This FY 2003 Annual Performance Plan establishes performance goals that
will lead to the accomplishment of DOLs strategic goals and describes the
means and strategies DOL will use to reach those goals. The plan
consolidates or aggregates the Departments activities into logical
clusters within each strategic goal. For example, the third strategic
goal, Quality Workplaces, integrates the outcomes of OSHAs and
MSHAs performance goals into one outcome goal -- to reduce
workplace injuries and illnesses. In other cases, only one agency within
the Department may contribute to a specific outcome goal.
This chapter is divided into three sections, one for each strategic
goal. The introduction to each strategic goal lists the outcome goals
associated with the strategic goal and also provides the budget authority and
outlays figures for that goal for FY 1999 to FY 2003. These figures are
aggregations of outcome goal budget authority and outlays figures, which are
described below. The strategic goal introductions highlight the
Secretarys areas of emphasis and the role of key performance goals and
strategies in achieving these priorities.
For each outcome goal, we provide budget authority and outlays figures
for FY 1999 to FY 2003. The method for assigning full costs in terms of
budget authority and outlays to the outcome goals mirrors that used by the
Office of the Chief Financial Officer in the allocation of costs to outcome
goals in the Departments financial statement. While the financial
statement ascribes costs at the Agency level, this plan uses the budget
activity level as the unit of analysis for analyzing the deployment of
resources. Agencies estimated the proportion of their spending that
contributed directly to the accomplishment of outcome goals for each of the
five years covered by this plan. These factors were applied to the net
budget authority and outlay figures contained in the budget request.
Indirect costs for program support activities were added to agency budget
authority and outlay figures based on usage estimates. As such, spending
for the Departmental Management Program Direction and Support activity, the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management and the
Office of the Chief Financial Officer are scored against the accomplishment of
the outcome goals. Charges for centrally administered administrative
services billed through the Working Capital Fund are included in the agency
budget activity figures and are likewise scored against the outcome goals.
Following the budget figures are the performance goals and their
associated means, strategies, and cross-cutting programs. Appendix A
displays individual matrices for each performance goal that include the
following information:
Results: The most recent results available for the
performance goal.
Indicator: The measures that will be used to assess
progress towards performance goal accomplishment.
Data Source: The measurement system(s) that will be used
to collect performance indicator data.
Baseline: The baseline year and baseline level against
which progress will be evaluated.
Comment: Issues related to goal accomplishment,
measurement systems, and strategies that provide a context or description of
the performance goal or indicator.
4.1 DOL Strategic Goal
1A Prepared Workforce
DOL STRATEGIC GOAL 1
A PREPARED WORKFORCE Enhance opportunities for
America's workforce
OUTCOME GOALS:
- Increase employment, earnings, and assistance
- Increase the number of youth making a successful transition to
work·
- Improve the effectiveness of information and analysis on the
U.S. economy
|
Total Funds for This Goal (in Billions):
Fiscal Years |
Budget Authority |
Outlays |
FY 2003 |
$ 5.4 |
$ 6.2 |
FY 2002 |
$ 6.1 |
$ 6.8 |
FY 2001 |
$ 6.0 |
$ 6.2 |
FY 2000 |
$ 5.5 |
$ 5.3 |
FY 1999 |
$ 7.0 |
$ 5.4 |
The Department of Labors programs and agencies with the primary
operational responsibility for achieving this strategic goal include the
Employment and Training Administrations Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
and Wagner-Peyser Act programs, the Office of Disability Employment Policy, the
Veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), and the Bureau of Labor
Statistics. In addition, the Womens Bureau (WB), the Office of
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI), the Office of the
21st Century Workforce, the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management, and the Office of
Inspector General provide indirect support to this strategic goal.
