Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) Application

Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) provides wage subsidies to individuals 50 years of age or older who return to work paying less than their trade-impacted employment. RTAA, available to workers covered under Trade Act petition numbers greater than 70,000, pays fifty percent of the difference between the workers' wages at separation and wages in reemployment. The maximum amount of RTAA benefits payable is $12,000. The eligible individual must be reemployed:
  • full time, working at least 35 hours per week in one or more jobs, or
  • part time -- at least 20 hours per week -- while also participating in TAA-approved training. (When reemployed part time while in training, the RTAA subsidy is prorated.)
Reemployment must not be expected to pay more than $55,000 per year or include a return to the employment from which the worker separated, meaning the firm or, if applicable, the firm subdivision, specified in the Trade Act certification applicable to the worker. The RTAA eligibility period is two years from the date of the worker’s qualifying reemployment or two years after the worker exhausts unemployment compensation based on his or her most recent separation from trade-impacted employment, whichever comes first.

If an individual has already received Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA), the RTAA eligibility period will begin with the date of qualifying reemployment and will be reduced by the number of weeks of TRA received. Prior TRA receipt will also reduce the maximum amount of RTAA potentially payable. The RTAA program also allows workers to work part time while attending training.

Participants completing this RTAA Application will be required to provide information regarding themselves as well as information which is specific to the new employment which the participant has acquired. It will be required to have the Employer Name, Employer’s EAN number, a valid email address, physical address, phone number, expected hours to be worked each week, start date of employment, hourly rate of pay, and estimated annual salary. It is highly recommended that participant’s have all of the above information in hand prior to completing the RTAA Application as RTAA Applications lacking pertinent information will require investigation which may result in a delay in RTAA benefits and payment.

To apply for RTAA benefits, click below:



If you need further assistance or have questions regarding completion of the application please contact Michael Yang via phone (505)841-8715 or email michaels.yang@state.nm.us