Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2011-2016This Strategic Plan meets the requirements of GPRA and, upon publication, will serve as the foundation for DOL planning and reporting on outcome goals. The Plan is organized around the five strategic goals supporting the Secretary’s vision of good jobs for everyone. An introductory chapter describes Labor in the United States in 2010, thereby establishing conditions at the time of this Plan’s publication. The subsequent goal chapters provide an overview of the means and strategies by which DOL is pursuing each of the five strategic goals, the 14 outcome goals that support them, and the measures that will help determine success. The goal chapters are followed by a discussion of external factors that could affect achievement of the outcome goals. These broad factors are economic, demographic, social, or environmental in nature, and they may remain stable, change within predicted rates, or vary to an unexpected degree. The Plan will then discuss program evaluations – an important method the Department is using to determine its effectiveness in carrying out its mission. A chapter on management will describe the innovative reforms underway at the Department that are also focused on ensuring an effective DOL. Lastly, the Appendices provide information for reference, including a description of the Department’s unprecedented stakeholder outreach effort supporting this Plan.U.S. Department of LaborDOL_158ba532-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aThe Department of Labor accomplishes its mission through component agencies that administer the various statutes and programs for which the Department is responsible. These programs are carried out through a network of regional offices and (in some cases) smaller field, district, and area offices, as well as through grantees and contractors. The largest program agencies, each headed by an Assistant Secretary, Commissioner, Administrator, or Director, are the Employment and Training Administration (ETA), Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Legal services are provided to the program agencies by the Office of the Solicitor (SOL).HILDA L. SOLISSecretary of LaborGood Jobs for Everyone._158baae6-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aTo foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; and assure work-related benefits and rights_158bae9c-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aJobs and CompensationPrepare workers for good jobs and ensure fair compensation_158bb05e-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aStrategic Goal 1Employment and Training Administration (ETA)The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) oversee programs that prepare workers for good jobs at good wages. Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS)VETS also protects veterans’ reemployment rights. Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) ensures workers are recruited, hired, trained, promoted, terminated, and compensated in a non-discriminatory manner by federal contractors. OFCCP helps workers in the federal contractor sector by strengthening affirmative action and by combating discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a covered veteran. Wage and Hour Division (WHD)The Wage and Hour Division (WHD) secures workers’ legally and hard-earned wages. WHD concentrates its compliance programs on ensuring fair compensation for the most vulnerable workers – agricultural and young workers, workers in fissured industries,7 and individuals with disabilities – while continuing to protect the rights of all those who seek WHD’s assistance.Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)The Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) works to improve worker rights and livelihoods for vulnerable populations of workers internationally. Women’s Bureau (WB)The Women’s Bureau (WB) is the only federal office that exclusively serves and promotes the interests of women in the workforce by conducting research, projects, outreach, and evaluations on issues of importance to working women.Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) maintains the Department of Labor’s focus on the significant barriers to employment faced by individuals with disabilities and provides national leadership by developing and influencing disability employment-related policies and practices to increase the employment of people with disabilities.The strategic goal to prepare workers for good jobs and ensure fair compensation is fundamental to accomplishing the Secretary’s vision of good jobs for everyone. During an economic recovery, the Department’s responsibilities are two-fold: preparing workers with the right skills for growing occupations and career pathways and protecting the wages of vulnerable workers. Vulnerable workers are those who are at risk of exploitation at work, such as workers who are reluctant to complain when they are subject to violations for fear of retaliation. The Department is focused on giving people the opportunity to gain the skills they need to enter and be successful in the workplace. In a labor market where jobs are difficult to find and workers are grateful for employment, wage violations are more likely to occur. The Department is increasing its vigilance in protecting the rights and safety of workers by hiring additional enforcement personnel and reviewing and improving its regulatory efforts.Incomes, Wage and Income InequalityIncrease workers’ incomes and narrow wage and income inequality._158bb1c6-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 1.1 Skills and KnowledgeAssure skills and knowledge that prepare workers to succeed in a knowledge-based economy, including in high growth and emerging industry sectors like “green” jobs._158bb39c-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 1.2Low-Wage WorkersHelp workers who are in low-wage jobs or out of the labor market find a path into middle-class jobs._158bb568-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 1.3Low-Wage WorkersMiddle-Class FamiliesHelp middle-class families remain in the middle class._158bb70c-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 1.4Middle-Class FamiliesWages and OvertimeSecure wages and overtime._158bb8e2-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 1.5Working Conditions and Workers’ RightsFoster acceptable working conditions and respect for workers’ rights in the global economy to provide workers with a fair share of productivity and protect vulnerable people._158bbab8-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 1.6Workplace Safety and HealthEnsure workplaces are safe and healthy_158bbc3e-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aStrategic Goal 2Central to Secretary Solis’ vision of good jobs for everyone are workplaces that are safe and healthy. Each year, thousands of workers are killed and millions are injured on the job due to unsafe working conditions. Tens of thousands of workers die each year of work-related diseases as well. DOL agencies charged with improving workplace safety and health will use rigorous enforcement, science-based rulemaking, and stakeholder involvement to achieve