Under the Workforce Investment Act, the performance indicators
stipulated in the Act are developed through a process of negotiation between
the States and the Department of Labor. The new Workforce Investment System has
led to a retooling of the Employment and Training Administrations (ETA)
performance goals. ETA consulted with stakeholders concerning performance and
accountability issues and worked in partnership to develop revised performance
goals for Program Year 2002 (PY 2002), which serve as the basis for the PY 2003
goals. The national performance goals for the WIA performance indicators
represent an amalgamation of the goals negotiated with the States.
Similarly, both ETA and the Veterans Employment and Training
Service have established performance measures for the public labor exchange
administered as part of the One-Stop delivery systems of the states.
Modeling the process for establishing State performance goals for WIA, ETA and
VETS are partnering with states to develop a process for negotiating expected
levels of performance for State public labor exchange systems.
Grants to the States under WIA provide employment and training
activities for adults that increase the employment, retention, and earnings of
participants and increase their occupational skill attainment to enhance
life-long career opportunities. Activities include occupational skill training,
job placement and support services through the One-Stop Career system.
Performance goals for State grants for adult services directly relate to
the Secretarys emphasis on ensuring effective, results-oriented job
training through DOL and other programs. The FY 2003 goals set benchmarks for
the economic results (i.e., employment, earnings and retention) achieved
through job training and other employment-related assistance.
DOL policies that guide the implementation of State grant services to
adults underscore the importance of directing training efforts to meet the
skill needs of the 21st Century, especially with respect to
countering skill shortages in information technology and other high-tech
fields. This focus on training to meet emerging skill demands supports the
Secretarys emphasis on re-orienting the Departments programs to
meet the needs of the 21st Century workforce. Also, the mechanisms
by which economic results for adult program customers are achieved (e.g.,
Individual Training Accounts (ITAs), Eligible Training Provider (ETP) lists,
and consumer reports) support the Secretarys emphasis on fostering
competition, accountability, and transparency in relevant Department grant
programs.
The Departments youth portfolio under WIA includes
State formula-funded grants, Youth Opportunity Grants, and Job Corps, all
designed to help low income youth acquire the education, skills, work
experience, and support they need to transition to careers and a productive
adulthood. These programs prepare young people for the 21st
Century Workforce by providing a comprehensive array of services that include
preparing youth with the skills they need for successful employment; improving
educational attainment; providing supportive services; and helping develop the
potential of youth as citizens and leaders. The Youth Opportunity grants
are dedicated to increasing the long-term employment of youth who live in
high-poverty urban and rural areas and Native American Reservations. Job
Corps full-time, residential education and training program will be even
further enhanced under the new agreement between the Departments of Labor and
Education which will offer a number of strategies to increase the number of Job
Corps graduates who obtain their high school diplomas. This joint project will
include developing a Job Corps distance learning/national high school system
while maintaining strong content standards.
Through the New Freedom Initiative, the Department will assist the 70
percent of people with disabilities who are unemployed or underemployed to
achieve a productive, meaningful work life. The Work Incentive Grant program is
designed to meet the needs of the 21st Century workforce by
addressing skill shortages and special employment support services. These
grants are also directed to effective and results-oriented job training through
expanded access to One-Stop programs, as well as mandated and non-mandated
resources that impact successful employment. The Office of Disability
Employment Policy will develop, evaluate and replicate best practice models
through demonstration projects designed to generate effective employment
practices, thereby ultimately enhancing the workforce development system by
assisting adults and youth with significant disabilities to move successfully
into meaningful, long-term career opportunities. Dissemination of best
practices developed throughout the job training and vocational rehabilitation
community will further promote an integrated approach to adopt the most
effective practices and expand the employment opportunities for people with
disabilities.
The Women's Bureau supports the outcome goal of increasing employment,
earnings and assistance by advocating the employment, training and retention of
women to address identified worker shortages, especially in the areas of
nursing and the placement of military spouses, older workers and workers with
disabilities. Through the Women in Apprenticeship and Non Traditional
Occupations (WANTO) grants program, the DOL Womens Bureau will continue
to promote and support women, their employers and labor unions that are seeking
to increase the participation of women in apprenticeship and other better
paying nontraditional occupations.
