Workforce Bulletin - March 14, 2014

This edition of Workforce Bulletin contains articles including:

Senators Announce Agreement to Extend EUC for Five Months
On Thursday, March 13, a group of 10 U.S. Senators led by Jack Reed (D-RI) and Dean Heller (R-NV) announced an agreement to reauthorize the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program for five months.  The bill, the Emergency Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2014 (S. 2148), would allow for retroactive payments to eligible beneficiaries to when the program expired on December 28, 2013. 

FY 2015 USDOL Budget Request Recap
On Tuesday, March 4, the Obama Administration released its FY 2015 Budget Request to Congress, providing an outline of the Administration’s goals and funding priorities for the upcoming fiscal year.  

Veterans Retraining Assistance Program to Provide Lump Sum Education Awards to Participants Prior to Expiration of Spending Authority
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced last week it would provide lump sum payments to veterans currently enrolled in the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP) before the Department’s legal authority to pay benefits expires at the end of this month on March 31.

New Study by CNA Finds One Stop Career Centers to be "Centerpiece of Veterans Employment Services in Local Communities"
In a new study commissioned by the Department of Defense and its interagency partners representing the Veterans Employment Initiative (VEI) Task Force, off base veterans’ employment services provided by government and nongovernmental organizations was studied for effectiveness.

Reminder: 2014 UI Technical Training, Register Today
The ITSC is pleased to announce the 2014 UI technical training in-person courses for state and federal employees within the unemployment insurance program.  Wanda Burth, ITSC’s UI Training Administrator, will be conducting several courses within various USDOL regions and the national office in Washington, D.C.

Unemployment Insurance Initial Claims Decrease, Continued Claims Decrease
The U.S. Department of Labor reported for the week ending March 8, 2014 seasonally adjusted unemployment insurance initial claims decreased from the previous week’s revised figure. 

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