this crucial strategic goal.High-Risk IndustriesSecure safe and healthy workplaces, particularly in high-risk industries._158bbdec-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 2.1High-Risk IndustriesMine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)The DOL agencies working toward safe and healthy workplaces are the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). The safety and health missions of MSHA and OSHA are clear; however, WHD also enforces key safety and health provisions in certain statutes. For example, the Fair Labor Standards Act ensures the safe employment of young workers, encourages their educational endeavors, and provides a path to future employment. The Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act’s (INA) H-2A Programs, and the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act’s field sanitation provisions, protect: agricultural workers by providing standards regulating the safe transportation of migrant and seasonal workers; farmworkers by ensuring safe and healthy housing; and field workers by establishing standards for drinking water, toilets, and hand-washing. Enforcement of the worker protection provisions of the H-2A program assures working conditions intended both to protect the wages and the safety and health of vulnerable workers, and to ensure that the local labor force is not displaced by lower paid foreign or migrant labor.Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)Wage and Hour Division (WHD)All workers have a right to a safe and healthful work environment. No one should have to be injured or killed for a paycheck. DOL enforcement strategies recognize that some workers are more vulnerable than others and that some workplaces are more hazardous than others. By targeting both inspections and outreach in those areas, DOL expects to have the greatest effect on overall compliance. By improving compliance, more workplaces will be safe and healthy. With more employers in compliance, workplace injuries, fatalities, and illnesses should decline – the ultimate outcome for DOL and American workers and a critical component of good jobs for everyone.Mine Safety and HealthPrevent death, disease, and injury from mining and promote safe and healthful workplaces for the Nation’s miners._158bbfa4-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal MSHA 2.1MSHAMSHA is the worker protection agency focused on the prevention of death, disease, and injury from mining and promotion of safe and healthful workplaces for the Nation’s miners. The Department believes that every worker has a right to a safe and healthy workplace. Miners in particular should never have to sacrifice their lives for their livelihood, and all workers deserve to come home to their families at the end of their shift safe and whole. MSHA is committed to preventing workplace injuries and fatalities and honors the lost lives of miners by doing its job with the utmost integrity and thoroughness.Improving Working Conditions -- MSHA’s approach to reducing workplace fatalities and injuries includes promulgating and enforcing mandatory health and safety standards through complete annual inspections of each mine, targeting the most common causes of fatal mine accidents and disasters through initiatives such as Rules to Live By, reducing exposure to health risks from mine dusts and other contaminants, improving training of miners including new and inexperienced miners and contractors, targeting the most egregious and persistent violators, improving mine emergency response preparedness by MSHA and the mining industry, enhancing enforcement of miners’ rights to report hazardous conditions with protection against retaliation, and encouraging and enforcing a focus on prevention.Young Workers and FarmworkersEnsure basic safety and health protections for young workers and farmworkers._158bc15c-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal WHD 2.1Young WorkersFarmworkersProtecting Young Workers and Agricultural Workers -- WHD’s agricultural and child labor enforcement programs are geared towards ensuring that these most vulnerable workers are safe and receive the proper protections under law. The child labor provisions of the FLSA are designed to protect the safety and health of young workers by restricting the types of jobs they perform and limiting the number of hours and times of day that they work. WHD strives to educate teens, parents, educators, and employers on the federal youth employment rules to promote positive and safe work experiences for young workers. To disseminate information and identify potential problems before injuries or, even worse, deaths occur, WHD continues to explore innovative strategies to reach out to these communities. For example, through the Youth Rules! educational campaign, WHD developed an employer self-assessment tool for child labor in non-agriculture industries. This tool helps employers evaluate their level of compliance. WHD offices also work in collaboration with their state counterparts and other federal agencies to promote consistent strategies for keeping young workers safe in the workplace. WHD local offices target industries and workplaces in which young workers are most likely to be injured or killed on the job, and each WHD on-site investigation includes a requirement to check the employer’s compliance with the child labor laws. WHD regulatory child labor initiatives are intended to ensure that up-to-date data are used to ensure that workplace restrictions are consistent with the dangers of a 21st century workplace.Work-Life EnvironmentsAssure fair and high quality work-life environments_158bc378-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aStrategic Goal 3Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)Through the work of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), DOL ensures that over 200,000 contractors and sub-contractors working under contracts with the federal government provide equal employment opportunities – a fair and diverse workplace. Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) develops policy and policy strategies to reduce barriers to employment for individuals with disabilities. Women’s Bureau (WB)The Women’s Bureau (WB) formulates standards and policies to promote the welfare of wage-earning women. The WB and the Wage and Hour Division (WHD) promote workplace flexibility for family and personal care-giving. Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)The Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS), the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), and WHD conduct outreach so that workers are better informed of their rights, are better able to freely exercise those rights without fear of adverse consequences, and are better positioned to meaningfully participate in workplace decision-making. Through these advances, workers increase their voice in the workplace.Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)To strengthen and expand the middle class, the Department is committed to protecting workers’ rights to fair treatment, good working conditions, and a voice in the workplace. Discrimination and obstacles to collective bargaining have contributed to growing inequality in wages and benefits. When workers have a voice in the workplace, they can become fully involved in ensuring their workplaces are safe. Yet, too many workers, especially vulnerable workers, do not report violations. Many fear that they will lose their job or face disciplinary action whenever they suffer an injury and report it. DOL is working to assure fair and high quality work-life environments through a combination of strategies protecting specific groups of workers and workplaces. Eight DOL agencies have programs, performance goals, and measures that contribute to achievement of this goal.Fair and Diverse WorkplacesBreak down barriers to fair and diverse workplaces so that every worker’s contribution is respected._158bc594-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 3.1FarmworkersThe vibrancy of the American economy depends upon the effective use of all of the Nation’s labor resources. Discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a covered veteran not only adversely impacts America’s workers and families but also inhibits economic growth. The Secretary of Labor’s vision of good jobs for everyone includes ensuring that all workers and job seekers work in workplaces that value diversity and are free from discrimination. Between 1972 and 2009 the labor force participation rate for women increased by almost 15.3 percent, expanding from 43.9 to 59.2 percent. During the same period, the African- American labor market participation rate slightly increased from 59.9 to 62.4 percent. The unemployment rate among African-Americans remained high, 10.4 percent in 1972 and 14.8 percent in 2008. In contrast, labor market participation for Latinos has been stable since 1977 and remains high, especially for Latino men whose labor market participation rate was 80.2 percent in 2008 and 78.8 percent in 2009. Although many people with disabilities are prepared, willing, and able to work, they remain a largely untapped labor pool. As a result, they remain out of the labor force at a much higher rate than those reporting no disabilities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in July 2010 that the unemployment rate of working-age persons with a disability was 16.4 percent, compared with 9.5 percent for persons with no disability, not seasonally adjusted. But the more important story is told by the statistic showing the percentage of the population of working-age persons with disabilities that is working. In July 2010, the employment-population ratio for persons with a disability was only 18 percent, compared with 63.9 percent for persons reporting no disability. Therefore, approximately 20.4 million people, 16 years and older, who represent a multitude of abilities to support the American workforce are not in the labor force. These data demonstrate a clear need for transformational action.Federal Contractor WorkplacesEnsure diversity and fairness in federal contractor workplaces._158bc7b0-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal OFCCP 3.1Advance Equal Employment Opportunities -- OFCCP administers and enforces three legal authorities that require equal employment opportunity: Executive Order 11246, as amended; Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, as amended. Together, these laws ban discrimination and require federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to ensure that all individuals have an equal opportunity for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or status as a covered veteran. OFCCP will investigate all discriminatory practices within its purview and enforce the requirements for effective affirmative action programs to ensure that federal contractors are committed to advancing equal employment opportunity for and engaging in outreach to minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and covered veterans. Since federal contractors are obligated to self-audit and correct identified problem areas, consistent with the Department’s Plan/Prevent/Protect strategy, OFCCP will dedicate additional resources to increase monitoring of this element of compliance. OFCCP will also strengthen its relationship with the contractor community and develop a comprehensive stakeholder outreach strategy, serving the needs of minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and covered veterans. OFCCP is placing greater emphasis on enforcement and focusing on identifying and resolving both individual and systemic discrimination. Additionally, OFCCP will provide increased attention to countering discrimination against individuals with disabilities and covered veterans. Through regulatory activities, OFCCP will establish the actions that construction contractors are required to take to implement their affirmative action obligations and address recruitment, training, and apprenticeships. In revising its regulations, OFCCP will follow the example of the WHD regulation which requires a thorough legal classification analysis be conducted by any employer seeking to exclude workers from legal protections by classifying them as independent contractors. Training will be conducted for compliance officers to better identify workers who have been misidentified as independent contractors. The Women’s Bureau will work to promote workplaces that are free of discrimination and harassment. This will involve education and outreach on employment rights, including information for young women, women of color, homeless women veterans, and women with disabilities. WB will perform outreach efforts in conjunction with DOL agencies and external federal agencies.Workers with DisabilitiesReduce barriers to fair and diverse workplaces for workers with disabilities._158bca12-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal ODEP 3.1 Workers with DisabilitiesRemove Barriers to Employment for People with Disabilities -- ODEP’s success in achieving its strategic vision of reducing barriers to employment and promoting employment opportunities for people with disabilities requires the active involvement of federal agencies, state and local governments, private and public sector employers, labor unions, national disability community advocates, and other stakeholders to implement its policy and effective practice recommendations. ODEP will lead collaborative efforts with these key stakeholders to develop innovative policy and policy strategies. ODEP is responsible for the development and dissemination of policy and effective practices that address the barriers to employment faced by individuals with disabilities. To remove barriers that limit individuals with disabilities from fully participating in the workforce, ODEP will focus on the adoption and implementation of its policies and strategies by its public- and private-sector partners to impact the following areas: 1. Leverage incentives and reduce disincentives to securing good jobs; 2. Increase federal workforce participation and make the government a model employer; 3. Ensure the availability of and access to universally usable workplace technology and transportation; 4. Increase and improve access to Workforce Investment Act (WIA) programs; 5. Reduce discrimination, ensure civil rights protections, and promote