The FY 2003 outcome and performance goals for this strategic goal
follow. Detailed information on every performance goal, including
indicator, data source, baseline and explanatory comments, can be found in
Appendix A.
A. |
Increase the employment, retention, and earnings of individuals
registered under the WIA adult program. In Program Year 2003:
- 71 percent will be employed in the first quarter after program
exit;
- 82 percent of those employed in the first quarter after program
exit will be employed in the third quarter after program exit; and
- The average earnings change will be $3,475 for those who are
employed in the first quarter after program exit and are still employed in the
third quarter after program exit.
|
B. |
Improve the outcomes for job seekers and employers who receive
public labor exchange services. In Program Year 2003:
- 58 percent* of job seekers registered with the public labor
exchange will enter employment with a new employer by the end of the second
quarter following registration;
- 72 percent* of job seekers will continue to be employed two
quarters after initial entry into employment with a new employer;
- The number of job openings listed with the public labor
exchange (with both State Workforce Agencies and Americas Job Bank) will
increase by 5 percent over the total for PY 2001, as adjusted for economic
fluctuation;
- The number of job searches conducted by job seekers from
Americas Job Bank will increase by 5 percent to a total of 195.4 million;
and
- The number of resume searches conducted by employers from
Americas job Bank will increase by 5 percent to a total of 9.45
million.
|
C. |
Strengthen the registered apprenticeship system to meet the
training needs of business and workers in the 21st Century. In
Fiscal Year 2003:
- Increase the number of new apprenticeship programs over the
established baseline by 23 percent;
- Increase the number of new businesses involved in
apprenticeship over the established baseline by 23 percent;
- Increase the number of new apprentices over the established
baseline by 27 percent; and
- Increase the number of new programs in new and emerging
industries at minimum Information Technology, Health Care and Social
Services over the established baseline by 20 percent.
|
D. |
Implement new
demonstration programs, through grants, designed to develop and test strategies
to address the special needs of persons with significant disabilities. In
FY 2003:
- Implement 30 new Olmstead grant projects, targeted at persons
with significant disabilities who are institutionalized.
- Implement 12 youth grant projects (6 of which are new
technology skills projects) to assist youth through the One-Stop Centers and
the WIA youth programs.
|
E. |
Increase participation by community and faith-based organizations in
the grant application process for WIA Adult programs.
- Increase the number of applications from community and faith
based organizations as a percentage of total applications received for Adult
programs. Target to be determined in fall 2002.
|
F. |
Increase the employment and retention rate of
veteran job seekers registering for public labor exchange services.
- 58 percent* of veteran job seekers will be employed in the
first or second quarter following registration.
- 72 percent* of veteran job seekers will continue to be employed
two quarters after initial entry into employment with a new employer.
|
G. |
At least 54.5 percent of veterans enrolled in Homeless Veteran
Reintegration Project grants enter Employment. |
* DOL is undergoing a transition to a new labor exchange
performance measurement system. These performance goals are estimates and will
be revised when baseline data become available. |
Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ETA, ODEP, VETS
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
Context for Goal 1.1A: In PY 2003, the WIA Adult program will be
starting its fourth year of operation. The strategic goals and means of the
previous years provide a context for 2003. In PY 2003, DOL will monitor the
states' performance and operations, determine which states are not achieving
their performance goals, and provide customized technical assistance. DOL will
also prepare recommendations and reports regarding the re-authorization of
WIA.
