Source + trust record
Source checked as of September 18, 2026. Primary authority: EDD Active Directives · WSD24-06 and 20 CFR 680.600.
Check result: WSD24-06 remains active. Adult priority applies to WIOA Adult-funded individualized career and training services regardless of the amount of available funds. Federal regulation also states that priority does not necessarily mean those services may be provided only to statutory-priority groups. Scarcity changes how order of access is managed; it does not switch the priority requirement on or off. California continues to direct Local Areas to strive for a 75% priority rate among exited Adult participants receiving individualized career or training services. This AI-assisted brief does not receive human legal or compliance review. Official sources control.
WDB decision strip
| STATUS | ACTION | PRIMARY OWNER | CURRENT TIMING | IMPACT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FINAL · ACTIVE | APPLY PRIORITY CONSISTENTLY | Adult Program + AJCC Leadership | Standing WIOA Adult requirement | Public assistance · Low income · Basic skills · Training access |
The bottom line
WIOA Adult priority applies to Adult-funded individualized career and training services at all funding levels. When resources are limited, the priority sequence also determines who receives access first. Boards need a documented intake and service-order process for public-assistance recipients, other low-income individuals, and people who are basic-skills deficient, while also integrating veterans’ priority and any lawful local priority groups.
Workforce 101
Adult priority vs. Adult eligibility
Eligibility answers whether a person can participate in the WIOA Adult program. Priority answers who should receive individualized career and training services first when Adult funds are used. A person can be eligible without being in a statutory priority group.
How veterans priority fits with Adult priority
Veterans and eligible spouses retain federal priority of service, but the Adult program also has statutory priority groups. The two rules work together in a service sequence rather than one simply replacing the other.
How California’s Adult priority rule should change who receives individualized career and training services first
WSD24-06 requires Local Areas to prioritize public-assistance recipients, other low-income adults, and adults who are basic-skills deficient whenever WIOA Adult funds pay for individualized career or training services. California also tells Local Areas to strive for a 75% priority rate, making priority a measurable operating practice rather than a policy statement that sits on the shelf.
🚩 Statewide Action Alert. The statutory priority applies regardless of how much Adult funding a Local Area has available. It applies to individualized career and training services funded with WIOA Adult dollars and must be reflected in local policy and service decisions.
At a glance
Agency
California EDD
Directive
WSD24-06
Issued
November 8, 2024
Local action
Required
Applies to
Adult individualized career + training services
Does not apply
Basic career services or Dislocated Worker priority
State benchmark
Strive for 75% priority rate
Executive takeaway
Eligibility for the WIOA Adult program does not mean every eligible person has equal priority for every service. When Adult formula funds pay for individualized career services or training, the program must give priority to recipients of public assistance, other low-income individuals, and people who are basic-skills deficient, including English Language Learners.
Veterans and eligible spouses retain federal Priority of Service. WSD24-06 therefore establishes a combined sequence that puts covered veterans who also meet an Adult statutory priority group first, followed by other statutory-priority adults, then covered veterans who do not meet an Adult statutory group, then Governor or Local Board priority populations, and finally other eligible adults.
The service sequence
| Priority level | Who is served first |
|---|---|
| 1 | Veterans and eligible spouses who are also public-assistance recipients, other low-income individuals, or basic-skills deficient. |
| 2 | Other individuals who are public-assistance recipients, low income, or basic-skills deficient. |
| 3 | Veterans and eligible spouses who are not in a WIOA Adult statutory priority group. |
| 4 | Priority populations established by the Governor and/or Local Board. |
| 5 | Other eligible individuals. |
Who qualifies for statutory priority?
| Group | Key definition |
|---|---|
| Public-assistance recipient | Receives federal, state, or local government cash payments for which eligibility is based on a needs or income test. |
| Low-income individual | Includes specified public-benefit recipients and individuals meeting WIOA income, homelessness, or disability-income criteria. One income test uses the higher of the poverty line or 70% of LLSIL. |
| Basic-skills deficient | Unable to compute or solve problems, or read, write, or speak English at a level needed to function on the job, in the family, or in society. The directive gives several criteria, including skills at grade 8.9 or below and specified education/English-language indicators. |
Which services are subject to priority?
The requirement applies to individualized career services and training services. The directive lists services such as comprehensive assessment, individual employment planning, counseling, career planning, internships and work experiences linked to careers, workforce preparation, financial literacy, out-of-area job search and relocation, English-language acquisition, occupational skills training, OJT, incumbent worker training, skill upgrading, entrepreneurial training, transitional jobs, adult education combined with training, and customized training.
The priority requirement does not apply to basic career services. It also does not establish a WIOA Dislocated Worker priority rule.
The 75% California benchmark
California calculates the Adult priority rate using exited participants who received an individualized career or training service. Local Areas can review the WIOA Adult Priority of Services report in CalJOBS and should strive to have 75% of those participants come from priority populations. The directive says the state may review Local Area-specific data to determine whether technical assistance is needed.
Documentation and self-attestation
WSD24-06 identifies acceptable documentation for the priority groups. Self-attestation is permitted for specified elements when information is unverifiable or unreasonably difficult to obtain, but the directive says it should not be the primary documentation method. Priority status is established when eligibility is determined and does not change during the period of participation.
WDB implementation considerations
- Review local Adult priority policy against the five-level sequence in WSD24-06 and current veterans guidance.
- Make priority status visible to staff before individualized career or training service decisions are made.
- Monitor the CalJOBS Adult Priority of Services report and investigate if the rate is materially below 75%.
- Train staff on the difference between Adult eligibility and Adult priority.
- Use the documentation sources allowed by WSD24-06 and WSD22-15.
- Review waiting-list, ITA, and scarce-service approval practices to ensure they do not bypass statutory priority.
Implementation traps
- Applying priority only when Adult funds are scarce. The statutory priority applies regardless of local funding level.
- Applying the priority rule to basic career services where the rule does not apply.
- Changing a participant’s priority status later in the participation period.
- Assuming a Local Board-created priority can be placed ahead of WIOA’s statutory priority groups.
- Using self-attestation as the default documentation method when other evidence is reasonably available.
Source basis and interpretation
Primary policy: EDD WSD24-06 — Adult Program Priority of Service
Related policy: WSD24-15 Priority of Service for Veterans and Eligible Spouses; WSD22-15 WIOA Data Validation Source Documentation.
How to use this brief: Requirements and definitions summarize WSD24-06. The checklist is practical implementation guidance, not an additional EDD requirement. The official directive controls if there is any conflict.
Response
[…] operating requirements onto this federal framework. Two especially important companion briefs are WSD24-06 · Adult Program Priority of Service and WSD23-06 · Wagner-Peyser Colocation […]