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Dislocated Worker Program

Purpose

The purpose of WIOA Title IB dislocated worker program is to provide services to individuals who meet one of the five categories of a dislocated worker.

Eligibility

Dislocated worker categories include: 1) individuals who have been laid off or terminated and determined eligible for unemployment benefits; 2) individuals who have been terminated or laid off or received notice of termination or layoff from employment due to a permanent business closure or downsizing; 3) an individual who was self-employed and in now unemployed due to the general economic conditions in the community in which they reside or because of a natural disaster; 4) an individual who meets the WIOA definition of a displaced homemaker; or 5) is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and who has experiences a loss of employment as a direct result of relocation to accommodate a permanent change in duty station of such member; or is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and who meets the criteria of a displaced homemaker.

WIOA defines 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 experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.

Services

Re-employment 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 basic career 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, individualized career and training services may be provided when a determination is made that the individual is in need of more than just basic career services. Workers who need training are retrained with skills that are in demand by Montana's employers.

Administration

In Montana, up to twenty-five percent of the dislocated worker allotment can be 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 used for dislocated worker services and activities.

Rapid Response Program

The Bureau is the WIOA administrative entity and has the oversight responsibilities for the Rapid Response program on behalf of the State Workforce Innovation Board (SWIB). The Bureau contracts with the Job Service Operations Bureau to provide rapid response services.

Rapid Response is a required activity designed to assist workers who are facing loss of employment to 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 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.