- The PY 2002 WIA adult program objectives are: 1) ensuring timely,
accurate, consistent and meaningful financial and performance data at the
program level to facilitate informed management of adult program operations at
all levels; 2) improving system response to customer needs; 3) improving the
system of accountability for performance; and 4) strengthening the One-Stop
Centers system and partnerships formed to improve services for jobseekers and
employers. It is expected that the tasks required to implement these
strategies will continue during PY 2003, and these areas are described below
(see Significant New or Enhanced Strategies section) to the extent they are
known. To support the last strategy, DOL will continue to enhance access
to all adults to services available through One-Stop Career Centers by: 1)
supporting outreach to low-income groups in schools and neighborhoods through
community- and faith-based organizations, enlisting their assistance in
assessment and referral of individuals to local One-Stop Career Centers; and 2)
expanding access to services through enhanced use of Internet, telephone and
other technologies to provide a broad spectrum of access points not dependent
on a single method or medium. (1.1A)
- DOL will continue efforts begun in PY 2002 to identify reasons why
adult jobseekers do not achieve a successful labor market transition as defined
by WIAs core measures (jobs, retention, earnings, credential) and take
steps to address the findings. (1.1A)
- DOL will continue to engage private-sector employers both as
customers and partners in the workforce development system by communications
through employer organizations and business liaisons within the State Workforce
Investment Boards. The Department will strive to improve adult program
services for the business customer by:
- Seeking to ensure that training for adults available in local
areas is directly linked to employer-identified skill shortages, in part by
improving employer participation in the development and use of Eligible
Training Provider Lists in local areas and States;
- Through community audits, sectoral analyses, and other means,
promoting training of adult workers in occupational areas identified by the
business community as most in demand;
- Improving services provided to employed adults by identifying and
eliminating barriers to such assistance, and providing technical assistance to
States and local areas on how such services can be integrated into the One-Stop
service delivery system. (1.1A)
- DOL will also work across One-Stop partner programs to identify and
eliminate disincentives for co-enrolling individuals in multiple programs, in
order to improve program integration and outcomes for jobseekers.
(1.1A)
- DOL will provide a broad range of technical assistance and training
to facilitate effective delivery of Wagner-Peyser employment and workforce
information services within One-Stop systems including brokering of best
practices, development of models and tools for State and local use, increased
use of on-line information and training for the system, release of program
guidance in key areas, and on-site technical assistance where feasible and
needed. Areas of focus will continue to be program/system performance and
effective service delivery strategies that meet customer needs. (1.1B)
- DOL will increase usage of the Americas Career Kit Tools by
both employers and job seekers by: 1) continually improving the products
value to customers based on customer input and feedback; 2) working with states
to develop strategies to more effectively integrate the tools with service
delivery in physical One-Stop systems; and 3) ongoing marketing of
Americas Job Bank to employers and job seekers. (1.1B)
- With employer input and feedback, DOL will continue to work with the
states to identify and develop strategies to better serve employers through
One-Stop systems in order to increase the number of jobs listed with One-Stops
and job seekers that enter employment. (1.1B)
- DOL will continue to support and improve the comprehensive Labor
Exchange Performance Measurement System to provide performance information in
support of optimizing the delivery of labor exchange services to employers and
job seekers. Program Year 2003 will be a critical milestone year for the
performance measures in that baseline data from the new 9002 reporting system
and the results of the new outcome measures will be fully available to help
guide the system in continuous improvement. DOL will expect states to include
expected levels of performance for the Labor Exchange Performance Measures,
reached in agreement with ETA Regional Offices, in their five-year strategic
plans. (1.1B)
- DOL will work with states to use re-employment services funds to
provide intensive services to UI claimants in need of reemployment assistance
so they can return more quickly to work. States will provide early
intervention, immediate referrals to suitable job openings, and staff-assisted,
intensive services as needed. Additional funds will enable services to
more Unemployment Insurance claimants and will enable increased positive
employment outcomes. (1.1B)
- With the strategic direction of the Workforce Information Council,
DOL and states will make investments in State and local workforce information
(labor market information) tools and service delivery strategies. This
information is integral to helping employers more accurately articulate their
skill needs and job seekers make career decisions and articulate the skills
they have to offer employers. As part of this effort, DOL will continue
to promote and support O*NET as the common occupation language for the
workforce investment system which supports integrated service delivery and
provides critical information on the skills and abilities associated with
different occupations, which is an underlying component of almost every
workforce development activity. (1.1B)
- DOL will continue to engage the Workforce Development system to
expand apprenticeship. (1.1C)
- DOL will continue to review existing research from the registered
apprenticeship system, engage current stakeholders and gather input from new
potential customers to participate in the registered apprenticeship
system. (1.1C)
- DOL will continue to identify and develop partnerships involving
apprenticeship training in a minimum of 3 targeted industries. (1.1C)
- DOL will continue to develop four campaigns to convene four forums
with business and industry organizations to expand registered apprenticeship.
