E-Mail Internet Survey

APPENDIX E

MAIL/INTERNET SURVEY OF ALL LOCAL AREAS

Screening Survey
for the
TAA Local-Delivery Survey

Instructions: Please call the State-level TAA Coordinators to obtain contact information for administrators that oversee or coordinate TAA at the local-delivery level. Because each state is likely to be structured differently, this protocol should be considered a guide, rather than a complete set of questions. Information in italics serves as instructions to you, and is not intended to be read aloud.

Hello [Mr./Ms. State-level TAA Coordinator]:

My name is ______. I work at Social Policy Research Associates, and our organization has been contracted by the U.S. Department of Labor to conduct a survey with local-level TAA Administrators about how TAA is structured and delivered at the local level. I was hoping that you could help me identify the people who oversee or coordinate the delivery of TAA services in different regions in your state.

I know that the TAA-delivery structure is different from state to state. For example, in some states, the TAA regions are the same as Employment Service regions, and in each of these regions there is a TAA Coordinator who oversees the delivery of TAA in his or her area. How is TAA structured in your state? (Use the following questions as needed to identify the TAA local delivery structure and identify local-level TAA Administrators and Coordinators.)

• What is the best way of thinking about the local structure in your state for coordinating TAA services. Is it:?

___ ES regions

___ ES local offices

___ Local workforce investment areas

___ Some other structure

• How many such regions or areas are there within the state? ____________

• Is there one person within each such area that oversees TAA in their area?

• Yes

• No

• If not, how many people oversee these regions? (Help them identify the best representative per region. This person should be familiar with the delivery of TAA in their area, such as the process of intake, orientation, case management, and coordination with the local One-Stop system. It may help to ask if there is a person who oversees the case managers in a region.)

• Could I please get the names and contact information for these local administrators that we were just discussing so I may send them a survey? Specifically, I am looking for their:

• Name

• Address

• Phone number

• Email address

• Area name

• Boundary of the area they oversee

• What would be the easiest way for you to provide me with that information? Would you like me to send a spreadsheet for you to fill in? (Provide them with your email address, phone number, fax number or address as needed.)

• By email

• By fax

• Over the phone now

• Over the phone later

• By mail

Confirm that this list represents all regions of the state, with no areas missing or duplicated.

Thank you for your help. If you have any questions or concerns, you are welcome to contact me, [name] at (510) 763-1499 ext ____. You may also contact my supervisor, Dr. Ronald D’Amico, who is the project coordinator at (510-763-1499 ext. 628).

Dear Local TAA Representative:

Social Policy Research Associates (SPR) is evaluating the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program for the U.S. Department of Labor, including how the program operates at the local level. The evaluation seeks to determine which services are provided to TAA customers, how TAA is coordinated with other agencies, what type of data is tracked, the effectiveness of TAA, and challenges remaining. The evaluation includes a survey of TAA local operations throughout the nation.

The state TAA coordinator identified you as the individual responsible for overseeing the TAA program in the geographic area identified on the label on the next page. If this designation is not correct, please contact Ms. Micheline Magnotta at (510) 763-1499 ext. 639 or micheline_magnotta@spra.com immediately.

When completing this survey, please answer on behalf of this service area. We are administering this survey to one local-level administrator per service area. In order for us to get a complete understanding of all of the regions in the country, it is vital that we get your response.

Your responses to this survey are very important to us. Please take approximately thirty minutes to complete this survey and return it to SPR in the postage-paid envelope by (date)____. Or, if you prefer, you can receive or complete this survey electronically, you can find it at http://www.spra.com/TAAsurvey. Please note that your answers will be kept strictly confidential and will only be reported after aggregating your responses with other areas.

If the response you choose has an arrow next to it (), there are directions to the right of the arrow informing you what question you should answer next. If your response has no arrow next to it, simply go on to the next question. After completing the survey, place it in the postage-paid envelope, and drop it in the mail.

This voluntary information request has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget under OMB approval number xxxx-xxxx, expiring xx/xx/xxxx. Without this approval, we would not be able to conduct this survey. If you have any questions regarding any aspect of this collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden, you may contact the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Performance and Technology, Room N-5637,Washington, D.C. 20210 (Paperwork Reduction Project 1205-0438).

