Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Local Governance (Workforce Development Areas)

20 C.F.R. Part ..., Subpart B
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01

20 C.F.R. § 679.200 What is the purpose of requiring States to identify regions?

The purpose of identifying regions is to align workforce development activities and resources with larger regional economic development areas and available resources to provide coordinated and efficient services to both job seekers and employers.

20 C.F.R. § 679.210 What are the requirements for identifying a region?

(a) The Governor must assign local areas to a region prior to submission of the State Unified or Combined Plan, in order for the State to receive WIOA title I, subtitle B adult, dislocated worker, and youth allotments. (b) The Governor must develop a policy and process for identifying regions. Such policy must include: (1) Consultation with the Local WDBs and chief elected officials (CEOs) in the local area(s) as required in WIOA sec. 102(b)(2)(D)(i)(II) and WIOA sec. 106(a)(1); and (2) Consideration of the extent to which the local areas in a proposed region: (i) Share a single labor market; (ii) Share a common economic development area; and (iii) Possess the Federal and non-Federal resources, including appropriate education and training institutions, to administer activities under WIOA subtitle B. (c) In addition to the required criteria described in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, other factors the Governor also may consider include: (1) Population centers; (2) Commuting patterns; (3) Land ownership; (4) Industrial composition; (5) Location quotients; (6) Labor force conditions; (7) Geographic boundaries; and (8) Additional factors as determined by the Secretary. (d) Regions must consist of: (1) One local area; (2) Two or more contiguous local areas in a single State; or (3) Two or more contiguous local areas in two or more States. (e) Planning regions are those regions described in paragraph (d)(2) or (3) of this section. Planning regions are subject to the regional planning requirements in § 679.510.

20 C.F.R. § 679.220 What is the purpose of the local area?

(a) The purpose of a local area is to serve as a jurisdiction for the administration of workforce development activities and execution of adult, dislocated worker, and youth funds allocated by the State. Such areas may be aligned with a region identified in WIOA sec. 106(a)(1) or may be components of a planning region, each with its own Local WDB. Also, significantly, local areas are the areas within which Local WDBs oversee their functions, including strategic planning, operational alignment and service delivery design, and a jurisdiction where partners align resources at a sub-State level to design and implement overall service delivery strategies. (b) The Governor must designate local areas (local areas) in order for the State to receive adult, dislocated worker, and youth funding under title I, subtitle B of WIOA.

20 C.F.R. § 679.230 What are the general procedural requirements for designation of local areas?

As part of the process of designating or redesignating a local area, the Governor must develop a policy for designation of local areas that must include: (a) Consultation with the State WDB; (b) Consultation with the chief elected officials and affected Local WDBs; and (c) Consideration of comments received through a public comment process which must: (1) Offer adequate time for public comment prior to designation of the local area; and (2) Provide an opportunity for comment by representatives of Local WDBs, chief elected officials, businesses, institutions of higher education, labor organizations, other primary stakeholders, and the general public regarding the designation of the local area.

20 C.F.R. § 679.240 What are the substantive requirements for designation of local areas that were not designated as local areas under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998?

(a) Except as provided in § 679.250, the Governor may designate or redesignate a local area in accordance with policies and procedures developed by the Governor, which must include at a minimum consideration of the extent to which the proposed area: (1) Is consistent with local labor market areas; (2) Has a common economic development area; and (3) Has the Federal and non-Federal resources, including appropriate education and training institutions, to administer activities under WIOA subtitle B. (b) The Governor may approve a request at any time for designation as a workforce development area from any unit of general local government, including a combination of such units, if the State WDB determines that the area meets the requirements of paragraph (a)(1) of this section and recommends designation. (c) Regardless of whether a local area has been designated under this section or § 679.250, the Governor may redesignate a local area if the redesignation has been requested by a local area and the Governor approves the request.

20 C.F.R. § 679.250 What are the requirements for initial and subsequent designation of workforce development areas that had been designated as local areas under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998?

(a) If the chief elected official and Local WDB in a local area submits a request for initial designation, the Governor must approve the request if, for the 2 program years preceding the date of enactment of WIOA, the following criteria are met: (1) The local area was designated as a local area for purposes of WIA; (2) The local area performed successfully; and (3) The local area sustained fiscal integrity. (b) Subject to paragraph (c) of this section, after the period of initial designation, if the chief elected official and Local WDB in a local area submits a request for subsequent designation, the Governor must approve the request if the following criteria are met for the 2 most recent program years of initial designation: (1) The local area performed successfully; (2) The local area sustained fiscal integrity; and (3) In the case of a local area in a planning region, the local area met the regional planning requirements described in WIOA sec. 106(c)(1). (c) No determination of subsequent eligibility may be made before the conclusion of Program Year (PY) 2017. (d) The Governor: (1) May review a local area designated under paragraph (b) of this section at any time to evaluate whether that the area continues to meet the requirements for subsequent designation under that paragraph; and (2) Must review a local area designated under paragraph (b) of this section before submitting its State Plan during each 4-year State planning cycle to evaluate whether the area continues to meet the requirements for subsequent designation under that paragraph. (e) For purposes of subsequent designation under paragraphs (b) and (d) of this section, the local area and chief elected official must be considered to have requested continued designation unless the local area and chief elected official notify the Governor that they no longer seek designation. (f) Local areas designated under § 679.240 or States designated as single-area States under § 679.270 are not subject to the requirements described in paragraph (b) of this section related to the subsequent designation of a local area. (g) The Governor may approve, under paragraph (c) of this section, a request for designation as a local area from areas served by rural concentrated employment programs as described in WIOA sec. 107(c)(1)(C).

