2. Employment & Training
3. Partners
4. WIOA Title I-A & I-B
5. Policy & Procedure Manual
6. WIOA Title I Application Process Guidance

WIOA Title I-A & I-B Policy & Procedure Manual



WIOA Title I Application Process Guidance

Effective date: September 23, 2019

Equal opportunity data must be collected for all individuals who indicate an interest in being considered for WIOA Title I services;¹ therefore, DWD-DET requires local WDBs and their service providers to do the following:²

• Ensure that their WIOA Title I application forms include 1) all the information needed to create a record in ASSET and 2) questions about all program eligibility criteria. Medical and disability-related information must be collected on separate forms. These forms may not be placed in a participant's case file but must be kept in separate locked or otherwise secured files.³
  Note: When individuals register with JobCenterofWisconsin.com (JCW), the information they provide in JCW is automatically transferred to ASSET, creating a new ASSET record.
• Allow all interested individuals the opportunity to apply for the WIOA Title I Programs⁴ without time delays or other requirements imposed by the local WDB or service provider. Local WDBs and their service providers cannot require applicants to attend a meeting, orientation, intake, or similar event in order to fill out an application.
  Note: If an applicant requires accommodations because of a disability or needs translation/interpreting services, arrangements must be made for the needed accommodations without time delays so the applicant can complete an application form as soon as possible.
• Ensure that the applicant signs and dates each application form and all application forms are saved.
• Enter all applicants into ASSET, even if they are determined to be ineligible for the program.
• For all applicants, complete the eligibility determination and close an Eligibility Determination service in ASSET no more than 30 calendar days after the date the application form was submitted. Local WDBs and their service providers must record the date of submission on the application form or in an ASSET case note.
• Notify applicants of their eligibility status within five business days of the date that status is determined and document the notification in an ASSET case note. In-person notification, emails, and phone messages are all acceptable methods of notification.

Note: To allow service providers to create an ASSET record and add services without gathering all of the participant data needed to complete the Program tab, DWD-DET has added a "Reportable Individual Only" checkbox to the Program tab in ASSET. When that box is checked, career planners are able to open services that do not cause participation, including Eligibility Determination, without filling out the entire Program tab.

DWD-DET recommends that local WDBs and their service providers refer any applicants who are not eligible for a WIOA Title I program to other program(s) that might meet their needs.

Local WDBs and their service providers must request social security numbers (SSNs) from Title I participants.⁵ Accordingly, DWD-DET requires that all Title I application forms request an SSN. When an SSN is requested, applicants must be informed, in writing, of the requestor's authority and purpose for requesting the SSN.⁶

DWD-DET recommends the following language be included on all Title I application forms:

1. The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 20, Section 677.175 authorizes this program to request your social security number (SSN). We use your SSN to collect employment and educational outcome information for federal reporting. Your SSN will be used only for this purpose. The state and federal governments use outcome information to evaluate how to best help future program participants.
2. It is your right to choose not to provide your SSN. If you do not provide your SSN, it will not have any effect on the services you are eligible to receive. Because the program will not be able to use your SSN to collect employment and educational outcome information for federal reporting, you agree to tell staff who contact you after you exit the program:
   • if you are employed,
   • how much you are earning,
   • if you are enrolled in an educational program, and
   • if you have earned any credentials.

Note: Individuals cannot be denied services for choosing not to provide their SSN.⁷

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• ¹ 29 CFR §§ 38.4, 38.5, 38.6(b) and (d), & 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 WIOA Sec. 188(a); 20 CFR § 683.285; and 81 FR 56113.
• ² 81 FR 56112 stipulates that states and local areas have the discretion to determine appropriate intake methods.
• ³ 29 CFR § 38.41(b)(3)
• ⁴ WIOA Sec. 188(a)(2) and (5); 20 CFR § 680.110(c); 29 CFR part 38
• ⁵ WIOA Sec. 116(i)(2); TEGL 14-18, p. 18-19
• ⁶ TEGL 14-18, p. 19
• ⁷ TEGL 14-18, p. 19