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Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2003

Under Title I of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 (Public Law 105-220), the Secretary of Labor, through the Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, annually determines the Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) for uses described in the Law. WIA defines the term "Low Income Individual" as one who qualifies under various criteria, including an individual who received income for a six-month period that does not exceed the higher of the poverty line or 70 percent of the lower living standard income level.

This topic provides the Secretary's annual LLSIL for 2003 and references the 2003 Health and Human Services (HHS) "Federal Poverty Guidelines."

For WIA purposes, these numbers became effective when published in the Federal Register of May 30, 2003 at 68 FR 32549, and remained in effect until superceded by the 2004 LLSIL announcement of June 25, 2004. The annually updated amounts are usually available, and become effective, in May or June.

Background

The LLSIL is used for several purposes under WIA. WIA defines the term "low income individual" for eligibility purposes, defines the term LLSIL, and defines the terms "disadvantaged adult" and "disadvantaged youth" in terms of the poverty line or LLSIL for purpose of State formula allotments. The Governor and State/Local Workforce Investment Boards use the LLSIL for determining eligibility for youth, eligibility for employed adult workers for certain services, and for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC).

The Department of Health and Human Services published the annual 2003 update of the poverty-level guidelines in the Federal Register at 68 FR 6456, (Feb. 7, 2003). The HHS 2003 Poverty guidelines may also be found in the Help topic Poverty Guidelines - Federal.

Explanation

WIA defines the LLSIL as "that income level (adjusted for regional, metropolitan, urban, and rural differences and family size) determined annually by the Secretary of Labor based on the most recent lower living family budget issued by the Secretary." The most recent lower living family budget was issued by the Secretary of Labor in the fall of 1981.

The four-person urban family budget estimates, previously published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provided the basis for the Secretary to determine the LLSIL. BLS terminated the four-person family budget series in 1982, after publication of the fall 1981 estimates. Currently BLS provides the data from which the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) develops the LLSIL tables.

ETA published the 2002 updates to the LLSIL in the Federal Register of April 8, 2002, at 67 FR 16961. For 2003, ETA again updated the LLSIL to reflect cost of living increases for 2002, by applying the percentage change in the December 2002 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), compared with the December 2001, CPI-U to each of the April 8, 2002 LLSIL figures. Those updated figures for a family-of -four are listed in Table 1 below by region for both metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. Figures in all of the accompanying tables are rounded up to the nearest ten. Since "low income individual," "disadvantaged adult," and "disadvantaged youth" may be determined by family income at 70 percent of the LLSIL, those figures are listed below as well.

Jurisdictions

Jurisdictions included in the various regions, based generally on Census Divisions of the U.S. Department of Commerce, are as follows:

Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virgin Islands.

Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin.

South: Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Northern Marianas, Oklahoma, Palau, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Kentucky, Louisiana, Marshall Islands, Maryland, Micronesia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia.

West: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.

Additionally, separate figures have been provided for Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam as indicated in Table 2 below.

For Alaska, Hawaii, and Guam, the year 2003 figures were updated from the April 8, 2002, "State Index" based on the ratio of the urban change in the State (using Anchorage for Alaska and Honolulu for Hawaii and Guam) compared to the West regional metropolitan change, and then applying that index to the West regional metropolitan change.

Data on 23 selected Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) are also available. These are based on semiannual CPI-U changes for a 12-month period ending in December 2002. The updated LLSIL figures for these MSAs and 70 percent of the LLSIL are reported in Table 3 below.

Table 4 below lists each of the various figures at 70 percent of the updated 2003 LLSIL for family sizes of one to six persons. For families larger than six persons, an amount equal to the difference between the six-person and the five-person family income levels should be added to the six-person family income level for each additional person in the family. Where the poverty level for a particular family size is greater than the corresponding LLSIL figure, the figure is indicated in a shaded block. Table 5, 100 percent of LLSIL, is used to determine self-sufficiency as in the WIA Regulations.

Use of The Data

Governors designate the appropriate LLSILs for use within a State from Tables 1 through 3. Tables 4 and 5 may be used with any of the levels designated. The Governor's designation may be provided by disseminating information on Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) and metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas within the State, or it may involve further calculations. For example, the State of New Jersey may have four or more LLSIL figures: for Northeast metropolitan, for Northeast non-metropolitan, for portions of the State in the New York City MSA, and for those in the Philadelphia MSA. If a workforce investment area includes areas that would be covered by more than one figure, the Governor may determine which is to be used.

Tables

Table 1:
Lower Living Standard Income Level (for a family of four persons)
by Region1

Table 2:
Lower Living Standard Income Level (for a family of four persons),
Alaska, Hawaii and Guam1

Table 3:
Lower Living Standard Income Level (for a family of four persons),
23 MSAs1

Table 4:
Seventy Percent of Updated 2003 Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL),
by Family Size

To use the seventy percent LLSIL value, where it is stipulated for WIA programs, individuals must begin by locating the region or metropolitan area where they reside. These are listed in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Individuals must locate their region or metropolitan statistical area and then find the seventy percent LLSIL amount for that location. The seventy percent LLSIL figures are listed in the last column to the right on each of the three tables. These figures apply to a family of four. Larger and smaller family eligibility is based on a percentage of the family of four. To determine eligibility for other size families consult the table below.

To use Table 4, locate the seventy percent LLSIL value that applies to the individual's region or metropolitan area from Tables 1, 2 or 3. Find the same number in the "family of four" column of Table 4. Move left or right across that row to the size that corresponds to the individual's family unit. That figure is the maximum household income the individual is permitted in order to qualify as economically disadvantaged under WIA.

Where the HHS poverty level for a particular family size is greater than the corresponding LLSIL figure, the LLSIL figure is indicated in a shaded block. Individuals from these size families may consult the 2003 HHS poverty guidelines to find the higher eligibility standard. Individuals from Alaska and Hawaii should consult the HHS guidelines for the generally higher poverty levels that apply in their states.

Table 5:
Updated 2003 LLSIL (100%), By Family Size

To use the LLSIL to determine the minimum level for establishing self-sufficiency criteria at the state or local level, begin by locating the metropolitan area or region from Table 1, 2 or 3. The individual must locate their region or metropolitan statistical area and then find the 2003 Adjusted LLSIL amount for that location. These figures apply to a family of four. Locate the corresponding number in the family of four column below. Move left or right across that row to the size that corresponds to the individual's family unit. That figure is the minimum figure States must set for determining whether employment leads to self-sufficiency under WIA programs.

Additional Information

More information, links, contacts, and references on the Poverty Guidelines, the Poverty Thresholds, and the development and history of U.S. poverty measures is available online at:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/contacts.shtml

See also:

One-Stop Centers - Overview

Poverty Guidelines - Federal

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - Overview

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2010

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2009

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2008

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2007

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2006

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2005

Lower Living Standard Income Level (LLSIL) Guidelines - 2004

Source

http://www.doleta.gov/llsil/2003/llsil2003.pdf

http://www.doleta.gov/llsil/2003/llsil2003.cfm

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