72 FR 106 pgs. 30858-30862 - Workforce Investment Act; Lower Living Standard Income Level

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Type: NOTICEVolume: 72Number: 106Pages: 30858 - 30862

FR document: [FR Doc. E7-10662 Filed 6-1-07; 8:45 am]

Agency: Labor Department

Sub Agency: Employment and Training Administration

Official PDF Version: PDF Version

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration

Workforce Investment Act; Lower Living Standard Income Level

AGENCY:

Employment and Training Administration, Labor.

ACTION:

Notice of determination of lower living standard income level.

SUMMARY:

Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-220), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower Living Standard Income level (LLSIL) for uses described in the law. WIA defines the term "Low Income Individual" as one who qualifies under various criteria, including an individual who received income for a six-month period that does not exceed the higher level of the poverty line or 70 percent of the LLSIL. This issuance provides the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2007 and references the current 2007 Health and Human Services "Poverty Guidelines."

DATES:

Effective Date: This notice is effective on the date of publication in the Federal Register .

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments to: Mr. Evan Rosenberg, Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-4464, Washington, DC 20210.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please contact Mr. Evan Rosenberg, telephone 202-693-3593; fax 202-693-3532 (these arenot toll free numbers).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

It is the purpose of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 "to provide workforce investment activities, through statewide and local workforce investment systems, that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of participants, and increase occupational skill attainment by participants, and as a result, improve the quality of the workforce, reduce welfare dependency, and enhance the productivity and competitiveness of the Nation."

The LLSIL is used for several purposes under WIA. Specifically, WIA Section 101(25) defines the term "low income individual" for eligibility purposes, and Sections 127(b)(2)(C) and 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(IV) define the terms "disadvantaged youth" and "disadvantaged adult" in terms of the poverty line or LLSIL for state formula allotments. The Governor and state/local workforce investment boards (WIBs) use the LLSIL for determining eligibility for youth, eligibility for employed adult workers for certain services and for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). We encourage the Governors and state/local WIBs to consult WIA regulations and the preamble to the WIA Final Rule (published at 65 FR 49294 August 11, 2000) for more specific guidance in applying the LLSIL to program requirements. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published the annual 2007 update of the poverty-level guidelines in the Federal Register at 72 FR 3147-3148 on January 24, 2007. The HHS 2007 Poverty guidelines may also be found on the Internet at: http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07fedreg.htm. ETA plans to have the 2007 LLSIL available on its Web site at http://www.doleta.gov/llsil/ .

WIA Section 101(24) defines the LLSIL as "that income level (adjusted for regional, metropolitan, urban and rural differences and family size) determined annually by the Secretary [of Labor] based on the most recent lower living family budget issued by the Secretary." The most recent lower living family budget was issued by the Secretary in the fall of 1981. The four-person urban family budget estimates, previously published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provided the basis for the Secretary to determine the LLSIL. BLS terminated the four-person family budget series in 1982, after publication of the fall 1981 estimates. Currently, BLS provides data to ETA through which it develops the LLSIL tables.

ETA published the 2006 updates to the LLSIL in the Federal Register of June 1, 2006, at 71 FR 31215. This notice again updates the LLSIL to reflect cost of living increases for 2006, by applying the percentage change in the December 2006, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), compared with the December 2005, CPI-U to each of the June 1, 2006, LLSIL figures. Those updated figures for a family-of-four are listed in Table 1, by region for both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Figures in all of the accompanying tables are rounded up to the nearest tenth. Since low income individuals, "disadvantaged adult" and "disadvantaged youth" may be determined by family income at 70 percent of the LLSIL, pursuant to WIA Sections 101(25), 127(b)(2)(C), and 132(b)(1)(B)(v)(IV), respectively, those figures are listed below as well.

Jurisdictions included in the various regions, based generally on Census Divisions of the U.S. Department of Commerce, are as follows:

Northeast

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virgin Islands.

