Click here for the full .pdf of the TAA Manual. 

Getting Certified for Trade Adjustment Assistance is a practical guide for getting groups of workers certified for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). TAA is the overall program name that is also known as TRA or trade benefits. Strictly speaking, TRA (Trade Readjustment Allowances) is a name for weekly income benefits provided under TAA. A single petition is used to gain certification for all benefits, training, and reemployment services offered under the TAA program.

To get either TAA training or TRA benefits, or both, dislocated workers must first be "certified" as trade-impacted workers by the U.S. Department of Labor. This manual is designed for unions, workforce intermediaries, community groups, and others seeking to successfully petition for TAA certification.

The manual begins by discussing the basics of getting certified for TAA. A detailed overview of the legal requirements for TAA certification follows. We next include a review of a sample TAA petition and supporting materials. Throughout the manual, we include practical tips based upon our experience with TAA that will help you get favorable TAA certification decisions from the Labor Department.

TAA has its own set of rules, abbreviations, and terms. A basic grasp of these rules and terminology will help you get workers certified for TAA and then move them into eligibility for retraining and TRA benefits. For your convenience, a glossary of TAA terms is found at the end of the manual. In addition, a sample TAA petition for certification, cover letter and related materials, as well as some important forms involving TAA investigations are found in the Appendix of the manual.