September 2009

New Grant to Augment Efforts to Assist Jobless Missourians

Through collaborative efforts of the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the Missouri Department of Economic Development, thousands of unemployed workers across the state will receive targeted reemployment services to help them prepare for new careers due to a $592,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL).

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations’ Division of Employment Security applied for the grant in May 2009 to draw down additional federal funds in efforts to better assist those unemployed workers get the resources they need to get back to work. The state was recently informed by USDOL that Missouri’s application had been accepted.

The Department of Economic Development’s Division of Workforce Development will now use the funds to provide enhanced services for laid-off workers in six locations across the state. 

The services will be delivered through Missouri Career Centers and include in-person assessments, individual work-search plans and other services to help job seekers -- specifically those who are receiving unemployment insurance -- access the most appropriate array of career assistance.

In addition, the in-person assessments will help identify unemployment insurance (UI) beneficiaries who are not eligible for such benefits or who are not actively seeking work. This will help prevent erroneous UI benefit payments. Individuals suspected of fraudulently obtaining UI benefits will be investigated by the Department of Labor’s Division of Employment Security. 

This grant will supplement a current strategy being implemented across the state to help reemploy Missourians separated from work through no fault of their own. On July 1, the first of 60 temporary workers hired using funds from the Recovery Act began working at Career Centers across the state. 

These additional staff help centers deal with the increase in customer demand for career assistance services. The state estimates approximately 60,000 job seekers will be served each month under these plans.