Findings 2022-002: WIOA Youth Activities (CFDA # 17.259) Compliance: Earmarking Finding Type: Compliance Agency: US Department of Labor Internal Control Impact: None Finding: Per WIOA Act section 129 (a)(4)(A), the Organization is required to utilize a minimum of 75 percent of the Youth Activities...
Findings 2022-002: WIOA Youth Activities (CFDA # 17.259) Compliance: Earmarking Finding Type: Compliance Agency: US Department of Labor Internal Control Impact: None Finding: Per WIOA Act section 129 (a)(4)(A), the Organization is required to utilize a minimum of 75 percent of the Youth Activities funds allocated to the local area, except for the local area expenditures for administration, to provide services to out-of-school youth. Out of the funds allocated for the WIOA Youth Activities, only 70 percent of the total Youth Activities fund was used to provide service to out-of-school youth. Status: Corrective Action In-Progress Corrective Action Plan: Local Workforce Investment Area III, Inc. has taken numerous actions to address the impacts of the prior waivers and to get back to the WIOA requirement of utilizing a minimum of 75 percent of the Youth Activities funds (less administration expenditures) to provide services for Out-of-School Youth (OSY): ? Youth Team vacancies were filled and full staffing was achieved to better support comprehensive OSY-focused outreach and recruitment. ? Agency-level networking and outreach efforts were redirected exclusively to those organizations and entities serving (or most likely to serve) youth who met OSY criteria. ? Youth outreach flyers, communication and collateral materials were revamped/refreshed to expressly target OSY. ? New partnerships were forged with local community-based GED provider Made Men, Inc., YouthBuild KCK, and U.S.D. 500 REACH, expanding access to OSY applicants and prospective participants. ? The Youth services online application was refined to strategically prioritize and redirect applicants who met OSY criteria directly to Youth Team representatives. ? Semi-monthly evening virtual workshops and orientations were created to expand OSY outreach and recruitment. ? Enrollment practices were narrowed to focus squarely on OSY applicants, which successfully brought caseloads, workloads and attendant expenditures back into alignment with baseline WIOA Youth spending expectations. Local Workforce Investment Area III, Inc. is experiencing great success with these actions so far. As of January 2023, we are spending approximately 90% of our PY22 Youth program dollars (less administration expenditures) to provide services for OSY. Person(s) Responsible for Implementation: Keely Schneider Implementation Date: June 30, 2023.