WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Spratt (D-SC) announced today that workers laid off by Industrial Minerals Inc. of Blacksburg are eligible to apply for federal assistance. The workers processed borate ores.

All workers at the plant who were totally or partially separated from employment on or after Jan. 28, 2008, may apply for benefits.

Spratt said eligibility for assistance was made possible when the Labor Department recently approved a Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) petition filed by the company on behalf of its workers.

"I am pleased that the Labor Department has approved this petition and made these benefits available," said Spratt.

Spratt said the Trade Adjustment Assistance program offers benefits, including job retraining, to workers displaced by imports or a shift of production to other countries. Once a laid-off worker has exhausted state unemployment benefits, he or she can qualify to receive supplemental benefits under TAA. These include weekly cash payments equal to unemployment benefits. To qualify, the worker must be involved in job retraining. TAA payments can last for 52 weeks if a worker is in job training and 26 weeks more if a worker needs remedial education.

The job training requirement can be waived if any one of the following six grounds for waiver is demonstrated:

1. The worker is recalled by the firm from which he or she was laid-off.

2. The worker already has marketable skills for suitable employment and has reason to expect employment at equivalent wages in the foreseeable future.

3. The worker is within 2 years of retiring and meets all requirements either under Social Security or a private pension sponsored by an employer or labor organization.

4. The worker is unable to participate in training due to his or her health.

5. The worker is unable to get job retraining because immediate enrollment is unavailable.

6. The worker is unable to find approved training from either government or private sources, or no suitable training is available at a reasonable cost, or no training funds are available.

In addition to cash payments, TAA provides:

Health Care Tax Credit: Claimants certified for TAA after Aug. 6, 2003, qualify for a tax credit paid every month that covers 65 percent of their medical insurance premiums.

Older Workers Program: Older workers can qualify for an alternative TAA program, which restores 50 percent of the difference (up to $10,000) between the wage they earned and the lower wage they earn at a new job. Such workers must be over 50 years of age.