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Trade Readjustment Allowance Benefits
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Overview
Trade Readjustment Allowance (TRA) benefits are similar to regular unemployment benefits. You must apply for and exhaust regular unemployment benefits before applying for TRA benefits. If eligible for TRA benefits, you may request them only after you receive all of your regular unemployment insurance benefits in a benefit year. To be eligible for TRA benefits, you must be participating in Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) approved training.
Depending on the petition number of your trade program, as described below, claimants may receive up to several years of combined regular unemployment and TRA benefits. Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits vary depending on past wages and other requirements.
There are four types of TRA benefits:
- Basic
- Additional
- Remedial/Prerequisite
- Completion
How to Apply
To apply for Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits, complete and return a Trade Readjustment Allowance Application 
or 
. You must submit an application for regular benefits on ui.texasworkforce.org before we can take a TRA application.
- Trade Readjustment Allowance Application or
Basic Trade Readjustment Allowance
We pay Basic TRA benefits when your regular unemployment benefits and any available Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) end. You can receive up to 52 weeks of combined regular and basic TRA benefits. You have two years (104 weeks) after separating from a trade-affected employer to use basic TRA benefits and receive payment, if you are eligible.
Eligibility
To qualify for basic Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- Be enrolled in Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) approved training
- Be participating in TAA-approved training
- Have completed TAA-approved training
- Have a written certification waiving the training requirement
Additional Trade Readjustment Allowance
Eligibility
To qualify for Additional Trade Readjustment Allowance benefits, you must satisfy both of the following requirements:
- You must have applied for TAA-approved training within 26 weeks of your separation from a trade-affected employer or the date the petition is certified (the date the employer was certified as trade-affected).
- You must be attending TAA-approved training.
- For petitions numbered 80,000 or higher, you must use your Additional TRA benefits within 78 weeks after basic TRA ends.
- For petitions numbered 70,000 to 79,999, you must use your Additional TRA benefits within 91 weeks after basic TRA ends.
Benefits
- If your petition is numbered 80,000 and higher:
At the end of Basic TRA or beginning with TAA-approved training, TWC may be able to pay you up to 65 weeks of Additional TRA or pay you until you complete training, whichever comes first. - If your petition is numbered 70,000 to 79,999:
At the end of Basic TRA or beginning with TAA-approved training, TWC may be able to pay you up to 78 weeks of Additional TRA or pay you until you complete training, whichever comes first.
Remedial or Prerequisite Trade Readjustment Allowance
Eligibility
- Your petition is numbered 70,000 to 79,999.
- Your TAA-approved training included between one and 26 weeks of remedial or prerequisite education.
- You are still enrolled in TAA-approved training and attending classes.
Benefits
You may be eligible for additional weeks of benefits equal to the number of weeks you received remedial or prerequisite education, up to 26 weeks.
We pay for remedial or prerequisite weeks after you exhaust your Additional TRA benefits.
Completion Trade Readjustment Allowance
Eligibility
To qualify for Completion TRA, you must meet all of the following requirements:
- Be in a TAA-approved training program leading to completion of a degree or industry recognized credential.
- Participate in TAA-approved training each week.
- Meet the performance benchmarks established as part of your training program.
- Continue to make progress toward completion of the training during this additional period,
- Complete the training program during the time you receive Completion TRA.
Benefits
If your petition is numbered 80,000 and higher:
- If you need additional time to complete your TAA-approved training, you may qualify for Completion TRA. Completion TRA is an additional 13 weeks of TRA benefits payable within a 20-week period.
Breaks in Training
To receive TRA benefits, you must attend TAA training classes as scheduled. However, if your school has scheduled breaks for holidays or summer vacation that exceed 30 class days, TWC cannot pay you any level of trade benefits for the weeks covered by those 30 days.
Charting Your Trade Benefits
The chart below shows the progression of benefits by type.
Forms
- Trade Readjustment Allowance Application or