affirmative hiring programs and authorities; 6. Improve return-to-work outcomes; 7. Increase integrated employment at minimum wage or above; 8. Transition returning wounded and injured service members to good jobs; and 9. Improve employment outcomes for diverse populations, including women, minorities, and transition-age youth with disabilities. ODEP will develop and foster the adoption and implementation of policies and policy strategies that support: universal access to workforce development systems; employmentrelated supports needed by all workers and job seekers; and inclusive recruitment, hiring, advancement, and retention of people with disabilities in public- and private-sector jobs by collaborating with its federal, state, and private-sector partners. Through the efforts of OFCCP and ODEP and complemented by the work of WB – which will ensure that workplaces for young women, women of color, homeless women veterans, and women with disabilities are free from discrimination and harassment – the Department will remove barriers to fair and diverse workplaces and will monitor its progress through the following performance measures.Workplace FlexibilityProvide workplace flexibility for family and personal care-giving._158bccc4-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 3.2FamiliesPersonal Care-GiversThe Secretary’s definition of a “good job” recognizes that a good job allows for worklife flexibility. On March 31, 2010, the Council of Economic Advisers released a report presenting an economic perspective on flexible workplace policies and practices. The Work-Life Balance and the Economics of Workplace Flexibility report highlights changes in American society over the past half century, including the increased number of women entering the labor force, the prevalence of families where all adults work, increasing eldercare responsibilities, and the rising importance of continuing education. 50 These changes are among those that have increased the need for flexibility in the workplace. Changing demographics in recent decades have resulted in more women in the work force and more families in which both parents work. These changes have heightened the need to have flexible workplaces so Americans can care for their children and increasingly for their aging parents. In addition, the increased availability of assistive technologies and improved communication technologies provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enter and remain in the workplace following an injury or a new physical or mental condition or to use remote-work options to remain in the workforce. WHD, ODEP, and WB have developed strategies that take into account such factors.Family and Medical Leave ActPromote flexible workplace policies through enforcement of the Family and Medical Leave Act._158bd110-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal WHD 3.2Protecting Jobs So Workers Can Care for Family -- The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allows for workplace flexibility while protecting a worker’s job. WHD is responsible for ensuring that eligible workers covered under the FMLA are afforded the protections specified in the law. The FMLA, and WHD’s enforcement of it, contributes directly to providing workplace flexibility for family and personal care-giving. In support of this goal, WHD is becoming more customer service-oriented and using stakeholder outreach and new technologies to improve customer service, transparency, and openness. WHD will strive to provide timely and responsive service to workers and others who allege FMLA violations. To this end, WHD will: • Improve the accuracy and professionalism of advice and information provided to the public (by telephone, in speeches and presentations, and in writing); • Improve the skill levels of WHD personnel by establishing career training curricula; • Reinstitute customer service surveys for complainants and participants in outreach events; and • Increase the accessibility to WHD services and WHD visibility. WHD will continue its aggressive outreach activities as it spearheads the Department’s We Can Help nationwide campaign, which will help connect workers with the broad array of services offered by the agency and address such topics as rights in the workplace and how to file a complaint with WHD. WHD will measure customers’ satisfaction with its FMLA services to demonstrate progress in promoting workplace flexibility. Through regulatory activities, WHD will continue to review the implementation of the new military family leave amendments to the FMLA enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Acts for FY 2008 and FY 2010. In FY 2008, the National Defense Authorization Act updated the FMLA regulations to implement new military family leave entitlements. The National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2010 included amendments that expand on the military family leave rights added to the FMLA in 2008. The military family leave provisions provide qualifying exigency and military caregiver leave for families of covered military members.Technical Assistance, Partnership Development, and Effective PracticesPromote workplace flexibility through technical assistance, partnership development, and encouraging the use of effective practices._158bd3d6-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal WB 3.2Women’s Bureau (WB)The WB: develops policies and standards and conducts inquiries to safeguard the interests of working women; advocates for working women’s and their families’ equality and economic security; and promotes high-quality work environments. Among these responsibilities is the promotion of work-family balance. Workplace flexibility solutions – such as flexible work arrangements, family-friendly leave policies, and telework – allow employees to navigate their work, family, and personal responsibilities while also helping employers to meet their recruitment/retention needs and community efforts to ease traffic congestion and reduce their carbon footprints. The WB is expanding research, outreach, and educational efforts to state/local governments, educational institutions, and employers to promote work-life benefits as a way to achieve better work and life balance, environmental goals (e.g., improved air quality), and meet economic challenges. The WB will work with the Bureau of Labor Statistics to collect data on workers’ access to paid and unpaid leave, the use of leave, and the flexibility of work schedules. WB will work with other DOL and federal agencies, employers, women’s organizations, and other stakeholders to use data and expand flexible workplace practices, and to promote laws and policies to help workers achieve work-life balance.Office of DisabilityIn the years to come, the Office of Disability Employment Policy will continue promoting workplace flexibility as a tool to help workers with disabilities and their employers assess how workers with disabilities can best balance their personal and family care responsibilities with their work obligations by promoting the adoption and implementation of ODEP-identified disability employment-related policies and practices. Specifically, ODEP will build upon lessons learned from