WIOA Title I-A & I-B Policy & Procedure Manual
Ch. 3) Adult and Dislocated Worker Programs

Table of Contents 

3.6 Program Waitlists

Effective date: July 26, 2019

Revised date: May 13, 2021

3.6.1 Implementing a Waitlist

Local WDBs may periodically need to implement a waitlist for a WIOA Title I Program. A waitlist can be used either for program-eligible individuals waiting to enter into a program or for existing program participants waiting to receive direct cost services.

Note: Career planners may not deny an individual the opportunity to apply to a WIOA Title I Program,¹ even if a waitlist is in place.

Before a local WDB may implement a waitlist for a Title I Program, DWD-DET requires the local WDB to inform its Local Program Liaison (LPL) in writing about its plan to implement a waitlist, including:

• whether the waitlist is for program entry or services;
• the reason for the waitlist (e.g., limited funds);
• the anticipated duration of the waitlist;
• the total number of active participants currently being served, excluding those participants who are receiving follow-up services only; and
• the number of potential participants and/or current participants who will be waitlisted at the time the list is implemented; and
• its local policies and procedures for handling waitlists, that address, at minimum, failed contact atttempts with individuals on the waitlist.

DWD-DET will review the local WDB's plan in order to assess whether other options are available. While DWD-DET may recommend other options, the decision to use a waitlist is at the discretion of the local WDB. A local WDB with a waitlist in place must notify its Local Program Liaison when the waitlist is lifted.

3.6.2 Serving Individuals on Waitlists

There are two scenarios for individuals on waitlists:

1) Individuals who are on a waitlist for program entry:

A career planner must enter an individual into ASSET and complete an Eligibility Determination service prior to placing them on a waitlist for program entry. The career planner must check the "Reportable Individual" checkbox and check "yes" for Eligible in the Eligibility Determination service details screen. This will disable the requirement for the career planner to complete all the required fields in the ASSET Manage Program tab and allow non-participation causing services to be recorded. The career planner must indicate in an ASSET case note that the individual is on a waitlist for program entry.

If an individual remains on the waitlist for program entry and does not receive a participation-causing service for over 90 days, ASSET will close the individual's episode. If this happens, the career planner must submit a staff request to their LPL to reopen the episode when the career planner is ready to take the individual off of the waitlist. The staff request must include a new participation-causing service for the individual and information for all ASSET-required fields for the new service. The ASSET Administrator handling the staff request will input the new service at the time they reopen the episode. This is important because a new participation-causing service must be entered on the same day that the episode is reopened, otherwise ASSET will automatically close the episode again as part of the nightly system updates.

DWD-DET strongly encourages staff to contact individuals on a program entry waitlist at least once every 90 days to confirm they remain interested in the program; it may be helpful to record the results of the contact in an ASSET case note.

2) Participants who are on a waitlist for specific services:

If a program participant is on a waitlist for specific Title I services (e.g., training), DWD-DET requires that staff provide them with an IEP or ISS Review service at least once every 90 days in order to confirm that the services the participant is waiting for are still appropriate for their needs and goals. This will also ensure that ASSET will not close the participant's episode while they are the waitlist.

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• ¹ 29 CFR §§ 38.4, 38.5, 38.6(b)(5), & 38.41 combine to require that applicants must not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief, citizenship, or participation in any WIOA Title I-financially assisted program or activity. An "applicant" is an individual who is interested in being considered for WIOA Title I assistance. To ensure that discrimination does not occur, recipients of WIOA funding must maintain records on the race/ethnicity, sex, age, and disability status of every applicant. See also 81 FR 56113.