(1.1C)
- DOL will ensure that ETA continues to collaborate with the Office of
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives to promote and expand the registered
apprenticeship system. (1.1C)
- DOL will continue to seek input from faith-based and community-based
organizations on effective means to address their issues. (1.1C)
- DOL will continue to identify promising practices with State
Workforce Investment Boards and registered apprenticeship to develop examples
of how apprenticeship can participate with all States. (1.1C)
- DOL will continue to develop customized training programs with
One-Stop Centers for apprenticeship referrals for businesses and job
seekers. (1.1C)
- DOL will improve the integration and effectiveness of services
provided to veterans within the workforce development system through an
emphasis on program evaluation, pilot testing, and system improvements that
address priority service to veterans (1.1F)
- DOL will continue to coordinate and encourage the efforts of
VETS State Directors as they interact with State Workforce
Investment Boards. This coordination by VETS State Directors,
delineating the nature and scope of the Disabled Veterans Outreach
Program (DVOP) and Local Veterans Employment Representative (LVER)
activities and the role of the Public Labor Exchange, will help insure the
provision of priority and maximum services to veterans in the One-Stop
Centers. (1.1F)
- DOL will continue to promote the use of Veterans employment
representatives in matching qualified separating military personnel with
employer needs for specific industries within a single geographic area (a
program known as PROVETpromoting reemployment opportunities
for veterans). (1.1F-G)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2003:
- PY 2003 will be the final year of WIA prior to consideration of its
reauthorization. Objectives for the adult program in PY 2003 will include
improving data quality, improving services to working adults, and strengthening
the One-Stop Center system. Program reviews will focus on financial and
performance accountability and be undertaken in part to identify promising
practices. DOL will encourage States and local areas to explore means for
improving outcomes for a range of customer groups including employed
workers, former welfare recipients, and individuals with Limited English
Proficiency. (1.1A)
- Based upon the input from GAO, the WIA Readiness Teams, partners, and
contractor studies, DOL will complete plans to improve how the adult program
and the One-Stop system respond to customers needs and to improve the
quality and timeliness of data in performance management systems. This
will assure that the program can be managed in a more effective, efficient
manner, that more adults will receive appropriate employment and training
services, and that the GPRA employment goals will be met or exceeded.
- Strategies to improve the Adult program components of
participant assessment, case management, eligibility determination, informed
customer choice, and customized and responsive services involve using several
means to assess current practices, identify promising examples, and develop
methods for bridging gaps between current and exemplary practice. Through
collaborative assessments, DOL and State and local partners will determine
appropriate means of improving the aforementioned components, identify key risk
areas, and work intensively with those areas with specific needs.
Demonstration projects will be supported to implement more effective practices
in some States and areas. By the end of PY 2003, a large majority of
States and local areas will be providing sophisticated customized employment
and training services at One-Stop Centers, through internet web centers, and
with business, community-based, and faith-based partners
support.
- The strategy to improve the performance accountability system will
parallel the process to improve the program components. DOL staff in
national and regional offices will monitor the reports timeliness and
validity to determine which States meet the standard level of confidence; for
those States which do not meet the standard, DOL will develop and provide
customized technical assistance to assure they meet the standards. These
efforts will provide a more reliable, valid, and accurate reporting system and
assure more credible reporting to Congress and the public. During PY
2002, a joint workgroup is to review the performance accountability system for
adults. The groups reports will serve as the basis for DOL
consideration of improvements to the reporting and accountability
systems. Improvements in the timeliness of data are expected to be
implemented late in 2002, for applications in 2003. This menu will include
measures on impact of customers served, broader customer satisfaction,
comparisons benchmarked with related One-Stop Centers and competition.