If you have any questions or concerns about the survey or the study in general, please contact Ms. Magnotta. Thank you very much for your help. Your participation is vital in helping us understand how the TAA program is designed and delivered to TAA customers.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ronald D’Amico
Project Director

OMB Approval No.: Date:

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
Local-Delivery Survey

P

Label identifying:

State Name: _________________________________________

Name of Area You Oversee:_____________________________

Your Name:__________________________________________

Your Title:____________________________________________

Telephone Number:____________________________________

Email Address:________________________________________

lease update your contact information on the label below.

Add: Name of Local Agency/Office: _____________________

Zip Code of Office: ____________________

Level of TAA Activity in Your Area

1. Have you had any new Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) applicants in this area since the Trade Act of 2002, which took effect November 4, 2002? (Circle one response)

1 Yes

2 No  [You are now finished with the survey. Please submit this survey so we can understand all levels of TAA activity. Thank you.]

TAA and Other Funding

2. Since the Trade Act of 2002 took effect, have you faced a shortage of TAA administrative or training funds? (Circle one response)

1 No  [Skip to question 4]

2 Yes

9 Don’t know  [Skip to question 4]

3. In response to this funding shortage, how often did your program… (Circle one response in each row)

		Never	Rarely	Sometimes	Often
	a. Reduce or limit the amount of outreach?	1	2	3	4
	b. Slow the eligibility determination process?	1	2	3	4
	c. Create waiting lists for training?	1	2	3	4
	d. Reduce or limit the amount of case management services?	1	2	3	4
	e. Limit the amount of funding per customer for training ?	1	2	3	4
	f. Refer customers to other programs (such as WIA)?	1	2	3	4
	g. Use other sources of funding (such as National Emergency Grants)?	1	2	3	4
	h. Have staff work extra hours?	1	2	3	4
	i. Other (please describe) ____________________________________________________________________	1	2	3	4
	j. Other (please describe) __________________________________________________________________	1	2	3	4

4. Do you have a general rule about how much funding can be spent per customer on TAA training? (Circle one response)

1. Yes, there is an official dollar amount and no exceptions allowed

2. Yes, there is an official dollar amount and exceptions are allowed

3. Yes, there is an unofficial dollar amount

4. No  [Skip to question 6]

9. Don’t know  [Skip to question 6]

5. What is your official or unofficial funding limit for TAA training per customer? (Circle one response and provide dollar amount if known)

1. Up to $______________________ per customer

(Write in the dollar amount)

9. Don’t know the amount

TAA Coordination/Integration and Services

6. Which funding streams are used to provide the following services to TAA customers in your service area? (Circle all that apply for each row in the table below)

7. Is the funding sufficient to provide adequate services to all TAA customers? (Circle one for each row in the table below)

				6. Which funding streams are used? (circle all that apply)													7. Is funding adequate?
			TAA funds			Employment Services (ES) / Wagner Peyser funds		Rapid Response funds		Local Workforce Investment Act (WIA) funds		National Emergency Grants		Other*		Service not provided			Yes		No		Don’t know
a. Recruitment or outreach		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
b. Orientation		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
c. Assessment of career interests or skills		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
d. Counseling about training program(s)		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
e. Tuition for training		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
f. Transportation assistance		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
g. Child-care assistance		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
h. Assistance with job placement before training begins		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
i. Assistance with job placement after training ends		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
j. Follow-up to collect supplemental data after employment		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9
k. Follow-up to provide support after employment		1			2		3		4		5		6		7			1		2		9

*If “other” funding sources are used, please specify the funding source and the type of service.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. How often are the following types of assessments provided to TAA customers? (Circle one response in each row)

		Rarely or Never	Sometimes	Often	Always or almost always
	a. Basic skills assessment (such as math or reading)	1	2	3	4
	b. Career interest inventory	1	2	3	4
	c. Employment history assessment	1	2	3	4
	d. Assessment about customers’ employability skills	1	2	3	4

9. Since the Trade Act of 2002 took effect, how likely are TAA customers to seek reemployment without training? (Circle one response)

1. More likely

2. Less likely

3. About the same

10. Do you require classroom training for TAA participants to be provided by vendors on the State’s eligible training provider list (ETPs)?