Midwest

Illinois, Indiana,Iowa,Kansas,Michigan,Minnesota,Missouri,Nebraska,North Dakota,Ohio,South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

South

Alabama,American Samoa,Arkansas,Delaware,District of Columbia,Florida,Georgia,Northern Marianas,Oklahoma,Palau,Puerto Rico,South Carolina,Kentucky,Louisiana,Marshall Islands,Maryland,Micronesia,Mississippi,North Carolina,Tennessee,Texas,Virginia, andWest Virginia.

West

Arizona,California,Colorado,Idaho,Montana,Nevada,New Mexico,Oregon,Utah,Washington, andWyoming.

Additionally, separate figures have been provided for Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam as indicated in Table 2.

For Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam, the year 2006 figures were updated from the June 1, 2006, "State Index" based on the ratio of the urban change in the state (using Anchorage for Alaska and Honolulu for Hawaii and Guam) compared to the West regional metropolitan change, and then applying that index to the West regional metropolitan change.

Data on 23 selected MSAs are also available. These are based on semiannual CPI-U changes for a 12-month period ending in December 2006. The updated LLSIL figures for these MSAs and 70 percent of the LLSIL are reported in Table 3.

Table 4 below lists each of the various figures at 70 percent of the updated 2007 LLSIL for family sizes of one to six persons. For families larger than six persons, an amount equal to the difference between the six-person and the five-person family income levels should be added to the six-person family income level for each additional person in the family. Where the poverty level for a particular family size is greater than the corresponding LLSIL figure, the figure is indicated in parentheses. Table 5, 100 percent of LLSIL, is used to determine self-sufficiency as noted at 20 CFR 663.230 of WIA Regulations and WIA Section 134(d)(3)(A)(ii).

Use of These Data

Governors should designate the appropriate LLSILs for use within the state from Tables 1 through 3. Tables 4 and 5 may be used with any of the levels designated. The Governor's designation may be provided by disseminating information on MSAs and metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas within the state, or it may involve further calculations. For example, the State of New Jersey may have four or more LLSIL figures for Northeast metropolitan, Northeast non-metropolitan, portions of the State in the New York City MSA, and those in the Philadelphia MSA. If a workforce investment area includes areas that would be covered by more than one figure, the Governor may determine which is to be used.

Under 20 CFR 661.110, a state's policies and measures for the workforce investment system shall be accepted by the Secretary to the extent that they are consistent with the WIA and the WIA regulations.

Disclaimer on Statistical Uses

It should be noted, the publication of these figures is only for the purpose of meeting the requirements specified by WIA as defined in the law and regulations. BLS has not revised the lower living family budget since 1981, and has no plans to do so. The four-person urban family budget estimates series has been terminated. The CPI-U adjustments used to update the LLSIL for this publication are not precisely comparable, most notably because certain tax items were included in the 1981 LLSIL, but are not in the CPI-U. Thus, these figures should not be used for any statistical purposes, and are valid only for those purposes under WIA as defined in the law and regulations.

Lower Living Standard Income Level for 2007

Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-220) (WIA), the Secretary of Labor annually determines the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL). This Notice announces the LLSIL Tables for 2007. WIA requires the Department of Labor to update and publish the LLSIL tables annually. The LLSIL tables are used for several purposes under WIA, determining eligibility for youth and for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit.

Signed at Washington, DC, this 29th day, of May, 2007.

Emily Stover DeRocco,

Assistant Secretary, ETA.

Attachments

Region²	2007 adjusted LLSIL	70 percent LLSIL
Northeast:
Metro	$36,070	$25,250
Non-Metro³	34,630	24,240
Midwest:
Metro	32,110	22,480
Non-Metro	30,450	21,320
South:
Metro	30,790	21,550
Non-Metro	29,700	20,790
West:
Metro	35,220	24,660
Non-Metro⁴	34,080	23,860
¹ For ease of use, these figures have been rounded to the next highest ten dollars.
² Metropolitan area measures were calculated from the weighted average CPI-Us for city size classes A and B/C. Non-metropolitan area measures were calculated from the CPI-Us for city size class D.
³ Non-metropolitan area percent changes for the Northeast region are no longer available. The Non-metropolitan percent change was calculated using the U.S. average CPI-U for city size Class D.
⁴ Non-metropolitan area percent changes for the West region are unpublished data.

