Narrative: III. b. 5. A. iii.

Of the total amount of funds allocated for Dislocated Worker services under WIOA §132(b) (2), the State will reserve 25 percent for statewide rapid response activities as permitted by WIOA §133(a) (2) and will reserve 15 percent for statewide activities including administration as permitted by WIOA.

The remaining amount will be distributed to local areas according to WIOA §133(b) (2) (B). The following four data elements will be used to calculate allocation percentages:

Insured unemployment- The average weekly number of continued unemployment insurance program claims (less partial) during the previous full year for which data is available for each county is aggregated by local area and divided by the total to arrive at a percentage for each local area.

Unemployment concentrations- The annual average of unemployment for each county during the previous full year for which data is available is aggregated by local area and divided by the total to arrive at a percentage for each local area.

Declining industries data- The number of jobs lost between the previous full year for which data is available and the year five years previous to that year in both durable and non-durable goods manufacturing by county is aggregated by local area and divided by the total to arrive at a percentage for each local area.

Long-term unemployment data- The number of unemployment insurance program exhaustees during the previous full year for which data is available for each county is aggregated by local area and divided by the total to arrive at a percentage for each local area.

Data for these elements will be produced by MDOL’s Center for Workforce Information Services. Each of the above elements is weighted equally.

The remaining factors named in §133(b)(2)(B)(ii), “plant closing and mass layoff data” and “farmer-rancher economic hardship data” will only be considered if proven to be useful for the distribution of funds to areas of need in Maine. Large plant closings have occurred in some Maine counties, but are not a predictor of the location of future large plant closings. Although ten years ago there were many farmers in certain areas of the state who were leaving agriculture, in the years since, there has been no wholesale dislocations which would require more attention to this occupation than others.

As Maine follows the WIOA local area distribution formula, we are adding the “minimum percentage” component to the plan which delineates how funds are allocated to local areas for the Youth and Dislocated Worker Programs. The wording is exactly the same for both the Youth and Dislocated Worker allocation description.

Minimum Percentage – The local area will not receive an allocation percentage for a fiscal year that is less than 90 percent of the average allocation percentage of the local area for the two preceding fiscal years. Amounts necessary for increasing such allocations to local areas to comply with the preceding sentence shall be obtained by ratably reducing the allocations to be made to other local areas.

Allocation Distribution

MDOL will not exceed the 5 percent limitation of the Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker program allocations allowable for administrative functions, any remaining set aside funds will be used to conduct other required and allowable statewide activities.

Allocation distributions have always been figured according to each individual county within a local area. The formulas for calculating the allocations based on areas of significant unemployment, , excess unemployed, and disadvantaged adults will continue to be used in the county allocation formula.

The following charts provide a summary of the Program Year 2019 WIOA Formula fund distribution to local areas.

 Title I Allocation of Distributed Funds Under Three Local Areas

Northeastern Workforce Development Board

Coastal Counties Workforce Development Board

Central Western Workforce Development Board