Funds go to help those get Rhode Island jobs

Posted on July 5, 2015

Funding has been awarded to states help the unemployed get Rhode Island jobs, among other states.

Yhe U.S. Department of Labor awarded $80 million to workforce agencies — in 44 states and in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia — to provide re-employment and eligibility assessments.

The grants will fund services such as in-person assessments at American Job Centers. These assessments of eligible claimants include the following:

• Development of an individual re-employment plan
• Access to labor market information specific to the individual’s location, job skills and employment prospects
• A complete review of the claimant’s eligibility for UI benefits
• Referrals to re-employment services or training at American Job Center

For the first time these grants will be available to fund reemployment services for these beneficiaries. States will be transitioning to a new, targeted population during 2015 and will begin serving claimants who are identified as most likely to exhaust their UI benefits and claimants receiving Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Service members.

“Unemployment disrupts the lives of individuals and families and hurts our nation’s economy,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez. “These grants will help the newly unemployed reduce the time between jobs and strengthen the integrity of the Unemployment Insurance program by preventing improper payments. By doing so, we can ensure unemployment benefits remain available for those who truly need them.”