Services to Customers

20 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart C
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

20 C.F.R. § 668.300 Who is eligible to receive services under the INA program?

(a) A person is eligible to receive services under the INA program if that person is: (1) An Indian, as determined by a policy of the Native American grantee. The grantee's definition must at least include anyone who is a member of a Federally-recognized tribe; or (2) An Alaska Native, as defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), 43 U.S.C. 1602(b); or (3) A Native Hawaiian, as defined in WIA section 166(b)(3). (b) The person must also be any one of the following: (1) Unemployed; or (2) Underemployed, as defined in § 668.150; or (3) A low-income individual, as defined in WIA section 101(25); or (4) The recipient of a bona fide lay-off notice which has taken effect in the last six months or will take effect in the following six month period, who is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation, and who is in need of retraining for either employment with another employer or for job retention with the current employer; or (5) An individual who is employed, but is determined by the grantee to be in need of employment and training services to obtain or retain employment that allows for self-sufficiency. (c) If applicable, male applicants must also register or be registered for the Selective Service. (d) For purposes of determining whether a person is a low-income individual under paragraph (b)(3) of this section, we will issue guidance for the determination of family income. (WIA sec. 189(h).)

20 C.F.R. § 668.340 What are INA grantee allowable activities?

(a) The INA grantee may provide any services consistent with the purposes of this section that are necessary to meet the needs of Native Americans preparing to enter, reenter, or retain unsubsidized employment. (WIA sec. 166(d)(1)(B).) Comprehensive workforce investment activities authorized under WIA section 166(d)(2) include: (b) Core services, which must be delivered in partnership with the One-Stop delivery system, include: (1) Outreach; (2) Intake; (3) Orientation to services available; (4) Initial assessment of skill levels, aptitudes, abilities and supportive service needs; (5) Eligibility certification; (6) Job Search and placement assistance; (7) Career counseling; (8) Provision of employment statistics information and local, regional, and national Labor Market Information; (9) Provision of information about filing of Unemployment Insurance claims; (10) Assistance in establishing eligibility for Welfare-to-Work programs; (11) Assistance in establishing eligibility for financial assistance for training; (12) Provision of information about supportive services; (13) Provision of performance and cost information relating to training providers and training services; and (14) Follow-up services. (c) Allowable intensive services which include: (1) Comprehensive and specialized testing and assessment; (2) Development of an individual employment plan; (3) Group counseling; (4) Individual counseling and career planning; (5) Case Management for seeking training services; (6) Short term pre-vocational services; (7) Work experience in the public or private sector; (8) Tryout employment; (9) Dropout prevention activities; (10) Supportive services; and (11) Other services identified in the approved Two Year Plan. (d) Allowable training services which include: (1) Occupational skill training; (2) On-the-job training; (3) Programs that combine workplace training with related instruction, which may include cooperative education programs; (4) Training programs operated by the private sector; (5) Skill upgrading and retraining; (6) Entrepreneurial and small business development technical assistance and training; (7) Job readiness training; (8) Adult basic education, GED attainment, literacy training, and English language training, provided alone or in combination with training or intensive services described paragraphs (c)(1) through (11) and (d)(1) through (10) of this section; (9) Customized training conducted with a commitment by an employer or group of employers to employ an individual upon successful completion of training; and (10) Educational and tuition assistance. (e) Allowable activities specifically designed for youth are identified in section 129 of the Act and include: (1) Improving educational and skill competencies; (2) Adult mentoring; (3) Training opportunities; (4) Supportive services, as defined in WIA section 101(46); (5) Incentive programs for recognition and achievement; (6) Opportunities for leadership development, decision-making, citizenship and community service; (7) Preparation for postsecondary education, academic and occupational learning, unsubsidized employment opportunities, and other effective connections to intermediaries with strong links to the job market and local and regional employers; (8) Tutoring, study skills training, and other drop-out prevention strategies; (9) Alternative secondary school services; (10) Summer employment opportunities that are directly linked to academic and occupational learning; (11) Paid and unpaid work experiences, including internships and job shadowing; (12) Occupational skill training; (13) Leadership development opportunities, as defined in 20 CFR 664.420; (14) Follow-up services, as defined in 20 CFR 664.450; (15) Comprehensive guidance and counseling, which may include drug and alcohol abuse counseling and referral; and (16) Information and referral. (f) In addition, allowable activities include job development and employment outreach, including: (1) Support of the Tribal Employment Rights Office (TERO) program; (2) Negotiation with employers to encourage them to train and hire participants; (3) Establishment of linkages with other service providers to aid program participants; (4) Establishment of management training programs to support tribal administration or enterprises; and (5) Establishment of linkages with remedial education, such as Adult Basic Education (ABE), basic literacy training, and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) training programs, as necessary. (g) Participants may be enrolled in more than one activity at a time and may be sequentially enrolled in multiple activities. (h) INA grantees may provide any services which may be carried out by fund recipients under any provisions of the Act. (WIA sec. 166(d).) (i) In addition, INA grantees must develop programs which contribute to occupational development, upward mobility, development of new careers, and opportunities for nontraditional employment. (WIA sec. 195(1).)

