Back to Work Factsheet

October 4 2001 -

This Back to Work Relief Package factsheet was released today by the White House

Summary

The terrorist attacks of September 11 had a devastating and direct impact on our country. Unfortunately, these attacks continue to affect the lives of Americans who have lost their jobs because of the shock to our nation's economy. The airlines and related industries have already announced approximately 100,000 layoffs, and analysts predict that this number could grow. We must not let the terrorist attacks harm one of our country's most valuable resources - its workforce.

In order to help protect the individuals and families whose livelihoods are threatened because of the economic consequences of these attacks, President Bush proposes to provide relief immediately to those who are hardest hit. The Bush Administration's proposal focuses on mitigating the financial impacts of the terrorist attacks on our workforce while helping the workers who have been permanently laid off get back to work as quickly as possible through training and job search assistance.

To strengthen the safety net for workers during this crisis, President Bush proposes:

- Extending unemployment benefits to Americans whose jobs were affected by the attacks

- Providing $3 billion in special National Emergency Grants to help displaced workers maintain health coverage, supplement their income and receive job training

- Encouraging affected workers to take advantage of more than $6 billion in existing federal programs that provide job search, training, placement and other services.

- Making $11 billion available to states to help low-income workers displaced from their jobs to receive health insurance.

Extending Unemployment Benefits

In some states, and in particular those states that were direct targets of the terrorist attacks on September 11, the economic consequences of September 11 may cause many Americans to lose their jobs and make it harder for them to get back to work quickly. Under current law, states provide a certain number of weeks of unemployment compensation (usually 26 weeks) to individuals who become unemployed.

To help ensure that Americans are able to continue to support themselves and their families during this time of recovery, the President proposes a new temporary Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Program. This program:

- Provides thirteen additional weeks of unemployment compensation for individuals who become unemployed after September 11 in states where the state's total unemployment rate increases by 30 percent over what it was prior to September 11, 2001.
- Provides these same extended benefits automatically to states in which the President issued an emergency or major disaster declaration due to the direct effects of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
- Provides these additional weeks of compensation at the same level as the prior weeks of unemployment compensation.
- Pays for the additional compensation entirely with federal dollars.
- Maintains this program for 18 months.

Providing $3 Billion in Special National Emergency Grants for Income Support, Certain Health Care Premiums and Job Training

National Emergency Grants (NEGs) are federal grants administered by the Secretary of Labor, and they may be awarded to any state experiencing plant closings or mass layoffs. Currently, the grants may be used to support job training and reemployment services and to make certain limited payments to individuals enrolled in training. The grants also may be used to help pay for certain services, such as childcare and transportation, to help individuals complete training and transition back to work.

In some states, local regions and communities are suffering due to mass layoffs and plant closings caused by the September 11 tragedy. In order to provide assistance to these communities and populations, the President proposes temporarily expanding the National Emergency Grant program and providing $3 billion to assist dislocated workers during this recovery period. This emergency expansion will be maintained for 18 months.

Under this temporary expansion of the program, grants may be used by states to help ensure that dislocated workers: (i) maintain health insurance coverage; (ii) receive some form of income support during the recovery period; and (iii) return to the workforce as quickly as possible with the help of job training and job search assistance.

Specifically, under the program, states experiencing a major plant closure, mass layoff or multiple layoffs or dislocations are eligible for a special National Emergency Grant if the Governor of a state certifies that the events of September 11, 2001 contributed importantly to the closure, layoffs, or dislocations.

Grants could be used by the states to:

- pay up to 75 percent of health care premiums covered by COBRA for up to ten months for laid off or dislocated workers (COBRA is a federal law that gives many workers the option of continuing their employer-provided health insurance -- at their own cost -- when they are laid off);
- provide additional weeks of income support for individuals who have used up their unemployment compensation and are not in states eligible for the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation program - as long as those individuals are enrolled in training;
- provide income support payments for individuals who are ineligible for unemployment compensation but are able to demonstrate a sufficient attachment to employment -- as long as those individuals are enrolled in training; and
- provide additional dollars to provide a full array of job search and training services, including customized training, placement assistance an relocation expenses.

Encouraging Americans to Take Advantage of Existing Services

For all Americans who suffer job loss, there continue to be many existing services to help them through this difficult time. The Department of Labor, in cooperation with the states, currently administers and helps fund several programs to assist Americans financially during times of unemployment and help them improve their skills and get back to work quickly. The President's FY 2002 budget included over $6 billion for these programs. Available services include:

- Job training;
- Vocational, career and personal counseling, including grief counseling;
- Comprehensive assessment of employability, development of a re-employment plan, workshops on interviewing and resume preparation;
- Job search and job placement assistance and useful labor market information;
- Needs-related payments;
- Supportive services to help the individual to return to the workforce and/or complete training, including transportation assistance, child care, dependent care; and
- Relocation expenses.

Helping States Provide Health Insurance for Lower-Income Workers and Their Families by Announcing the Availability of $11 Billion in Unspent Funds

Currently, states can apply for expedited review of proposals to expand the health insurance coverage they offer through Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The Department of Health and Human Services is announcing that states have $11 billion in unspent S-CHIP match funds available immediately to support these expansions - in addition to the $3.1 billion in SCHIP allocations for FY 2002.

- Since January, HHS has approved state plan amendments and waivers that are projected to expand health insurance coverage to 1.5 million Americans and enhanced benefits for another 3.5 million Americans.

- To speed further expansions of coverage, especially to cover the majority of uninsured Americans who have low incomes, an expedited review process is available through the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability (HIFA) Initiative.

- HHS will also provide expedited review for health insurance coverage expansions that assist workers who have lost their jobs.

- To support these expansions, the Department of Health and Human Services is announcing that $11 billion in match funds are available now to virtually all states.

- With substantial funding and a rapid, flexible review process, states have an unprecedented opportunity to implement health insurance coverage expansions best suited to the needs of their citizens in this difficult time.

For more information on the President's initiatives visit www.whitehouse.gov