Region	2007 adjusted LLSIL	70 percent LLSIL
Alaska:
Metro	$43,340	$30,340
Non-Metro²	42,760	29,930
Hawaii, Guam:
Metro	46,370	32,460
Non-Metro²	45,650	31,960
¹ Rounded to next highest ten dollars.
² Non-Metropolitan percent changes for Alaska, Hawaii and Guam were calculated from the CPI-Us for city size Class D in the Western Region.

Metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs)	2007 Adjusted LLSIL	70 percent LLSIL
Anchorage, AK	$43,340	$30,340
Atlanta, GA	30,470	21,330
Boston-Brockton-Nashua, MA/NH/ME/CT	39,520	27,670
Chicago-Gary-Kenosha, IL/IN/WI	33,580	23,510
Cincinnati-Hamilton, OH/KY/IN	32,410	22,690
Cleveland-Akron, OH	33,020	23,120
Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX	29,510	20,660
Denver-Boulder-Greeley, CO	34,040	23,830
Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint, MI	31,710	22,200
Honolulu, HI	46,370	32,460
Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX	28,700	20,090
Kansas City, MO/KS	31,250	21,870
Los Angeles-Riverside-Orange County, CA	37,220	26,050
Milwaukee-Racine, WI	31,860	22,300
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN/WI	32,350	22,640
New York-Northern NJ-Long Island, NY/NJ/CT/PA	38,160	26,710
Philadelphia-Wilmington-Atlantic City, PA/NJ/DE/MD	35,230	24,660
Pittsburgh, PA	38,510	26,960
St. Louis, MO/IL	30,920	21,650
San Diego, CA	39,980	27,990
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA	37,480	26,240
Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton, WA	37,810	26,470
Washington-Baltimore, DC/MD/VA/WV²	38,290	26,800
¹ Rounded to next highest ten dollars.
² Baltimore and Washington are now calculated as a single metropolitan statistical area.

Table 4.-Seventy Percent of Updated 2007 Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL), by Family Size

To use the seventy percent LLSIL value, where it is stipulated for WIA programs, individuals must begin by locating the region or metropolitan area where they reside. These are listed in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Individuals must locate their region or metropolitan statistical area and then find the seventy percent LLSIL amount for that location. The seventy percent LLSIL figures are listed in the last column to the right on each of the three tables. These figures apply to a family of four. Larger and smaller family eligibility is based on a percentage of the family of four. To determine eligibility for other size families consult the table below.

To use Table 4, locate the seventy percent LLSIL value that applies to the individual's region or metropolitan area from Tables 1, 2 or 3. Find the same number in the "family of four" column of Table 4. Move left or right across that row to the size that corresponds to the individual's family unit. That figure is the maximum household income the individual is permitted in order to qualify as economically disadvantaged under WIA.

Where the HHS poverty level for a particular family size is greater than the corresponding LLSIL figure, the LLSIL figure appears in a shaded block. Individuals from these size families may consult the 2007 HHS poverty guidelines found in the Federal Register , Vol. 72, No. 15, January 24, 2007, pp. 3147-3148 (on the Internet at http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07fedreg.htm ) to find the higher eligibility standard. Individuals from Alaska and Hawaii should consult the HHS guidelines for the generally higher poverty levels that apply in their states.

