The state has scheduled three briefings Thursday in East Hawaii for employers who had to reduce staff and workload and employees either displaced or underemployed as a result of the recent eruption of Kilauea volcano.
Kayla Rosenfeld, statewide rapid-response coordinator, will brief the Volcano, Pahoa and Hilo communities on U.S. Department of Labor Dislocated Worker Grants, explaining grant provisions, eligibility requirements, permitted grant activity, and permitted worksites.
This program offers workforce funding to qualified Hawaii Island businesses willing and able to employ eligible individual dislocated workers.
In addition to explaining the grant provisions, the goals of this community briefing are to: 1) determine businesses of record (employers) and individual eligibility; 2) identify disaster recovery worksites; and 3) enroll eligible participants into the grant program.
The Thursday briefings are scheduled as follows:
• 9-11 a.m. Cooper Center, 19-4030 Wright Rd., Volcano
• 1-3 p.m. Pahoa Community Center
• 5-7 p.m. Aupuni Center conference room, 101 Pauahi St., Suite 1, Hilo
A question and answer session will follow each briefing.
After the briefing, staff from the American Job Center Hawaii will be on site to help applicants determine their eligibility for the program.
Business owners, self-employed individuals, and farmers, please bring all the below documents to the meeting:
• recent general excise tax (GET) license
• recent State and Federal Tax Returns
• Hawaii compliance express (HCE) certification
• layoff or reduced-hours letters to employees
Farmers should also bring letter from product distributor indicating a decrease in production.
Under- or unemployed individuals, please bring all the following documents to the meeting:
• Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) stub or letter — if you do not have DUA claim, bring paystubs or other payroll records
• letter from employer indicating reduced work hours or layoff
• valid picture ID
• original social security card or original/certified birth certificate
• Selective Service registration (males 18-25 years old)
• utility bill (cable, electric or water)
To learn more about the Workforce Development Council, visit http://labor.hawaii.gov/wdc/.