successful initiatives such as Customized Employment, youth transition, telework, and the services of the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) and the Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) to encourage employers to hire, retain, and promote workers with disabilities through workplace flexibility. DOL will monitor its progress through the following performance measures.Worker VoiceEnsure worker voice in the workplace._158bd6ce-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 3.3WorkersHealth Benefits and Income SecuritySecure health benefits and, for those not working, provide income security_158bd9d0-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aStrategic Goal 4Those Not WorkingHealth benefits and income security are important to all workers and their families. The Department assists individuals who need unemployment insurance benefits and workers who lost their jobs but need continuing health coverage for themselves and for their families. DOL also administers four workers’ compensation programs that provide health, medical, and income replacement benefits to federal and certain other designated workers who are injured at work or acquire an occupational disease, or their dependents. Additionally, the Department protects workers’ benefits by enforcing laws against fraud, abuse, and mismanagement of employee benefits plans and by insuring defined-benefit pension plans. Return to WorkFacilitate return to work for workers experiencing workplace injuries or illnesses who are able to work._158bdd2c-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 4.1 Workers with Injuries or IllnessesDivision of Federal Employees’ CompensationOWCP’s Division of Federal Employees’ Compensation provides services that assist workers to return to employment as soon as they are able upon recovery from injury or illness. These services include assignment of registered nurses in Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) cases to establish early first contact with the worker and to coordinate with medical providers and employers. In addition, OWCP provides job counseling and training through its vocational rehabilitation activities.Return to WorkImprove workers’ ability to return to work after an injury or illness._158be060-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal OWCP 4.1Workers with Injuries or IllnessWith more than 2.8 million civilian employees, the federal government is the Nation’s largest employer. The cost of federal workplace injuries, when measured by FECA compensation costs for wage-loss, is nearly $3 billion and two million lost production days annually. For the past six years, OWCP and OSHA have led the Government-wide Safety, Health, and Return to Employment (SHARE) initiative to reduce federal workplace injury rates, increase the timely filing of new injury claims, and reduce lost production day rates. Since SHARE’s inception, the number of new FECA claims declined by over 20 percent – yielding significant cost savings to taxpayers and workers. On July 19, 2010, President Obama issued a memorandum launching the Presidential POWER Initiative: Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment. This four-year initiative replaces SHARE and: sets more aggressive performance targets; encourages the collection and analysis of data on the causes and consequences of frequent or severe injury and illness; and prioritizes safety and health management programs that have proven effective in the past. Through POWER, OSHA and OWCP will continue the focus on workplace safety and will stress an improvement in federal agencies’ results to reemploy injured workers using new strategies: • Research and employ return-to-work best practices; • Expand identification of job opportunities; • Use new placement practices; • Provide assistance to employers to increase job accommodations and light or limited duty jobs; • Remove disincentives for FECA claimants to return to work; and • Increase the use of assistive technologies. OWCP will monitor its progress through the following performance measures.Income SupportEnsure income support when work is impossible or unavailable._158be358-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 4.2Seven DOL agencies, as well as a government corporation whose board is chaired by the Secretary of Labor, have programs that contribute to Strategic Goal 4. Payments to Unemployed WorkersFacilitate timely and accurate payments to unemployed workers._158be6be-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal ETA 4.2Unemployed WorkersRising unemployment has put enormous strain on the safety net for workers’ incomes provided by states’ UI trust funds. Yet clearly, millions of workers and their families would have suffered even more without this program, and spending by those receiving benefit payments has helped to stabilize economic activity. The federal-state UI program, authorized by Title III of the Social Security Act, provides temporary, partial wage replacement to unemployed workers, providing them with income support when work is unavailable or impossible to find. To be eligible for benefits, unemployed workers must have worked recently, be involuntarily unemployed, and be able and available for work. Providing Services for the Unemployed -- The federal role in UI is to set broad policy for the program, establish performance measures and standards, provide technical assistance to states, monitor state performance, ensure conformity and compliance of state laws and operations with federal law, and fund the administration of state and federal UI programs. While states must meet minimum federal eligibility standards, an unemployed worker in one state may not be eligible under another state’s law. In order to provide incentives to states to enact specific reforms that expand UI benefit eligibility, such as eligibility of part-time workers, Congress made $7 billion available to states in UI Modernization Incentive Payments. The UI program is the entry point for unemployed workers to One-Stop Career Centers, where they receive services that speed their return to work and enhance their long-term economic security. Therefore, as a strategy for improving program performance nationwide, UI funds states’ Reemployment and Eligibility Assessments: in-person interviews with selected UI beneficiaries to promote quicker reemployment and to ensure continuing eligibility requirements are met. Other performance improvements for UI have been established: additional tools and resources to help states prevent tax and benefit fraud and reduce benefit overpayments; the National Directory of New Hires to improve detection of fraud and improper payments; and electronic collection of job separation information from employers to improve the accuracy of eligibility determinations and speed initial payments to beneficiaries. In addition, UI has developed a set of legislative proposals – the Unemployment Compensation Integrity Act of 2010 – that will give states new tools and additional resources to prevent, detect, and collect improper UI benefit payments and delinquent employer tax contributions. There is no federal cost associated with this proposal, which is expected to reduce overpayments by $2.6 billion and increase tax revenues by $318 million over 10 years. UI is also participating in the Department of Labor-Department of Treasury multiagency initiative to strengthen and coordinate federal and state efforts to enforce statutory prohibitions and to identify and deter employee misclassification as independent contractors. Misclassification is used by some employers to avoid UI taxes as well as to avoid paying the minimum wage or overtime required by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.Work-Related InjuriesReduce the consequences of workrelated injuries._158bea24-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal OWCP 4.2Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation (Black Lung Program or DCMWC)Serving the Coal Mine Community -- The Division of Coal Mine Workers’ Compensation (Black Lung Program or DCMWC) supports the Secretary’s strategic vision of good jobs for everyone by providing sufficient income for Black Lung beneficiaries. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 had a significant effect on the Black Lung Benefits Act, as it reinstated two provisions in the Act that had been removed in 1981 for claims filed on or after January 1, 1982. Both these provisions, including automatic entitlement for survivors of miners who have been awarded benefits and a presumption that a miner who has worked in coal mines for at least 15 years and has a totally disabling lung condition has pneumoconiosis even in the absence of a negative x-ray, are favorable to claimants. The Program is reaching out to stakeholders to develop common ground in implementing these amendments. The amendments ultimately increase the accessibility of benefits to survivors of miners and miners that meet certain eligibility criteria. In addition to its own outreach efforts, the Black Lung Program is also a partner in the MSHA initiative to End Black Lung Now – which seeks to end black lung disease through a comprehensive action plan of education, enhanced enforcement, training, and rulemaking. DCMWC will work to ensure workers or their survivors are aware of the program and standards and procedures for filing claims are clear to all of the parties.Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation (DLHWC) Increased Claims from Contractors Used in Wartime -- The Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation (DLHWC) implements the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, as amended. DLHWC administers a program of income replacement and medical and rehabilitation benefits for individuals who are injured during the course of covered maritime employment or who suffer an occupational disease arising from such employment. DLHWC also administers injury and occupational disease coverage for non-maritime employees under several extensions of the Act, including the Defense Base Act (DBA), Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, Nonappropriated Fund Instrumentalities Act (NFIA), and the District of Columbia Workmen’s Compensation Act for injuries sustained prior to July 26, 1982. The Nation’s expanded use of private contractor resources to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan increased the number of deaths and injuries compensable under DBA and the War Hazards Compensation Act. War-time DBA injury and death cases have been increasing dramatically since FY 2002. These claims are complicated due to a variety of factors, including: confusion about insurance coverage in the war zones; challenges in initial reporting and documenting of new injuries; limited medical care in remote areas, and difficulties in delivering benefits to foreign workers in remote villages. DLWHC is working with American employers to speed injury reporting by urging insurance carriers to promptly investigate, decide claims, and deliver benefits. DLWHC also assists the parties in the development of evidence and in resolution of disputes. Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA or Energy Program)Timely Payments to Energy Employees The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA or Energy Program) provides compensation to thousands of persons who have become ill as a result of work in the atomic weapons industry. Since the Act’s passage, OWCP has paid over $5.7 billion dollars in compensation benefits. To streamline the claims adjudication process and allow for more efficient claims tracking, EEOICP is deploying a new case management information technology system in FY 2011. Over the next five years, this system will be modified to allow the EEOICPA program to become paperless and further improve speed, efficiency, and transparency.Providing Workers’ Compensation -- President Obama’s inaugural address ushered in a “new era of responsibility.” A workers’ compensation program is an important way that the federal government takes responsibility for covering workers in particular industries. Through OWCP, the Department of Labor administers four distinct workers’ compensation programs - the program covering federal workers was discussed under Outcome Goal 4.1. These programs complement the Department’s vision of good jobs for everyone by providing income security, medical care benefits, and other supportive services if workers sustain injuries on the job or develop work-related illnesses. Accurate and timely-delivered benefits and the recovery and return to work assistance provided by DOL are critical to these workers – especially at a time when the country is facing record levels of unemployment and rising medical costs.Health Benefits and Retirement SecurityImprove health benefits and retirement security for all workers._158bed9e-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 4.3Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)The Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers four compensation programs that provide a critically important safety net for injured or ill workers. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)In support of the OWCP program for federal workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) plays an important role in promoting safe and healthy workplaces. Program benefits include monetary compensation for injury or illness, wage replacement, medical treatment, and vocational rehabilitation and other reemployment services. Employment and Training Administration (ETA)The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program which provides the unemployed with some income while they seek work ...Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) administers the appeals process for denials of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) benefits subsidy added by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that helps dislocated workers to pay for health coverage. EBSA also, through its enforcement of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), protects the security of retirement and health plan benefits and assets for all workers who have employer-sponsored plans. