Former employees of O'Neal Steel's Botetourt County welding operation whose jobs were lost because the facility is closing have been certified by the U.S. Department of Labor as eligible to apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance. TAA offers a special package of federal benefits for eligible workers whose jobs have been affected by foreign competition.

In April, O'Neal Steel, based in Birmingham, Ala., announced it would close the plant in the months ahead, ultimately putting about 115 people out of work.

TAA benefits and services include: job training, income support, job search and relocation allowances, a tax credit to help pay for health insurance and a wage supplement to certain re-employed trade-affected workers 50 years old and above.

Former employees of O'Neal Steel certified as eligible for TAA will be contacted by the state and instructed how to apply.