Chapter 556a

(1) “At-risk worker” means a worker who may lose employment due to factors including, but not limited to, an announced layoff, business shut-down or relocation, a new job skill requirement for which the worker is not trained, a change or reduction in wages, hours or benefits such that the worker must seek other employment in order to meet the self-sufficiency measurement calculated by the Office of Policy and Management pursuant to section 4-66e or a change or reduction in available transportation such that the worker is forced to seek new employment.

(2) “Customized job training” means training (A) that is designed to meet the special requirements of an employer, including a group of employers, (B) that is conducted with a commitment by the employer to employ an individual upon successful completion of the training, and (C) for which the employer pays not less than fifty per cent of the cost of the training.

(3) “Dislocated worker” means an individual who:

(A) (i) Has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment; (ii) is eligible for or has exhausted entitlement to unemployment compensation, or has been employed for a duration sufficient to demonstrate, to the appropriate entity at a one-stop center referred to in Section 134(c) of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as from time to time amended, attachment to the workforce, but is not eligible for unemployment compensation due to insufficient earnings or having performed services for an employer that were not covered under chapter 567; or (iii) is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation;

(B) (i) Has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff, from employment as a result of any permanent closure of, or any substantial layoff at, a plant, facility or enterprise; (ii) is employed at a facility at which the employer has made a general announcement that such facility will close within one hundred eighty days; or (iii) for purposes of eligibility to receive services, other than training services described in subdivision (14) of subsection (b) of section 31-11p, intensive services described in subdivision (13) of subsection (b) of said section, or supportive services, is employed at a facility at which the employer has made a general announcement that such facility will close;

(C) Was self-employed, including employment as a farmer, rancher or fisherman, but is unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the community in which the individual resides or because of natural disasters; or

(D) Is a displaced homemaker.

(4) “Displaced homemaker” means an individual who has been providing unpaid services to family members in the home and who (A) has been dependent on the income of another family member, but is no longer supported by that income; and (B) is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.

(5) “Eligible provider” means:

(A) With respect to training services, a provider who is identified in accordance with Section 122(e)(3) of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as from time to time amended;

(B) With respect to intensive services, a provider who is identified or awarded a contract as described in Section 134(d)(3)(B) of said act;

(C) With respect to youth activities, a provider who is awarded a grant or contract in accordance with Section 123 of said act;

(D) With respect to other workforce investment activities, a public or private entity selected to be responsible for such activities, such as a one-stop operator designated or certified under Section 121(d) of said act.

(6) “Incumbent worker” means an individual who is employed, but who is in need of additional skills, training or education in order to upgrade employment.

(7) “On-the-job training” means training by an employer that is provided to a paid participant while engaged in productive work in a job that (A) provides knowledge or skills essential to the full and adequate performance of the job; (B) provides reimbursement to the employer of up to fifty per cent of the wage rate of the participant, for the extraordinary costs of providing the training and additional supervision related to the training; and (C) is limited in duration as appropriate to the occupation for which the participant is being trained, taking into account the content of the training, the prior work experience of the participant and the service strategy of the participant, as appropriate.

(8) “Participant” means an individual who has been determined to be eligible to participate in and who is receiving services, except follow-up services authorized under Title I of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as from time to time amended, under a program authorized by said title and sections 31-3h and 31-3i, subsection (b) of section 31-3k, section 31-3l, this section and sections 31-11m to 31-11u, inclusive. Participation shall be deemed to commence on the first day, following determination of eligibility, on which the individual begins receiving subsidized employment, training or other services provided under said title and said sections.

(9) “Supportive services” means services such as transportation, child care, dependent care, and needs-related payments, that are necessary to enable an individual to participate in activities authorized under Title I of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, P.L. 113-128, as from time to time amended, consistent with the provisions of said title.

(10) “Underemployed worker” means a worker whose education and skill level limit such worker's earning capacity to an hourly wage below one hundred per cent of the self-sufficiency measurement calculated by the Office of Policy and Management pursuant to section 4-66e.

(P.A. 99-195, S. 1, 15; P.A. 16-169, S. 24.)

CHAPTER 556a

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Table of Contents

Note: Readers should refer to the 2024 Supplement, revised to January 1, 2024, for updated versions of statutes amended, repealed or added during the 2023 legislative sessions.