20 C.F.R. § 679.260 What do the terms “performed successfully” and “sustained fiscal integrity” mean for purposes of designating local areas?

(a) For the purpose of initial local area designation, the term “performed successfully” means that the local area met or exceeded the levels of performance the Governor negotiated with the Local WDB and chief elected official under WIA sec. 136(c) for the last 2 full program years before the enactment of WIOA, and that the local area has not failed any individual measure for the last 2 consecutive program years before the enactment of WIOA. (b) For the purpose of determining subsequent local area designation, the term “performed successfully” means that the local area met or exceeded the levels of performance the Governor negotiated with the Local WDB and chief elected official for core indicators of performance as provided in paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this section as appropriate, and that the local area has not failed any individual measure for the last 2 consecutive program years in accordance with a State-established definition, provided in the State Plan, of met or exceeded performance. (1) For subsequent designation determinations made at the conclusion of PY 2017, a finding of whether a local area performed successfully must be limited to having met or exceeded the negotiated levels for the Employment Rate 2nd Quarter after Exit and the Median Earnings indicators of performance, as described at § 677.155(a)(1)(i) and (iii) of this chapter respectively, for PY 2016 and PY 2017. (2) For subsequent designation determinations made at the conclusion of PY 2018, or at any point thereafter, a finding of whether a local area performed successfully must be based on all six of the WIOA indicators of performance as described at § 677.155(a)(1)(i) through (vi) of this chapter for the 2 most recently completed program years. (c) For the purpose of determining initial and subsequent local area designation under § 679.250(a) and (b), the term “sustained fiscal integrity” means that the Secretary has not made a formal determination that either the grant recipient or the administrative entity of the area misexpended funds due to willful disregard of the requirements of the provision involved, gross negligence, or failure to comply with accepted standards of administration for the 2-year period preceding the determination.

20 C.F.R. § 679.270 What are the special designation provisions for single-area States?

(a) The Governor of any State that was a single-State local area under the WIA as in effect on July 1, 2013 may designate the State as a single-State local area under WIOA. (b) The Governor of a State local area under paragraph (a) of this section who seeks to designate the State as a single-State local area under WIOA must: (1) Identify the State as a single-area State in the Unified or Combined State Plan; and (2) Include the local plan for approval as part of the Unified or Combined State Plan. (c) The State WDB for a single-area State must act as the Local WDB and carry out the functions of the Local WDB in accordance with WIOA sec. 107 and § 679.370, except that the State is not required to meet and report on a set of local performance accountability measures. (d) Single-area States must conduct the functions of the Local WDB as outlined in paragraph (c) of this section to achieve the incorporation of local interests but may do so in a manner that reduces unnecessary burden and duplication of processes. (e) States must carry out the duties of State and Local WDBs in accordance with guidance issued by the Secretary of Labor.

20 C.F.R. § 679.280 How does the State fulfill the requirement to provide assistance to local areas within a planning region that wish to redesignate into a single local area?

(a) When the chief elected officials and Local WDBs of each local area within a planning region make a request to the Governor to redesignate into a single local area, the State WDB must authorize statewide adult, dislocated worker, and youth program funds to facilitate such redesignation. (b) When statewide funds are not available, the State may provide funds for redesignation in the next available program year. (c) Redesignation activities that may be carried out by the local areas include: (1) Convening sessions and conferences; (2) Renegotiation of contracts and agreements; and (3) Other activities directly associated with the redesignation as deemed appropriate by the State WDB.

20 C.F.R. § 679.290 What right does an entity have to appeal the Governor's decision rejecting a request for designation as a workforce development area?

(a) A unit of local government (or combination of units) or a local area which has requested but has been denied its request for designation as a workforce development area under § 679.250 may appeal the decision to the State WDB, in accordance with appeal procedures established in the State Plan and § 683.630(a) of this chapter. (b) If a decision on the appeal is not rendered in a timely manner or if the appeal to the State WDB does not result in designation, the entity may request review by the Secretary of Labor, under the procedures set forth at § 683.640 of this chapter.

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