Located in:
- Program-specific Requirements for Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities under Title I-B
The Unified or Combined State Plan must include the following with respect to activities carried out under subtitle B—
a. 1. B. Describe the process used for designating local areas, including procedures for determining whether the local area met the criteria for “performed successfully” and “sustained fiscal integrity” in accordance with 106(b)(2) and (3) of WIOA. Describe the process used for identifying regions and planning regions under section 106(a) of WIOA. This must include a description of how the State consulted with the local boards and chief elected officials in identifying the regions
Current Narrative:
Since the initial designation, there have been limited changes to the local areas. The process followed during initial designation was:
As stated in WIOA Section 106, the Governor shall approve a request made for initial designation by any local area if, during PY 12 and PY 13, the local area:
· Was designated as a local area under WIA.
· Performed successfully.
· Sustained fiscal integrity.
Performed Successfully: A local area has achieved at least 80 percent of their negotiated local performance goal on each performance measure for PYs 2012-13 and 2013-14 (WIOA Section 106(e)(1) OWD 2-8 Sanction Policy).
Sustained Fiscal Integrity: The local area has not been found in violation of one or more of the following during PY 12 and PY 13:
- Final determination finding(s) from audits, evaluations or other reviews conducted by state or local governmental agencies or the United States Department of Labor which identify issues of fiscal integrity or misexpended funds due to the willful disregard or failure to comply with any WIA requirements. This includes failure to grant priority of service or verification of participant eligibility; or
- Gross negligence, defined as a conscious and voluntary disregard of the need to use reasonable care, which is likely to cause foreseeable grave injury or harm to persons, property or both; or
- Failure to observe accepted standards of administration. Local areas must adhere to the uniform administrative requirements set forth in Title 2 CFR Part 200 and Title 29 CFR Parts 95 and 97. Local areas must have fully met their federally-mandated responsibilities for the two previous program years, including timely reporting of WIA participant and expenditure data, timely completion and submission of the required annual single audit and not having been placed on cash hold for longer than 30 days. (WIOA Section 106(e)(2)) (i.e. failure to submit timely expenditure reports to LWC).
Initial designations are effective July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2022. Local Workforce Development Areas (LWDAs) applied for initial designation using the process included in this policy.
Subsequent designation eligibility and criteria will be addressed in a separate policy. During the initial designation period, local areas planned and prepared to meet the WIOA requirements for subsequent designation (i.e., perform successfully, sustain fiscal integrity, and in the case of a local area in a planning region, meet the regional planning requirements in WIOA Section 106(c)(1)).
Initial Local Area Designation Application Process
In order to request initial designation, the local Chief Elected Official (CEO) had to follow one the applicable processes noted below:
Existing Local Areas
Complete the Existing Local Area Application for Initial Local Area Designation Program Year 2015-16.
Modified Local Areas
Complete the Modified Local Area Application for Initial Local Area Designation Year 2015-16. A local area that considered local-area modification as part of its initial designation application may include: two or more areas proposing to merge into a new combined single local area or a local area that will be expanded to include part or parts of another current local area.
If the LWDA consists of more than one parish, an updated WIOA Consortium Agreement between all CEOs in the parishes must be submitted along with the application.
The local CEO(s) was required to submit a completed application to the LWC/OWD no later than 5:00 p.m., June 23, 2015 to:
Mail/Hand Deliver: Louisiana Workforce Commission
Office of Workforce Development
1001 N. 23rd St.
Baton Rouge, LA. 70804
Assessment of the Application for Initial Designation
Once a completed application was received, the staff from the LWC/OWD would verify the information provided in the application and issue a determination as to whether to recommend approval or denial of the application to the Governor.
The local CEO was notified in writing by June 30, 2015 regarding the approval or denial of its initial designation application. If approved, the initial designation was effective July 1, 2015 through June 30, 2017. If denied, the local CEO could contest the decision using the appeal process below.