Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth Activities

With the implementation of WIA, the KANSASWORKS State Board considered geographic areas served by local educational agencies and intermediate educational agencies, geographic areas served by postsecondary education institutions and area vocational education agencies, the extent to which local areas are consistent with labor market areas, the distance individuals would need to travel to receive services and the resources available to effectively administer activities under WIA prior to making their recommendation to establish local area boundaries under WIA. After consultation with chief elected officials and consideration of public comments received, the State Board recommended to the Governor that the JTPA Service Delivery Areas in existence under the Job Training Partnership Act be granted temporary designation, according to the provisions of WIA Section 116. Adopting this recommendation, the Governor authorized temporary designation. Following the two-year temporary designation period, all local areas were found to meet performance measures and demonstrate fiscal integrity for subsequent designation through June 30, 2005.

For WIOA implementation, Commerce issued Guidance Letter 14-02 on January 20, 2015 providing instructions to Local Workforce Development Areas to submit a Letter of Request for initial designation of their Local Area. The Guidance Letter required a written request signed by the Chair of the Chief Elected Officials Board and the Chair of the Local Workforce Development Board. In addition to the Letter of Request, each Local Board had to provide the Annual Performance Report for the periods July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2014. Finally, requests were also required to include a copy of the Auditors Schedule of Findings and Questioned Costs for the Areas’ A-133 audits for Program Years ending June 30, 2013 and June 30, 2014. Local Boards submitted the required information to the Governor’s Designee on April 30, 2015. Local Areas were considered to have performed successfully if there were no Common Measures outcomes below the Sanction Level for more than one report year. Local Areas were considered to have maintained fiscal integrity if there were no unresolved audit findings or disallowed costs in either of the two Program Years ending in June 2013 and June 2014. As described in Sec. 106 of WIOA, the initial Local Area designations are as follows: For the first 2 full program years following the date of enactment of WIOA, the Governor approved each request for initial designation as a local area that was designated as a local area for purposes of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998. Currently, all Kansas Local Area designations remain as they were under WIA.

Planning Regions, as described in WIOA Sec. 106, are currently being considered by LWDB members and the Locally Elected Officials Boards. Commerce has provided economic data and proposed planning regions, developed by the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors and other partners, to the Local Areas. Discussions have not resulted in consensus of regional boundaries; Commerce will continue to work with Local Boards during monthly meetings between Commerce and LWDBs to reach consensus on rationale for regional designations and subsequent determination of those regions. The State Workforce Development Board will then vote during the regularly scheduled January 2017 Board meeting to accept or reject recommended boundaries. If approved, the Board will present Regional Planning designations to the Governor. Once planning regions are established, Commerce will issue instructions to the Local Workforce Development Boards for completing and submitting Regional Plans as described in WIOA Sec. 106(a)(2)(c)(2). Commerce will provide technical assistance to regional planning teams as needed and will provide labor market information and other economic information from a variety of sources to assist in the plan process. Regional plans will be finalized and approved by July 15, 2017.