20 C.F.R. § 668.350 Are there any restrictions on allowable activities?

(a) All occupational training must be for occupations for which there are employment opportunities in the local area or another area to which the participant is willing to relocate. (WIA sec. 134(d)(4)(A)(iii).) (b) INA grantees must provide OJT services consistent with the definition provided in WIA section 101(31) and other limitations in the Act. Individuals in OJT must: (1) Be compensated at the same rates, including periodic increases, as trainees or employees who are similarly situated in similar occupations by the same employer and who have similar training, experience, and skills (WIA sec. 181(a)(1)); and (2) Be provided benefits and working conditions at the same level and to the same extent as other trainees or employees working a similar length of time and doing the same type of work. (WIA sec. 181(b)(5).) (c) In addition, OJT contracts under this title must not be entered into with employers who have: (1) Received payments under previous contracts and have exhibited a pattern of failing to provide OJT participants with continued, long-term employment as regular employees with wages and employment benefits and working conditions at the same level and to the same extent as other employees working a similar length of time and doing the same work; or (2) Who have violated paragraphs (b)(1) and/or (2) of this section. (WIA sec. 195(4).) (d) INA grantees are prohibited from using funds to encourage the relocation of a business, as described in WIA section 181(d) and 20 CFR 667.268. (e) INA grantees must only use WIA funds for activities which are in addition to those that would otherwise be available to the Native American population in the area in the absence of such funds. (WIA sec. 195(2).) (f) INA grantees must not spend funds on activities that displace currently employed individuals, impair existing contracts for services, or in any way affect union organizing. (g) Under 20 CFR 667.266, sectarian activities involving WIA financial assistance or participants are limited in accordance with the provisions of 29 CFR 37.6(f). (WIA sec. 181(b).)

20 C.F.R. § 668.360 What is the role of INA grantees in the One-Stop system?

(a) In those local workforce investment areas where an INA grantee conducts field operations or provides substantial services, the INA grantee is a required partner in the local One-Stop delivery system and is subject to the provisions relating to such partners described in 20 CFR part 662. Consistent with those provisions, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the INA grantee and the Local Board over the operation of the One-Stop Center(s) in the Local Board's workforce investment area also must be executed. Where the Local Board is an alternative entity under 20 CFR 661.330, the INA grantee must negotiate with the alternative entity on the terms of its MOU and the scope of its on-going role in the local workforce investment system, as specified in 20 CFR 661.310(b)(2). In local areas with a large concentration of potentially eligible INA participants, which are in an INA grantee's service area but in which the grantee does not conduct operations or provide substantial services, the INA grantee should encourage such individuals to participate in the One-Stop system in that area in order to receive WIA services. (b) At a minimum, the MOU must contain provisions related to: (1) The services to be provided through the One-Stop Service System; (2) The methods for referral of individuals between the One-Stop operator and the INA grantee which take into account the services provided by the INA grantee and the other One-Stop partners; (3) The exchange of information on the services available and accessible through the One-Stop system and the INA program; (4) As necessary to provide referrals and case management services, the exchange of information on Native American participants in the One-Stop system and the INA program; (5) Arrangements for the funding of services provided by the One-Stop(s), consistent with the requirements at 20 CFR 662.280 that no expenditures may be made with INA program funds for individuals who are not eligible or for services not authorized under this part. (c) The INA grantee's Two Year Plan must describe the efforts the grantee has made to negotiate MOU's consistent with paragraph (b) of this section, for each planning cycle during which Local Boards are operating under the terms of WIA.

20 C.F.R. § 668.370 What policies govern payments to participants, including wages, training allowances or stipends, or direct payments for supportive services?

(a) INA grantees may pay training allowances or stipends to participants for their successful participation in and completion of education or training services (except such allowance may not be provided to participants in OJT). Allowances or stipends may not exceed the Federal or State minimum wage, whichever is higher. (b) INA grantees may not pay a participant in a training activity when the person fails to participate without good cause. (c) If a participant in a WIA-funded activity, including participants in OJT, is involved in an employer-employee relationship, that participant must be paid wages and fringe benefits at the same rates as trainees or employees who have similar training, experience and skills and which are not less than the higher of the applicable Federal, State or local minimum wage. (WIA sec. 181(a)(1).) (d) In accordance with the policy described in the two-year plan, INA grantees may pay incentive bonuses to participants who meet or exceed individual employability or training goals established in writing in the individual employment plan. (e) INA grantees must comply with other restrictions listed in WIA sections 181 through 199, which apply to all programs funded under title I of WIA. (f) INA grantees must comply with the provisions on labor standards in WIA section 181(b).

20 C.F.R. § 668.380 What will we do to strengthen the capacity of INA grantees to deliver effective services?

We will provide appropriate TAT, as necessary, to INA grantees. This TAT will assist INA grantees to improve program performance and enhance services to the target population(s), as resources permit. (WIA sec. 166(h)(5).)

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