stop Career Centers (One-Stops) that were

established by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. A variety of services and partner

programs—notably including UC and TAA—are located within or linked to One-Stops, which

primarily provide job search assistance, career counseling, labor market information, and other

employment services. Core labor exchange services (matching job seekers and employers) are

provided by the U.S. Employment Service (ES), which was first established by the Wagner-

Peyser Act of 1933 and most recently amended under Title III of WIA. In addition to ES, Title I

of WIA authorizes resources for similar core and intensive employment services for youth, adults,

dislocated workers, and targeted populations.

 

Title I of WIA is also the nation’s central job training legislation, providing funds for traditional,

on-the-job, customized, and other forms of training to individuals unable to obtain or retain

employment through other services.

 

This report will be updated with major new legislation.

 

Contents

Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1

Unemployment Insurance for Unemployed Workers ...................................................................... 1

Unemployment Compensation .................................................................................................. 1

Emergency Unemployment Compensation ......................................................................... 2

Extended Benefits ............................................................................................................... 3

EUC08 and EB Interactions ................................................................................................ 4

Trade Readjustment Allowance: UI Extension for Workers Affected by Foreign

Competition ............................................................................................................................ 5

Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance ..................................................................... 6

Disaster Unemployment Assistance .......................................................................................... 6

Health Care Assistance for Unemployed Workers ........................................................................... 7

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-272) ............................... 7

Health Coverage Tax Credit ...................................................................................................... 8

Job Search Assistance for Unemployed Workers............................................................................. 8

Wagner-Peyser Act of 1933 ....................................................................................................... 9

Employment Services .......................................................................................................... 9

Wagner-Peyser Act Funding ................................................................................................ 9

Job Search Assistance for TAA-Certified Workers .................................................................... 9

Job Training Assistance for Unemployed Workers ........................................................................ 10

Workforce Investment Act of 1998.......................................................................................... 10

WIA State Formula Grant Programs for Job Training and Related Services .................... 10

National Training Programs for Special Populations ........................................................ 11

Other Targeted Competitive Grant Programs .................................................................... 12

Workforce Investment Act Funding .................................................................................. 13

Targeted Federal Job Training Activities: Trade Adjustment Assistance and

Community Service Employment for Older Americans....................................................... 13

Training Assistance for TAA-Certified Workers ............................................................... 14

Community Service Employment for Older Americans ................................................... 14

 

Tables

Table 1. Workforce Investment Act Title I FY2012 Appropriations .............................................. 13

 

Contacts

Author Contact Information........................................................................................................... 15

 

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