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the aforementioned government corporation, was created to encourage the continuation and maintenance of private-sector defined-benefit pension plans, provide timely and uninterrupted payment of pension benefits, and keep pension insurance premiums at a minimum.Health Benefits and Retirement SecurityImprove health benefits and retirement security for all workers._158bf168-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal EBSA 4.3WorkersODEPSupporting Agencies: Promoting Retirement Security -- ODEP, in partnership with the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, supports the work of EBSA and PBGC to improve health benefits and retirement security for workers with disabilities by promoting the adoption and implementation of effective policy and practice, such as the use of “Benefits Planning” for people with disabilities so that they can make informed decisions on how federal disability benefit programs may impact their health benefits and retirement security. WB also complements the efforts of EBSA and PBGC and will continue to promote financial literacy and education. This will involve education and outreach of a revised financial literacy curriculum, in English and Spanish, and collaborations with other DOL agencies to examine policies and to educate stakeholders on policies, laws, and regulations that yield inequitable outcomes for women in retirement.Social Security Administration Centers for Medicaid and Medicare ServicesThe Secretary believes that a good job should provide access to a secure retirement and to adequate and affordable health coverage. However, for middle-class workers today, particularly in the wake of the historic losses to retirement savings and housing wealth in the financial crisis, retirement seems anything but secure. Many workers, especially low- and middle-income workers, continue to lack access to quality workplace retirement plans, and some of those who do have access to retirement plans save too little or do not participate at all. Similarly, as joblessness rises, the number of persons covered by employer-provided health insurance falls. Private-industry employers, especially small businesses, cannot afford the rising costs of providing health insurance coverage for their workers. The decline in unionization has also adversely impacted workers’ health and retirement benefits. Recognizing these realities, the Department is pursuing several priorities to improve retirement security, including: • Improving 401(k) plans by improving fee transparency; • Rooting out conflicts of interest; • Increasing access to sound unbiased investment advice; and • Trying to increase pension plan participation rates. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) and the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) have developed strategies that will help realize these priorities and further the goal to improve health benefits and retirement security for all workers. EBSA is charged with protecting more than 150 million Americans covered by an estimated 708,000 private retirement plans, 2.8 million health plans, and similar numbers of other welfare benefit plans which together hold more than $5 trillion in assets. EBSA will implement an aggressive regulatory agenda and proactive enforcement, outreach, and education programs that are designed to protect the most vulnerable populations while ensuring broad compliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and related laws. The framework of health insurance reform legislation of 2010 potentially adds tens of millions of additional people to the health insurance marketplace. The legislation assigned significant new responsibilities to the Secretary of Labor. EBSA, with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Treasury, will pursue over 25 regulatory initiatives that will make health insurance market reforms applicable to ERISAcovered health plans. EBSA will also: develop Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements (MEWA) reporting and oversight requirements; design and conduct several health benefit studies; modify Information Technology systems to support data collection and reporting; develop and implement education, outreach and assistance programs; and develop and implement new enforcement strategies. The economy, and the Recovery Act, had a significant impact on EBSA’s operations, particularly its Participant Assistance program. Participant requests for assistance more than doubled in the past year. The recent passage of healthcare reform is also expected to substantially increase participant inquiries. To respond to these extraordinary increases, EBSA has hired additional benefit advisors to meet the rising demand for assistance that will likely continue well into FY 2012. Strengthened ERISA Protections -- The recent financial crisis and healthcare reform increased the need to enhance the availability and security of employer-provided retirement and health benefits. EBSA’s new regulatory agenda seeks to address these issues aggressively and directly supports the Department’s outcome goal to improve health benefits and retirement security for all workers. Through the ongoing review and refinement of EBSA’s regulatory program, the agency will strengthen ERISA’s protections by addressing deficiencies that have put workers’ benefits at risk. For example, the new agenda includes the implementation of a broader definition of “fiduciary” under ERISA. The current regulatory standards that define when a person is considered a fiduciary as a result of providing investment advice to an employee benefit plan were developed over 30 years ago. These regulations do not take into account the significant changes that have taken place in the financial industry and the delivery of investment advice services – limiting ERISA’s ability to protect employee benefit plans from financial advisers and asset appraisers that act imprudently. By subjecting a broader category of financial advisers and appraisers to ERISA’s strict fiduciary standards, the Department will help protect the interests of plans and participants by fostering the provision of quality, impartial advice and recommendations. The cornerstone of a strong regulatory program is a robust economic analysis and research capability. EBSA’s research program reflects the central thesis of shaping regulations that eliminate or reduce the hazards with the broadest and most serious consequences based on sound science. EBSA will conduct a number of research studies on economic issues relating to health insurance as required by health care reform legislation. The research program also helps EBSA to foster a culture that emphasizes continuous improvement in its regulatory and enforcement programs. Multi-Faceted Enforcement Program -- EBSA’s enforcement program contributes to achieving the goal to improve the health benefits and retirement security for American workers by: (1) targeting the most egregious and persistent violators; (2) protecting the most vulnerable populations while assuring broad-based compliance; and (3) establishing regular processes for evaluating the success of enforcement activities. EBSA seeks to correct violations of ERISA through an aggressive enforcement program integrated with an effective participant assistance program. The participant assistance program