Source + trust record
Source checked as of September 18, 2026. Primary authority: USDOL TEGL 16-16 and TEGL 16-16, Change 1.
Check result: TEGL 16-16 and Change 1 remain active continuing federal guidance for American Job Center one-stop operations. Change 1 is narrow: it corrects the treatment of SCSEP community-service hours as an in-kind contribution toward additional costs rather than infrastructure costs. The broader one-stop integration, partner, access, MOU, and shared-cost framework remains in effect. This AI-assisted brief does not receive human legal or compliance review. Official sources control.
AMERICAN JOB CENTERS · ONE-STOP OPERATIONS · PARTNER INTEGRATION
TEGL 16-16 is the federal blueprint for the one-stop delivery system, branded nationally as the American Job Center network. It explains how required partners are supposed to operate as one integrated system while retaining their own statutory responsibilities, funding rules, performance requirements, and program identities.
WDB decision strip
| Status | WDB posture | Primary owner | Management focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active · Continuing | OPERATE AS A SYSTEM | WDB + One-Stop Operator + Partners | MOU · Access · Integration · Shared costs |
The bottom line
An AJCC is not supposed to be a collection of programs sharing a building. The federal model is an integrated delivery system in which customers can access partner services through coordinated processes, common information, referrals, and shared operating agreements.
For Local Boards, the practical work is governance: define who does what, how customers move between partners, how costs are shared, how access is maintained, and how the operator coordinates the system without erasing the legal responsibilities of individual programs.
The operating architecture
| Element | What the federal model expects | Local management question |
|---|---|---|
| Memorandum of Understanding | Partners document services, access, roles, referrals, infrastructure and other shared-cost arrangements, and other one-stop operating commitments. | Does the MOU describe the actual operating model, or only satisfy the paperwork requirement? |
| Partner access | Customers should be able to access partner programs through the one-stop system, including appropriate direct linkage and coordinated referrals. | Can a customer reach the right partner without starting over? |
| Shared costs | Required partners contribute to one-stop infrastructure and other shared costs under WIOA and related guidance. | Are cost allocations documented, reasonable, and connected to benefit received? |
| One-stop operator | The operator coordinates required functions under the local agreement and procurement/selection framework. | Is the operator coordinating the system rather than duplicating the WDB’s governance role? |
| Accessibility | The network must provide meaningful physical and programmatic access, including for individuals with disabilities and other customers facing access barriers. | Can customers actually use the system—not merely enter the building? |
| Common identity | The American Job Center network uses a common identifier so the public can recognize services as part of one workforce system. | Does local branding clarify the network or make partner services harder to understand? |
Integration does not mean sameness
One customer experience
Partners coordinate intake, information, referrals, access, and service navigation so customers do not have to understand the organizational chart.
Different program rules
Each partner retains its statutory eligibility, funding, reporting, confidentiality, and performance requirements.
Shared accountability
The MOU and operator structure should make coordination explicit so gaps do not become “someone else’s program” problems.
What Change 1 actually changed
Change 1 is narrow: it corrects one sentence in the original one-stop operations guidance so that Senior Community Service Employment Program participant community-service hours may be considered as an in-kind contribution toward additional costs, not infrastructure costs. The rest of the original TEGL 16-16 framework remains in effect.
What Local Boards should review annually
- Whether the MOU describes current partner roles, referral pathways, and access rather than an outdated operating model.
- Whether customers receive warm handoffs or merely phone numbers and links.
- Whether shared-cost allocations still reflect current space, staffing, benefit, and partner participation.
- Whether co-location and direct-linkage arrangements comply with current California and federal requirements.
- Whether the one-stop operator is being measured on coordination, customer experience, access, and system performance.
- Whether accessibility is tested through the real customer journey, including disability, language, digital, transportation, and scheduling barriers.
California connection
California has multiple companion directives that translate this federal framework into local requirements. Key examples include WSD18-12 · WIOA Memorandums of Understanding, WSD23-06 · Wagner-Peyser Colocation Requirements, and WSD25-05 · AJCC Certification.
Implementation traps
- Do not confuse co-location with integration. Programs can share space and still force customers through disconnected systems.
- Do not treat the MOU as a legal document that operations staff never use. It should describe the actual delivery model.
- Do not make the operator responsible for WDB governance decisions. Coordination and oversight are different roles.
- Do not assume equal cost sharing is automatically equitable or compliant. Shared costs should follow applicable allocation principles and partner benefit.
Official sources
USDOL TEGL 16-16 — One-Stop Operations Guidance for the American Job Center Network
USDOL TEGL 16-16, Change 1
Original guidance issued: January 18, 2017 · Change 1 issued: June 16, 2017 · Status: Active · Expiration: Continuing.
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