Potential improvements will be considered for inclusion in the recommendations
for WIA reauthorization to the Congress. If approved and implemented,
these changes will enable the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training
to better measure and justify the programs impact, value, and benefits to
Congress and the public. (1.1A)
- DOL will increase the registered apprenticeship systems
participation in the Departments various education and training
strategies and initiatives. DOL will leverage its major employment and
training initiatives to include apprenticeship as a mechanism to develop a
skilled workforce and develop a process to engage more businesses to
participate in the workforce development system. As part of this
increased participation, the registered apprenticeship system will be involved
in customer surveys and other instruments developed to improve the workforce
development system. (1.1C)
- DOL will implement, through the Office of Disability Employment
Policy, grant projects to initialize and develop best practice models, to
support and further enhance the capacity of the workforce development system to
provide specialized services to people with significant disabilities. In
addition to training and employment services, these projects will provide
increased access to assistive technology and expertise in obtaining such
technology through federal loan programs to persons with significant
disabilities who are moving from institutions to the community. Another
area of emphasis will be a new grants program that extends the High School/High
Tech concept for youth with significant disabilities, to not only provide
orientation to high tech occupations but also high tech skills training
integrated with their high school learning opportunities. Increased
access to the workforce development system and rewarding employment
opportunities for people with significant disabilities within their communities
will be developed through these grant programs and replication of the best
practices that result. (1.1D)
- DOL will survey WIA Workforce Investment Areas to determine the mix
of service provider applicants including the percentage that are faith- and
community-based organizations to establish a baseline for performance.
(1.1E)
- DOL will develop informational strategies to promote the application
by faith- and community-based organizations for WIA Adult funds(1.1E)
- DOL will implement a performance measurement system for assessing
services to veterans by the public labor exchange. This system will
provide performance information in support of optimizing the delivery of labor
exchange services to veteran job seekers and will include performance measures,
procedures for establishing expected levels of performance, and revised data
collection and reporting procedures, relying on UI wage records as a data
source. DOL will also assess instituting a program of incentives
and sanctions program for labor exchange grantees. (1.1F)
- DOL will study the impact of staff assisted services on improving the
entered employment and retention rates of veterans subgroups that are
experiencing significantly higher levels of unemployment, such as women
veterans (1.1F-G)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
In regard to WIA implementation, DOL continues to work in close
cooperation with its State and local partners in monitoring and overseeing the
workforce development system and with its Federal partners in promoting unified
planning at the State and local levels. The Department continues to
improve comprehensive planning for services to adults and implementation of
such programs by: 1) supporting community audit projects that develop,
collect and analyze information on economic and labor market trends in specific
geographic areas, industries, or sectors, with a view toward improving
real-time workforce investment information and services; and 2) assisting
communities in developing comprehensive economic adjustment strategies to deal
with dislocations with community-wide impact by continuing to work with other
federal agencies to support such strategies.
DOL will continue to engage the Departments of Education (ED), Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), Transportation (DOT) and Justice (DOJ) to leverage
support for apprenticeship and thereby maximize resources to provide businesses
and workers with skill development appropriate for the 21st
Century.
DOL will continue to participate in the OMB-convened inter-agency group
including HHS, HUD, and ED, as well as their State and local partners, to
develop and refine common performance measures. DOL also will address
cross-cutting policy and related issues pertaining to systemic performance
accountability.
