Definition of A Dislocated Worker 

Definition of Dislocated Worker 

1. A dislocated worker is an individual who meets one of the five definitions required for certification as a Dislocated Worker: 

        a)  Has been terminated or laid off, or has received a notice of termination or layoff from employment; AND

b)  Is eligible for or has exhausted unemployment insurance; OR has been employed for a duration sufficient to demonstrate attachment to the workforce, but is not eligible for unemployment insurance due to insufficient earnings or having performed services for an employer that were not covered under State unemployment compensation law; AND 

c)  Is unlikely to return to a previous industry or occupation. 

2. Has been terminated or laid off, or received notification of termination or layoff, from employment as a result of a permanent closure of, or substantial layoff at, a plant, facility, or enterprise; OR Is employed at a facility, where the employer has made the general announcement that the facility will close within 180 days.  

3. Was self-employed (including employment as a farmer, a rancher, or a fisherman) but is unemployed as a result of general economic conditions in the community or because of a natural disaster. 

4. Is a displaced homemaker.  The term “displaced homemaker” means an individual who has been providing unpaid services to a family member in the home and who has been dependent on the income of another family member but is no longer supported by that income OR is the dependent spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and whose family income is significantly reduced because of a deployment, call or order to active duty, a permanent change of station, or the service-connected death or disability of the member AND is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.

5. Is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty, and who has experienced a loss of employment as a direct result of relocation to accommodate a permanent change in duty station of such member OR is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces on active duty and who is unemployed or underemployed and is experiencing difficulty in obtaining or upgrading employment.