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Trade Adjustment Assistance 2002 (TAA)

(Certified petitions filed on or after Nov. 4, 2002 and before May 18, 2009)

Trade Adjustment Assistance 2002 (TAA) is a Federal program that provides assistance to adversely affected workers who lose their jobs or whose hours of work and wages are reduced as a result of increased imports or whose firms have been affected by, or are threatened to be affected by, shifts in production of articles to certain foreign countries. It also provides assistance to workers whose firm is a supplier or downstream producer to a certified primary firm and is certified as secondarily affected.

IMPORTANT: Benefits available under the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011 (Trade Act of 2011) apply to Trade Act petitions filed on or after Feb. 15, 2011. The Trade Act of 2011 became law on Oct. 21, 2011 and retroactively covered petitions filed on or after Feb. 15, 2011.  Claimants who had already received certain Trade Act benefits and services under the previous Trade Act are to be offered a one time election to continue receiving benefits under the Trade Act of 2002 or to begin receiving benefits under the new Trade Act of 2011. If you qualified for the election and chose to receive benefits under the Trade Act of 2011 program or if you are covered under a petition filed on or after May 18, 2009 and no later than Feb. 14, 2011, please refer to the Trade Act of 2011 web page. If you are covered under a petition filed on or after May 18, 2009 through Feb. 14, 2011, please read information on the Trade Act of 2009. If you are covered under a petition filed on or after Jan. 1, 2014, please read information on Trade Adjustment Assistance 2015.

TAA benefits include:

  • Reemployment services such as funded training, job search allowances, and relocation allowances.
  • Weekly cash benefit payments known as Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA).

Each benefit has distinct eligibility requirements and must be applied for separately. To receive these benefits, you must file your applications or take certain actions within certain time limits. For example, to be eligible for any TRA benefits under a petition that is certified under the Trade Act of 2002, you must:

  • Be enrolled in a training program by the end of the 8th week after the petition certification is issued by the U.S. Department of Labor; or

  • Be enrolled in a training program by the end of the 16th week after your most recent qualifying separation; or

  • Be issued a waiver of the training program enrollment requirement by a TAA representative effective on or before the enrollment in training deadline.

If issued a waiver of this requirement, you must still apply for training within 210 days of your separation or petition certification in order to be eligible for additional TRA.

You may also be eligible for Federal tax credits to help cover health insurance costs for you and your family.

More information on TAA benefits is available in the pamphlet, UCP-11A, Trade Act of 2002. If you have any questions regarding this program or would like to apply for these benefits, please contact the UC Service Center at 1-888-313-7284 or visit your local Pennsylvania CareerLink® office.

The information provided on this site does not constitute a determination of eligibility to receive unemployment compensation.