Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
Overview
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act presents Minnesota with an opportunity to continue improving our workforce development system through enhancing partnerships, strategic planning, and service delivery alignment at the state, regional, and local levels. The WIOA State Plan is designed to promote and increase opportunities for cross-sector and cross-agency collaboration in order to achieve better outcomes for both workers and employers across the state.
2026 WIOA Waiver Request — GWDB Membership Requirements
WIOA Waiver Request Draft - State Workforce Development Board Membership Requirements (PDF)
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) allows states to request waivers from certain statutory and regulatory requirements to improve the delivery of services to job seekers and employers. Pursuant to WIOA Section 189(i)(3)(A) and Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL) No. 05-25, the Minnesota Governor's Workforce Development Board (GWDB), in consultation with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), is requesting a waiver from the federal "unique representation" requirement under regulatory language related to WIOA Section 101(b)(1)(C) and 20 CFR 679.110(b)–(c) for Program Years 2026 and 2027 (through June 30, 2028).
The waiver requests flexibility to allow the Governor-appointed DEED Commissioner — the lead state official with primary responsibility for all WIOA core programs, including Title IV Vocational Rehabilitation — to satisfy the representation requirement for Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) and State Services for the Blind (SSB) on the GWDB, rather than requiring a separate, additional staff member for those programs.
Public Comment
The draft waiver is now open for a 30-day public comment period, closing on Tuesday, June 17, 2026.
To submit comment, email State.Plan.WIOA@state.mn.us. Comments received during the comment period will be reviewed and, where appropriate, incorporated into the final request prior to submission.
Contact State.Plan.WIOA@state.mn.us to request documents in alternative formats.
WIOA State Plan
As required by federal law, the WIOA Combined State Plan for 2024-2027 was submitted to the U.S. Departments of Labor and Education on April 5, 2024. The final plan was approved on July 1, 2024 and appears below.
- Minnesota's Combined State Plan for WIOA - 2024 - 2027
- WIOA 2024-2027 Combined State Plan Executive Summary
- Minnesota's Combined State Plan for WIOA - 2022 Modification
- Minnesota's Combined State Plan for WIOA - July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2023
- This document includes the current One Minnesota WIOA State Plan for federal program years 2020-2023, which was approved by the U.S. Department of Labor in 2020.
Annual Program Year Report
- 2024 Annual Program Year Report
- 2023 Annual Program Year Report
- 2022 Annual Program Year Report
- 2021 Annual Program Year Report
2018 Regional/Local Plans
As required by WIOA, regional and local plans are developed in accordance with the WIOA State Plan. Previous Local and Regional WIOA State Plans.
Policy and Guidance
Federal Register
Vol 81 No 161
Friday, August 19, 2016
U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Education (ED) issue this Joint Final Rule to implement jointly administered activities authorized by Title I of WIOA.
Rules and Regulations
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; Joint Rule for Unified and Combined State Plans, Performance Accountability, and the One-Stop System Joint Provisions; Final Rule (title I)
Pages 55791 - 56070 [FR DOC # 2016-15977]
PDF | Text