Narrative: a. 2. A.

Policies: A number of policies in place under WIA are in the process of review and revision to ensure they comply with WIOA requirements. A new standing committee to the State Board has been established and is referred to as the WIOA Implementation and Policy Committee (WIPC). The role of the WIPC is to: • Identify, develop, review, and approve policies and guidance issues required by WIOA; • Assure the needs and interests of customers are the key beneficiaries of the policy agenda; • Recommend policy to the State Board that informs system providers and supports the strategic goals of the State and Local Areas and Regions; • Ensure that policies generated do not infringe on the authority of local areas or system partners. Members of this committee include leads from Adult Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Title I–B formula funded programs (Local Board Directors and Service Provider Directors), and Wagner Peyser; other partners or subject matter experts may be included in the policy review processes as deemed appropriate by the members of the WIPC. The WIOA Implementation Policy Committee (WIPC) is committed to reviewing and updating the following existing policies: • Individual Training Accounts to be revised to include new ETPL and use for Youth program partici–pants • On–the–Job Training to be revised to include ETPL requirements and further spell out WIOA goals and requirements • Monitoring and Oversight to be revised to accommodate specific compliance items identified under WIOA and strategies identified in the State Plan • Sanctions to be revised to incorporate all appeals references • Conflict of Interest to be revised to include demonstration of specific items that would be deemed to be conflict of interest • Non–Discrimination to be revised to more fully incorporate new definitions, including same sex spouse in definition of “family” and gender identification stipulations • Supportive Services to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA • Needs Related Payments for Participants to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA • Administrative Cost Limitations to be revised to reference uniform regulations under 2 CFR 200 • Work Opportunity Tax Credit to be revised in accordance with changes in the law • Veteran’s Priority of Service to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA and to reference Adult priority of service policy and referral of Veterans with SBEs to DVOPs • Referral of Veterans with SBEs to DVOPs to be established as a separate policy requiring local pol–icy. • Chambers of Commerce as Required Partners to be revised to reference State Workforce Board vs. SWIB. • Promotion of Entrepreneurship to be revised to reference State Workforce Board vs. SWIB. • Incumbent vs. Employed Worker Services to be revised to reference new requirements under WIOA and new separate policies on Incumbent and Underemployed Workers • Customized Training to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA • High–Risk Grantee Requirements to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA • U.I. Job Search Waivers to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA • Youth Requiring Additional Assistance Local Area Policy Requirements as required under WIOA • Rapid Response Additional Request for Assistance Requirements and Process to be revised to reference WIOA vs. WIA The following new WIOA required policies are in the process of development and review and some are already approved and in place: • Local Area Designation spells out specific requirements under WIOA • Local Board Membership spells out specific requirements under WIOA • Local Board Certification spells out specific requirements under WIOA • Priority of Service Adult Formula Funds spells out specific requirements under WIOA • Eligible Training Provider Process spells out specific requirements under WIOA • Establishing WIOA Regions spells out specific requirements used to identify planning regions as re–quired under WIOA • Accessibility Requirements to be developed and to spell out accessibility requirements as identified in the State Plan in regard to individuals with barriers such as disabilities, other languages, other cul–tures, and rural access. • Incumbent Worker • Underemployed Worker • Transitional Jobs • Integrated Intake to be developed by and between four core partners • Shared Assessments to be developed by and between four core partners • Shared Customer Service Plans to be developed by and between four core partners • Shared Infrastructure Cost Plans to be developed by the State Workforce Board to direct local areas in processes that must be implemented if they are unable to attain agreement on local workforce development system infrastructure cost sharing. • AJC Certification Criteria to be used by Local Boards in the process of development to be presented to the State Board • Youth Service Provider Procurement Requirements in the process of development to be presented to the State Board • Adult and DW Funds Transfer already developed and in the process of approval of the State Board • Co–enrollment to be reviewed and agreed to by the four core partners • Some policies that were in draft form but never fully implemented will be revised or be rescinded: • Local Board Recognition – this policy has incorporated into the Local Board Certification Policy • Use of Electronic Signature – this policy will need to be revamped to meet requirements of the new MIS system that will be in place in July 2016, the America’s Job Link Alliance or AJLA system. • Grant Collaboration – this policy was perceived as punitive rather than collaborative. A new initiative is being promoted under this strategic plan that will encourage collaboration on accessing grants leveraging funds. Policies to be rescinded: • OSOS Email User Accounts – this policy will be replaced with new policy associated with the new MIS system to be used for WIOA Title I–B case management and reporting and customer tracing under AJLA • Date of Exit Requirements – this policy was implemented to ensure compliance with the 90 day no service exit criteria that our MIS system (OSOS) was unable to accommodate, the new AJLA system al–ready assures exit after 90 days without service voiding the need for this policy. • Minimum Training Expenditure Rate – Maine imposed a minimum spending threshold for the Adult and Dislocated worker programs which required service providers to utilize 40% of their funding on training (tuition, books, fees, OJT wages and support service costs while in training). Areas with the most funding were able to meet the requirement; however, some areas had to reduce staff and operating hours in order to meet the requirement. Not all local areas had the same level of overhead (number of CareerCenters) or funding (Maine is a small–funded state) so they had to make choices that negatively impacted staff–assisted services; which for some participants are of equal or greater importance. The requirement was intended to ensure higher credential attainment and earnings gains; however, regardless of amounts spent, the completion rates and credential attainment rates did not change sig–nificantly. Dislocated workers often didn’t complete because they were enticed back to work and adults actually required more staff–assisted services to be successful. While we still feel it is important to set a goal, we now know that the specific amounts to be set may have to differ from one local area to another depending upon the differences in infrastructure costs and percentage of harder to serve customers involved. Most importantly when we reviewed the percentage of participants enrolled in formal training before imposing the spending requirement and the numbers didn’t change, regardless of the amount spent, with approximately 97% of all WIA customers enrolled training activities. We did find that the cost per participant went up significantly with the requirement. We also learned that in some cases the requirement limited service provider flexibility in service plan–ning because they would have to establish the 40% spending minimum up front regardless of the populations they would be serving. We now feel the best policy is to work with local areas to establish service spending goals and to focus on promoting program design that will result in desired outcomes such as training completion and credentials gains. Policies regarding Title I–B funds and service provision under WIA were to be found in several different locations. Participant tracking and reporting requirements and some related policies were identified in the One–Stop Operating System Tracking Manual – this manual contained directives regarding use of the MIS system to achieve compliance with Federal and State funded programs. Topics covered everything from how to document participant eligibility, referrals and service activities, to placing job orders and documenting employer services and Registered Apprenticeship requirements. The manual will be replaced with the tools to be provided by AJLA the new MIS system for service tracking and reporting. In addition to the Tracking Manual, the Maine Department of Labor published the MDOL financial manual, which included all directives and requirements for financial activity from allowable costs to reporting and spending requirements and processes for sanctioning non–compliance. Policies that had been developed along the way and that were issued as individual directives were compiled separately and provided to impacted audiences, such as Local Boards and Service Providers as appropriate. These policies had been placed on the Maine DOL intranet site along with the financial and tracking manuals. It is the goal of the WIPC that all policies pertaining to Maine’s workforce development system for both Federal– and State–funded programs will reside on the internet, so that they will be able to be accessed by all workforce development professional staff and the public. The rules and policies of State–funded programs, including the Competitive Skills Scholarship Program and the Maine Apprenticeship Program, will also be included on this site; and in the future all policies and services pertaining to partner provided services and co–enrollment activities for core and other required partners will be included.