Family of one	Family of two	Family of three	Family of four	Family of five	Family of six
$7,240	$11,860	$16,280	$20,090	$23,710	$27,730
7,440	12,190	16,740	20,660	24,380	28,520
7,490	12,270	16,840	20,790	24,540	28,700
7,680	12,580	17,270	21,320	25,160	29,430
7,680	12,590	17,280	21,330	25,170	29,440
7,760	12,720	17,460	21,550	25,430	29,740
7,800	12,780	17,540	21,650	25,550	29,880
7,880	12,910	17,720	21,870	25,810	30,190
8,000	13,100	17,990	22,200	26,200	30,640
8,030	13,160	18,070	22,300	26,320	30,780
8,100	13,270	18,210	22,480	26,530	31,030
8,160	13,360	18,340	22,640	26,720	31,250
8,170	13,390	18,380	22,690	26,780	31,320
8,330	13,650	18,730	23,120	27,290	31,910
8,470	13,880	19,050	23,510	27,750	32,450
8,580	14,060	19,310	23,830	28,120	32,890
8,590	14,080	19,330	23,860	28,160	32,930
8,730	14,310	19,640	24,240	28,610	33,460
8,880	14,550	19,980	24,660	29,100	34,040
9,090	14,900	20,460	25,250	29,800	34,850
9,380	15,370	21,110	26,050	30,740	35,950
9,450	15,490	21,260	26,240	30,970	36,220
9,530	15,620	21,450	26,470	31,240	36,530
9,620	15,760	21,640	26,710	31,520	36,860
9,650	15,820	21,710	26,800	31,630	36,990
9,710	15,910	21,840	26,960	31,820	37,210
9,970	16,330	22,420	27,670	32,660	38,190
10,080	16,520	22,680	27,990	33,030	38,630
10,780	17,660	24,250	29,930	35,320	41,310
10,930	17,910	24,580	30,340	35,810	41,870
11,510	18,860	25,890	31,960	37,720	44,110
11,690	19,160	26,300	32,460	38,310	44,800

Table 5.-Updated 2007 LLSIL (100%), by Family Size

To use the LLSIL to determine the minimum level for establishing self-sufficiency criteria at the state or local level, begin by locating the metropolitan area or region from Table 1, 2 or 3. The individual must locate their region or metropolitan statistical area and then find the 2007 Adjusted LLSIL amount for that location. These figures apply to a family of four. Locate the corresponding number in the family of four in the column below. Move left or right across that row to the size that corresponds to the individual's family unit. That figure is the minimum figure States must set for determining whether employment leads to self-sufficiency under WIA programs.

Family of one	Family of two	Family of three	Family of four	Family of five	Family of six
$10,340	$16,940	$23,250	$28,700	$33,870	$39,610
10,630	17,420	23,910	29,510	34,830	40,730
10,700	17,530	24,060	29,700	35,050	40,990
10,970	17,970	24,670	30,450	35,940	42,030
10,970	17,980	24,690	30,470	35,960	42,050
11,090	18,170	24,940	30,790	36,340	42,500
11,140	18,250	25,050	30,920	36,490	42,670
11,250	18,440	25,320	31,250	36,880	43,130
11,420	18,710	25,690	31,710	37,420	43,760
11,470	18,800	25,810	31,860	37,600	43,970
11,560	18,950	26,010	32,110	37,890	44,320
11,650	19,090	26,210	32,350	38,180	44,650
11,670	19,130	26,260	32,410	38,250	44,730
11,890	19,490	26,750	33,020	38,970	45,570
12,090	19,820	27,200	33,580	39,630	46,350
12,260	20,090	27,580	34,040	40,170	46,980
12,270	20,110	27,610	34,080	40,220	47,040
12,470	20,440	28,060	34,630	40,870	47,790
12,680	20,780	28,530	35,220	41,560	48,610
12,690	20,790	28,540	35,230	41,580	48,620
12,990	21,290	29,220	36,070	42,570	49,780
13,400	21,960	30,150	37,220	43,920	51,370
13,500	22,120	30,360	37,480	44,230	51,730
13,620	22,310	30,630	37,810	44,620	52,180
13,740	22,520	30,910	38,160	45,030	52,670
13,790	22,600	31,020	38,290	45,190	52,850
13,870	22,730	31,200	38,510	45,450	53,150
14,230	23,320	32,020	39,520	46,640	54,540
14,400	23,590	32,390	39,980	47,180	55,180
15,400	25,230	34,640	42,760	50,460	59,010
15,610	25,580	35,110	43,340	51,150	59,810
16,440	26,940	36,980	45,650	53,870	63,000
16,700	27,360	37,560	46,370	54,720	64,000

[FR Doc. E7-10662 Filed 6-1-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-FT-P