T rade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA) provides federal assistance to workers who involuntarily lose their jobs due to foreign competition. Workers may also be eligible for other benefits, including a tax credit equal to a portion of qualified health insurance premiums. After a brief discussion of the program's purpose and most recent reauthorization, this report describes TAA as reauthorized by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 (TAARA, Title IV of P.L. 114-27 ). Administration

TAA is jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and cooperating state agencies. Individual benefits are provided through state workforce systems and state unemployment insurance systems. It is administered separately from the TAA program's other benefits and services. FY2018 Appropriation

In FY2018, Congress appropriated $790 million for the TAA for Workers programs. First, a group of workers or their representative (e.g., firm, union, or state) must petition DOL to establish that their job loss was attributable to foreign trade and met statutory criteria. Private sector workers who produce goods ("articles" in the law) or services are eligible for TAA. The role of foreign trade can be established in one of several ways:
An increase in competitive imports . Benefits for Certified Workers

TAA benefits for individual workers include training and reemployment services and income support for workers who have exhausted their UC benefits and are enrolled in training. Training and Reemployment Services

TAA-certified workers may receive several types of benefits and services to aid them in preparing for and obtaining new employment. Workers may also receive case management services and reimbursements for qualified job search and relocation expenses. Statute specifies that training for a worker shall be approved if all of the following conditions are met:
there is no suitable employment available for an adversely affected worker, the worker would benefit from appropriate training, there is a reasonable expectation of employment following completion of such training, training approved by the Secretary is reasonably available to the worker from either governmental agencies or private sources, the worker is qualified to undertake and complete such training, and such training is suitable for the worker and available at a reasonable cost. A Relocation Allowance may be available to workers who have secured permanent employment outside their local commuting area. Trade Readjustment Allowance

Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) is a weekly income support payment to certified workers who have exhausted their UC benefits and who are enrolled in training. TRA is funded by the federal government and administered by the states through their unemployment insurance systems. Individual TRA benefit levels are equal to a worker's final UC benefit. Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance

RTAA is an entitlement that provides a wage supplement for workers age 50 and over who are certified for TAA benefits and obtain reemployment at a lower wage. The program provides a cash payment to an eligible worker equal to 50% of the difference between the worker's wage at the trade-affected job and the worker's wage at his or her new job. The maximum benefit is $10,000 over a two-year period. Health Coverage Tax Credit46

Workers who are receiving TRA, UC in lieu of TRA, or RTAA benefits may also be eligible for a tax credit that covers a portion of eligible health insurance premiums.
Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers (TAA) provides federal assistance to workers who have involuntarily lost their jobs due to foreign competition. It was last reauthorized by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Reauthorization Act of 2015 (TAARA; Title IV of P.L. 114-27). This report discusses the TAA program as enacted by TAARA.
To be eligible for TAA, a group of workers must establish that they were separated from their employment either because their jobs moved outside the United States or because of an increase in directly competitive imports. Workers at firms that are suppliers to or downstream producers of TAA-certified firms may also be eligible for TAA benefits. Private sector workers who produce goods or services are eligible for TAA benefits.
To establish eligibility for TAA benefits, a group of trade-affected workers (or their representative) must petition the Department of Labor (DOL) and a DOL investigation must verify the role of increased foreign trade in the workers' job losses. Once a petition is certified by DOL, covered workers may apply for individual benefits.
Individual benefits are funded by the federal government and administered by state agencies through their workforce systems and unemployment insurance systems. Benefits available to individual workers include the following:
Training and reemployment services are designed to assist workers in preparing for and obtaining new employment. Training subsidies are the largest reemployment services expenditure and support workers in developing skills for a new occupation. Workers may also receive case management services and job search assistance. In some cases, workers who pursue employment outside their local commuting area may be eligible for job search or relocation allowances. Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) is a weekly income support payment for TAA-certified workers who have exhausted their unemployment compensation (UC) and who are enrolled in an eligible training program. Weekly TRA payments are equal to the worker's final weekly UC benefit. Workers may collect UC and TRA for a combined maximum of 130 weeks, the final 13 of which are only available if necessary for the worker to complete a qualified training program. Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) is a wage insurance program available to certified workers age 50 and over who obtain reemployment at a lower wage. The wage insurance program provides a cash payment equal to 50% of the difference between the worker's new wage and previous wage, up to a two-year maximum of $10,000. The Health Coverage Tax Credit is a credit equal to 72.5% of qualified health insurance premiums. Eligibility is aligned with TRA. Unlike other TAA benefits, it is administered through the tax code.
TAA is a mandatory program that is supported through annual appropriations. Appropriations for the program in FY2018 were $790 million.