Qualifying requirements for Basic Trade Readjustment Allowances.
20 C.F.R. § 618.720
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01To qualify for Basic TRA for a week of unemployment, an AAW must meet each of the requirements in paragraphs (a) through (g) of this section:
(a) Certification. The AAW must be a member of a worker group certified under subpart B of this part.
(b) Separation. The AAW must have experienced a qualifying separation during the certification period of the certification in paragraph (a) of this section.
(c) Wages and employment. The AAW must meet the following wage and other requirements:
(1) In the 52-week period (i.e., 52 consecutive calendar weeks) ending with the week of the AAW's total or partial separation from adversely affected employment during the certification period, the worker must have had at least 26 weeks of employment at wages of $30 or more a week in adversely affected employment with a single firm or, where there is more than one subdivision, the appropriate subdivision of that firm. Evidence that the worker meets the requirement in this paragraph (c)(1) must be obtained as provided in § 618.740. Employment and wages covered under more than one certification may not be combined to qualify for TRA.
(2) The categories of weeks in paragraphs (c)(2)(i) through (iv) of this section also must be treated as weeks of employment at wages of $30 or more (for purposes of paragraph (c)(1) of this section), regardless of whether the AAW actually receives any wages during such weeks:
(i) All weeks, up to a maximum of 7 weeks, during which the AAW is on employer-authorized leave for vacation, sickness, injury, maternity, or inactive duty or active duty military service for training;
(ii) All weeks, up to a maximum of 7 weeks, during which the AAW had adversely affected employment interrupted to serve as a full-time representative of a labor organization in the firm or subdivision referenced in paragraph (c)(1) of this section;
(iii) All weeks, up to a maximum of 26 weeks, during which the AAW has a disability compensable under a workers' compensation law or plan of a State or the United States; and
(iv) All weeks, up to a maximum of 26 weeks, during which the AAW is on call-up for the purpose of active duty in a reserve status in the Armed Forces of the United States, if such active duty is “Federal service” as defined in 5 U.S.C. 8521(a)(1), but not more than 7 weeks, in the case of weeks described in paragraph (c)(2)(i) or (ii) of this section that occur during the active duty. States may waive provisions of this paragraph (c)(2)(iv) consistent with § 618.884.
(d) Entitlement to UI. The AAW must have been entitled to (or would have been entitled to if the worker had applied therefor) UI for a week within the first benefit period.
(e) Exhaustion of UI. The AAW must meet the following requirements:
(1) The AAW must have exhausted all rights to any UI, except additional compensation that is funded by a State and not reimbursed from any Federal funds to which such worker was entitled (or would have been entitled had such worker applied therefor), and not have any unexpired waiting period applicable to the worker for any such UI, except as provided at § 618.720(e)(2).
(2) The AAW may elect to receive TRA instead of UI during any week with respect to which the worker:
(i) Is entitled and is able to receive UI as a result of a new benefit year based on employment in which the worker engaged after establishing TRA eligibility following a total separation from adversely affected employment. The entitlement must be after the first UI benefit period. It must also be based in whole or in part upon part-time or short-term employment in which the worker engaged after the worker's most recent total separation from adversely affected employment that established such first UI benefit period. This new employment may include the same adversely affected employment; and
(ii) Is otherwise entitled to TRA, except that the AAW need not have exhausted all rights to UI in the new benefit year.
(3) For AAWs meeting the requirements in paragraph (e)(2) of this section, the State must provide the AAW a summary of his or her potential UI benefits and potential TRA benefits in writing and document the AAW's choice in the case file.
(4) State law governs the status of the UI claim in the second benefit year when the AAW elects to receive TRA instead of UI.
(5) If the AAW elects to receive UI benefits in the second benefit year or any subsequent benefit period thereafter in which the option is available, the AAW must exhaust all UI entitlement before resuming TRA eligibility.
(6) The AAW must have no unexpired waiting period applicable to such worker for any UI.
(f) Extended Benefits (EB) work test. The AAW must be able to work and be available for work, as defined in the EB work test in the applicable State law for UI claimants, and must be furnished a classification and a determination as to his or her job prospects as required by 20 CFR 615.8(d). The EB work test must be met for each week by the means described in this paragraph (f), unless an exception in paragraph (f)(2) of this section applies.
(1) Criteria. The EB work test requirement must be met by:
(i) Registering for work with the State, in accordance with the applicable provisions of State law that apply to EB claimants and that are consistent with part 615 of this chapter;
(ii) Actively engaging in seeking work;
(iii) Furnishing the State with tangible evidence of work search efforts each week; and
(iv) Accepting any offer of suitable work, including those referred by the State.
(2) Exceptions. The able and available requirement and the EB work test requirement in this paragraph (f) do not apply for purposes of TRA eligibility:
(i) When the AAW is enrolled in or participating in approved training;
(ii) During a break in training; or
(iii) With respect to claims for TRA for those weeks of unemployment beginning before the filing of an initial claim for TRA, or for any week that begins before the AAW is notified of coverage by a certification and is fully informed of the EB work test requirements. Before such notification and advice, the worker must not be subject to the EB work test requirements for TRA eligibility purposes, nor to any State timely filing requirement, but must be required to be unemployed and able to work and available for work under State law with respect to any such week except as provided in paragraphs (f)(2)(i) and (ii) of this section for AAWs enrolled in or participating in approved training.
(3) Suitable work. (i) For purposes of this subpart, suitable work means, with respect to a worker, whichever of the following laws is applicable:
(A) Suitable work as defined in the applicable State law for claimants for regular compensation; or
(B) Suitable work as defined in applicable State law provisions consistent with section 202(a)(3) of EUCA.
(ii) Regardless of which of the laws in paragraph (f)(3)(i)(A) or (B) of this section apply, suitable work does not in any case include self-employment or employment as an independent contractor.
(g) Participation in approved training. (1) As a condition for receiving Basic TRA, except as provided for in § 618.730, the AAW, after a total or partial separation from the adversely affected employment within the certification period, and by the applicable deadlines in § 618.725 must:
(i) Be enrolled in training, as defined in subpart A of this part;
(ii) Be participating in approved training (as defined in § 618.705); or
(iii) Have a waiver granted under § 618.735 in effect.
(2) An AAW who has not met the requirements in paragraph (g)(1) of this section may, if otherwise eligible, receive Basic TRA before expiration of the applicable training enrollment deadline in § 618.725. Once the training enrollment deadline is reached, the training requirements in paragraph (g)(1) of this section must be met. Basic TRA payments must cease beginning the first week for which the requirements in paragraph (g)(1) of this section were required but not met.
(3) The requirements in paragraph (g)(1) of this section do not apply to an AAW with respect to claims for Basic TRA for weeks of unemployment beginning before the filing of an initial claim for TRA after publication of the certification of the appropriate worker group as provided in § 618.715(a), nor for any week that begins before the AAW is notified that he or she is covered by a certification and is fully informed of the requirements of this section.
(4) An AAW who meets the participation in approved training requirement in paragraph (g)(1) of this section by the applicable deadlines in § 618.725 may continue to receive Basic TRA after the AAW has completed training, even if such participation in training was on a part-time basis, provided that the worker meets all other eligibility requirements for Basic TRA.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-20.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026