1. Yes, this is required

2. No, this is recommended, but not required

3. No, this is neither required nor recommended

9. Don’t know

11. Of the TAA customers who receive training, about what percentage of TAA trainees undertake training from…

		Percentage
	a. Public institutions	%
	b. Proprietary or private institutions	%
	c. Employers, in the form of on-the-job training (OJT) or customized training	%

12. Are training waivers automatically given to all TAA customers? (Circle one response)

1 Yes, all customers get a waiver

2 No, but at least 75% get a waiver

3 No, but between 50% to 75% get a waiver

4 No, fewer than 50% get a waiver

9 Don’t know

13. Of customers who get training waivers, how frequently are waivers issued for the following reasons? (Circle one response in each row)

		Rarely or Never	Sometimes	Often	Most of the time
	a. Workers were notified that they would be recalled by the firm from which separation occurred	1	2	3	4
	b. Workers had marketable skills for suitable employment and reasonable expectations of employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future	1	2	3	4
	c. Workers were within two years of eligibility for pension or social security benefits	1	2	3	4
	d. Workers were unable to participate in or complete training due to their health	1	2	3	4
	e. Immediate enrollment in training was not available	1	2	3	4
	f. No training program was available	1	2	3	4

14. At what point do TAA customers typically enter training? When they…(Circle one response)

1. Still have at least 3 months of UI benefits remaining

2. Have 1-3 months of UI benefits remaining

3. Have less than 1 month of UI benefits remaining

4. Have exhausted UI benefits

15. Currently, do TAA customers typically enter training more quickly following layoff, more slowly, or at about the same pace as before the Trade Act of 2002 took effect? (Circle one response)

1. More quickly

2. More slowly

3. At about the same pace

9. Don’t know

Alternative TAA (ATAA)

16. How familiar are the TAA case managers with the rules and regulations of Alternative TAA (ATAA) program? (Circle one response)

1. Very familiar

2. Familiar

3. A little familiar

4. Not at all familiar

17. Have there been any older workers that were potentially eligible for, but did not enroll in, Alternative TAA (ATAA)? (Circle one response)

1. Yes

2. No  [Skip to question 19]

9. Don’t know  [Skip to question 19]

18. Of the eligible customers who opted not to enroll in ATAA, how common are the following reasons for not enrolling in ATAA? (Circle one response in each row)

		Not at all common	Somewhat common	Very common	Don’t know
	a. Customers don’t realize that ATAA is an option	1	2	3	4
	b. Customers could get more money by participating in TRA and TAA (rather than ATAA)	1	2	3	4
	c. Customers couldn’t obtain a job within 26 weeks after certification	1	2	3	4
	d. Customers found a job, but the job paid too much to qualify for ATAA	1	2	3	4
	e. Other (describe): ___________________ ___________________________________	1	2	3	4

Management and Accountability Services

19. Do you have performance outcome targets for TAA (such as goals or expected rates of job placement)? (Circle one response)

1. Yes

2. No  [Skip to question 21]

9 Don’t know  [Skip to question 21]

20. What are your performance outcome targets rates for each category?
(Circle one for each category and provide target amounts if known)

Entered employment:

1 __________________ % (write in percentage)

9 Don’t know amount

Earnings gain:

1 $ _________________ (write in dollar amount)

9 Don’t know amount

Retention rate:

1 ___________________ % (write in percentage)

9 Don’t know amount

Other (please describe): _____________________________________________

1 ___________________ % (write in percentage)

9 Don’t know amount

21. Are TAA participants co-enrolled in WIA? (Circle one response)

1Yes

2 No

9 Don’t know

22. In the local One-Stop Career Center system, is your office (Circle one response)

1 A comprehensive One-Stop Career Center

2 An affiliate One-Stop Career Center

9 Don’t know

Please continue on to next page

Overall Assessment

23. What are some of the major strengths of your TAA program?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

25. What have been the major challenges in implementing TAA?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

Thank you for completing this survey!

Your responses will help the U.S. Department of Labor understand
how TAA operates at the local level