Montana Workforce Investment Act

WIA Dislocated Worker Program

Purpose: The purpose of WIA Title IB dislocated worker program is to provide services to individuals who have been terminated or laid off, or have received notice of termination or layoff, from employment generally due to plant closures or downsizing; and who meet the dislocated worker definition of a displaced homemaker.

Eligibility: Individuals that have been terminated or laid off, or have received notice of termination or layoff; meet attachment to the workforce criteria but are not eligible for unemployment insurance and not likely to return to a previous industry or occupation; has received a general notice of the facility closure within 180 days; or is a displaced homemaker may be eligible for services under the dislocated worker program. A displaced homemaker, for dislocated worker eligibility purposes, is an individual who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home, has been dependent on the income of another family member and is no longer supported by that income and is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.

Services: Core, intensive and training services are available to assist dislocated workers transition from layoff to work in the least amount of time possible. If workers have skills that are in demand in the labor market, simply accessing the core services of job search and placement assistance and useful labor market information may be sufficient to help them get back into the workforce quickly. However, intensive and training services may be provided when a determination is made that the individual is in need of services beyond core.

Economic Development: Workers are retrained with skills that are in demand by Montana's employers which helps the State Economy to grow.

Administration: The Statewide Workforce Programs and Oversight Bureau in the Montana Department of Labor and Industry has statewide oversight responsibilities of the WIA Dislocated Worker Program in Montana. These responsibilities include fiscal controls, grant management, participant data collection and tracking, reporting to the U.S. Department of Labor, monitoring, service provider training, technical assistance and policy interpretation and development. The Workforce Investment Act requires that state governors reserve a portion of the dislocated worker funding alloted to the state for Rapid Response activities. In Montana twenty-five percent of the dislocated worker allotment is reserved for statewide Rapid Response activities. Fifteen percent is reserved for the governor’s set aside to be used for statewide activities and the remaining sixty percent is passed through to the Concentrated Employment Program (CEP) and Balance of State (BOS) service areas for dislocated worker services and activities.

Dislocated Worker Program: The Bureau is the administrative entity for the Balance of State and Concentrated Employment Program local workforce areas and has the oversight responsibilities of the dislocated worker program on behalf of the State Workforce Investment Board (SWIB). The Bureau contracts with the Montana Job Service Workforce Centers to provide dislocated worker services.

Rapid Response is a required activity designed to assist workers who are facing loss of employment through a permanent closure or mass layoff, or a natural or other disaster, that results in mass job dislocation, obtain reemployment as soon as possible. Rapid Response activities include: establishing onsite contact with employers and employee representatives upon notification of a current or projected permanent Closure or mass layoff; or in the case of a disaster, immediately after the state is made aware of mass job dislocation as a result of such disaster; provision of information and access to available employment and training activities; assistance in establishing a labor-management committee; provide emergency assistance adapted to the particular closure, layoff, disaster; and the provision of assistance to the local community in developing a coordinated response and in obtaining access to state economic development assistance. The Bureau has oversight responsibilities of all Rapid Response activities and the Governor has designated Montana’s Job Service Workforce Centers as the providers of Rapid Response services and activities.

Evaluation: There are four performance standards for the Dislocated Worker Program. The standards measure placements, job retention, wage retention and skills attainment. The customer satisfaction measure is the same for dislocated workers, adults and youth and is obtained through surveys that are conducted with employers and participants to determine satisfaction with the services provided.

Statewide Workforce Programs & Oversight
Gary Wright, Bureau Chief
P.O. Box 1728
Helena, MT 59624
Phone (406) 444-4100
Fax (406) 444-3037
E-mail: wia@mt.gov