Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) - Workforce Development & Adult Learning
If Imports Cost You Your Job . . . Apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance
The Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program is a federal entitlement program established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act of 2002. The TAA Program provides aid to workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of foreign trade.
- How do I apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance?
- How do you become eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)?
- What are the eligibility requirements for a petition to be certified?
- What program benefits are available through the Trade Act?
- Do workers have appeal rights for denied petitions?
How do I apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance?
A Petition for TAA may be filed by a group of three or more workers, their union, a company official, the American Job Center Administrator, or Dislocated Services Unit. TAA petitions must be properly completed and filed with the appropriate state and federal offices. Online filing is preferred as it ensures all fields are appropriately filled out, automatically notifies the state and federal offices, and ensures information is readable. Click on the links below to file online or download copies of the English and Spanish versions of the “Petition for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)”.
Petition Fax / Mailing Addresses:
U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-5428
Washington, DC 20210
Phone: 202-693-3560 or 1-888-DOL-OTAA (1-888-365-6822)
Fax: 202-693-3584, 3585
E-mail: taa.petition@dol.gov
How do you become eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)?
Petitions for TAA are filed with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL). The Department of Labor has sole responsibility for conducting a fact finding investigation to determine whether group eligibility criteria have been met and issues an official notice of its decision no later than 40 days after receiving the petition. The status of a petition can be checked online.
What are the eligibility requirements for a petition to be certified?
In order for the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a Certification Regarding Eligibility to Apply for Worker Adjustment Assistance, the following requirements must be met:
- Increase in imports;
- Shift in operations to certain countries; and
- Supply or downstream production to certain companies with TAA-certified workers.
Once the U.S. Department of Labor issues a Certification Regarding Eligibility, trade affected workers may apply for benefits under the TAA program.
What program benefits are available through the Trade Act?
TRAINING - classroom training, on-the-job training, and customized training designed to meet the needs of a specific employer or group of employers, apprenticeship programs, and more.
TRADE READJUSTMENT ALLOWANCES (TRA) -income support available in the form of weekly cash payments to workers who are enrolled in a full-time approved training course and have exhausted all rights to State and Federal Unemployment Insurance.
WORK SEARCH ALLOWANCES - may be payable to cover expenses incurred in seeking employment outside your normal commuting area.
RELOCATION ALLOWANCES - provide reimbursement for approved expenses if you are successful in obtaining employment outside your normal commuting area for you to relocate to your new area of employment.
ALTERNATIVE TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (ATAA) AND REEMPLOYMENT TRADE ADJUSTMENT ASSISTANCE (RTAA) - a wage subsidy for up to two years that is available to reemployed older workers, age 50 and over, and covers a portion of the difference between a worker's new wage and his/her old wage (up to a specified maximum amount).
Do workers have appeal rights for denied petitions?
Yes, workers whose petitions for TAA are denied by the U.S. Department of Labor may request administrative reconsideration from OTAA. Reconsideration requests must be filed with OTAA within 30 days of Federal Register publication of the final determination in the Federal Register.
The request for reconsideration must:
- Be in writing
- Include the name of the company
- Include the TAA investigation number
- Include a description of the group of workers on whose behalf the petition was filed, and
- Cite specific reasons why the workers consider the decision to be in error, either according to the facts, the interpretation of the facts, or the law itself.
Requests for reconsideration should be mailed to the:
U.S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Assistance
Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance
Attn: Reconsiderations
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N-5428
Washington, DC 20210
Phone: 202-693-3560 or 1-888-DOL-OTAA (1-888-365-6822)
Fax: 202-693-3584, 3585
E-mail: reconsiderations.taa.petition@dol.gov
U.S. DOL website
Workers who are denied certification may seek judicial review of OTAA’s initial determination or determination following administrative reconsideration. Appeals must be filed within 60 days of Federal Register publication of the initial denial or administrative reconsideration denial. Appeals for judicial review must be filed with the:
Case Management Supervisor
U.S. Court of International Trade
One Federal Plaza
New York, New York 10007
212-264-1611
The Trade Adjustment Assistance Program flyer
Maryland Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program
View the transcript of this video (Word)