augments EBSA’s enforcement program and better leverages its limited resources by obtaining informal resolution to complaints prior to the need for more resource-intensive enforcement. In the criminal enforcement area, EBSA establishes collaborative enforcement relationships with other DOL, federal, state and local agencies to leverage limited resources. Outreach and Education -- EBSA’s outreach and education programs protect the most vulnerable populations, such as dislocated workers, by educating them about options to protect their retirement and health benefits when facing job loss. Recently enacted laws such as the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA), and the COBRA premium assistance provisions of the Recovery Act resulted in an increased demand for educational materials. In 2009, EBSA Benefit Advisors conducted over 1,500 outreach activities reaching over 170,000 individuals. Finally, EBSA will partner with worker and community-based organizations to identify violations and to educate workers, small businesses, and others about the requirements of ERISA, which EBSA believes is an effective way to create broad-based compliance. EBSA thus leverages its resources through the use of the Internet, social media, and partnerships with numerous organizations to reach targeted audiences. Insuring Pensions -- PBGC safeguards the retirement security of the American people by guaranteeing benefits for those covered by insured defined-benefit pensions. PBGC insures basic pension benefits of nearly 44 million American workers and retirees participating in more than 29,000 private-sector, defined-benefit pension plans. In FY 2009, PBGC paid nearly $4.5 billion in benefits to nearly 744,000 people. The recent economic conditions have had a direct impact on PBGC’s financial status, workload, and infrastructure. As a result of plan terminations and a drop in interest rates, the deficit for insurance programs PBGC administers nearly doubled from $11.2 billion at the end of FY 2008 to $21.9 billion at the end of FY 2009. The deficit remains a cause for concern and is a reflection of the long-term challenges confronting PBGC. However, PBGC remains capable of paying benefits to its participants for years to come. PBGC has three strategies that support the outcome goal to improve health benefit and retirement security for all workers: 1) safeguard the federal pension insurance system for the benefit of participants, plan sponsors, and other stakeholders; 2) provide exceptional service to customers and stakeholders; and 3) exercise effective and efficient stewardship of PBGC resources. Proficient management of the insurance, benefit, and asset management functions, and addressing information technology audit findings, are high priorities for PBGC.Economic DataProduce timely and accurate data on the economic conditions of workers and their families_158bf550-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aStrategic Goal 5Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) helps the Department realize the “good jobs” vision by providing sound and impartial information on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.The ability of markets to create jobs and spur commerce is contingent upon sound economic data to guide and inform policy and investment decisions. The Department recognizes that maintaining the Nation’s economic recovery, and assuring good jobs for everyone, is grounded in the availability of objective, timely, accurate, and relevant economic statistics. InformationProvide sound and impartial information on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy for decision making, including support for the formulation of economic and social policy affecting virtually all Americans._158bf9ba-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aOutcome Goal 5.1ODEPSupporting Agencies: Promoting Retirement Security -- ODEP, in partnership with the Social Security Administration and the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services, supports the work of EBSA and PBGC to improve health benefits and retirement security for workers with disabilities by promoting the adoption and implementation of effective policy and practice, such as the use of “Benefits Planning” for people with disabilities so that they can make informed decisions on how federal disability benefit programs may impact their health benefits and retirement security. WB also complements the efforts of EBSA and PBGC and will continue to promote financial literacy and education. This will involve education and outreach of a revised financial literacy curriculum, in English and Spanish, and collaborations with other DOL agencies to examine policies and to educate stakeholders on policies, laws, and regulations that yield inequitable outcomes for women in retirement.Social Security Administration Centers for Medicaid and Medicare ServicesTimeliness, Accuracy, and RelevanceImprove the timeliness, accuracy, and relevance of information on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy._158bfe1a-7d14-11e0-a979-918a7a64ea2aPerformance Goal BLS 5.1BLS produces some of the Nation’s most sensitive and important economic data. BLS is an independent national statistical agency within the Department of Labor responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. It collects, analyzes, and disseminates essential economic information that supports the formulation of economic and social policy, decisions in the business and labor communities, legislative and other programs affecting labor and the economy, and research on labor market issues. These policies and decisions affect virtually all Americans. In line with the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy’s Guidelines for Reporting Performance by Statistical Agencies, BLS measures accuracy, timeliness, relevance, dissemination, and mission achievement. BLS also reports the full cost to produce its data products. These criteria are common among statistical agencies because these are critical aspects of a statistical program’s performance. Having common concepts underlying the statistical agencies’ performance measures helps to inform decision makers about the performance of these statistical agencies. BLS has identified several strategies to support the goal of producing timely, accurate, and relevant statistics: • Inform current and potential customers about the availability and uses of BLS products and reach out to BLS customers to understand their needs for economic information; • Maintain high response rates in surveys by developing data collection methods that reduce respondent burden and providing respondents with a clear understanding of the value of their participation; • Make the data and other products and services available on bls.gov accessible, understandable, and usable; • Recruit, train, and retain a talented and diverse group of individuals who are well-prepared to produce and improve BLS products and services; and • Explore and implement ways to make BLS business processes more efficient and effective.2011-10-012016-09-302011-05-12http://www.dol.gov/_sec/stratplan/StrategicPlan.pdfOwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net