Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) Services and Benefits

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Alternative Trade Adjustment Assistance (ATAA) help trade-affected workers who have lost their jobs as a result of increased imports or shifts in production out of the United States.  Certified individuals may be eligible to receive one or more program benefits and services depending on what is needed to return them to employment. 

The ATAA program offers benefits to eligible individuals who are over the age of 50 and who obtain new employment within 26 weeks of their separation. The ATAA program provides a wage subsidy (50% of the difference between the old wage and the new wage) to help bridge the salary gap between the eligible individual’s old and new employment. The program was designed to provide assistance to workers for whom the retraining offered under the regular TAA program may not be appropriate.

Accessing TAA and ATAA Services and Benefits

To obtain TAA or ATAA services and benefits, a group of workers must first file a petition with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Division of Trade Adjustment Assistance (DTAA), requesting certification as workers adversely affected by foreign trade.  If certified, each worker in the group may then apply separately for individual services and benefits through their local One-Stop Career Center. 

If the worker group is certified as eligible to apply for TAA and ATAA, individuals will have the option of applying for benefits under either the TAA program or the ATAA program.  Once a worker chooses to apply for and receives ATAA benefits, the worker will not be able to collect TAA benefits.  However, the ATAA participant can still be eligible for the following specific TAA benefits: the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) and a relocation allowance.

TAA program benefits and services are provided to help eligible workers get back to work. Certified workers who apply for TAA services and benefits may be eligible for the following:

1. Rapid Response Assistance.
2. Reemployment Services
3. Job Search Allowances
4. Relocation Allowances
5. Training – if the training is suitable and available at a reasonable cost.

1. Income Support – Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA)

1. Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)

Assistance in the application process or accessing services and benefits can be obtained by contacting any of our Centers.