A. |
Increase entrance and retention of youth registered under the WIA
youth program in education or employment. In Program Year 2003:
- 52 percent of the 1418 year-old youth who enter the
program without a diploma or equivalent will attain a secondary school diploma
or equivalent by the first quarter after exit;
- 65 percent of the 1921 year-old youth will be employed in
the first quarter after program exit; and,
- 78 percent of the 1921 year-old youth employed in the
first quarter after exit will be employed in the third quarter after program
exit.
|
B. |
Increase participation, retention, and earnings of Job Corps
graduates in employment and education. In Program Year 2003:
- The number of students who attain high school diplomas while
enrolled in Job Corps will increase by 20 percent from PY 2002;
- 70 percent will continue to be employed or enrolled in
education six months after their initial placement date; and
- Graduates with jobs at six months after their initial placement
date will earn average hourly wages of $8.27.
|
C. |
Increase retention of Youth Opportunity Grant
participants in education or employment. In Program Year 2003:
- 52 percent of the 1418 year-old youth who enter the
program without a diploma or equivalent will attain a secondary school diploma
or equivalent by the first quarter after exit;
- 65 percent of the 1921 year-old youth will be employed in
the first quarter after program exit; and
- 78 percent of the 1921 year-old youth employed in the
first quarter after exit will be employed in the third quarter after program
exit.
|
D. |
Increase participation by community
and faith-based organizations in the grant application process for WIA Youth
programs.
- Increase the number of applications from community and faith
based organizations as a percentage of total applications received for Adult
programs. Target to be determined in fall 2002.
|
Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ETA
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- In order to increase the attainment of a high school diploma or its
equivalent, placement in advanced training, and employment opportunities with
career paths, DOL will continue to provide guidance for programs serving youth
to focus on the provision of strong academic and skills training and enhanced
placement and transitional services for program graduates. Such placement
and transitional services will include child care, transportation, and housing
support, as well as counseling from career transition services providers and
other workforce development partners. (1.2A, B and C)
- DOL federal and State staff will jointly determine the effectiveness
of local youth programs. These staff will complete 50 site visits by June
30, 2004, to local areas, providing technical assistance, guidance and
identifying best practices. Success will be achieved once the 50 site
visits are completed and local area directors and youth council chairs receive
a report of findings and recommendations. (1.2A)
- DOL will issue its annual program guidance to States and local areas
implementing comprehensive youth services under WIA. The 2003 program
emphasis will focus on strong academic and skills training components, leading
to a high school diploma or its equivalent; advanced training and employment
opportunities that lead to career paths; and follow-up services that lead to
retention in employment. The guidance letter will be issued by April of
2003. (1.2A)
- DOLs regions will conduct at least one youth conference or
other technical assistance event that focuses on providing local communities
and youth councils with strategies to build strong youth investment systems
that promote attainment of diplomas/General Education Diplomas or advanced
training leading to career opportunities. Seventy-five percent of
conferees will rate the quality of the information exchange at the conference
as good to excellent. (1.2A and C)
- DOL will continue the national best practices strategy to promote
educational and skills training achievement for younger youth. The
National Office, assisted by the regions, will maintain a web-base database of
best practices and strategies. Success will be achieved when 90 percent
of the users rate this service as effective. (1.2A and C)
- DOL will convene a second National Youth Summit of a representative
group of WIA participants. Attendees will act as focus groups to develop
what works practices from a youth perspective. Success will
be measured when 100 percent of states are provided with the results of the
focus groups to incorporate into their customer satisfaction programs.
(1.2A and C)
- DOL will continue to place emphasis on performance in Job Corps
competitive procurement process, including the initiation of performance-based
contracts and coordination throughout the agency to maintain compatibility and
compliance with DOL and the Employment and Training Administration
standards. (1.2B)
- DOL will continue to establish and refine clear, measurable
benchmarks of program success through input from State and local officials and
by monitoring participant outcomes in such areas as academic achievement,
placement and retention in employment and further education after program
completion. (1.2A, B and C)
- DOL will continue to provide technical assistance to Job Corps staff
nationwide by updating training modules, monitoring regional staff training
plans, and analyzing results of satisfaction surveys to further address
customer needs. (1.2B)
- Several agencies in the Department of Labor will continue to develop
a model safety and health program to maintain safe and healthy environments at
all Job Corps centers, critical to the long-term labor market success of
program graduates. (1.2B)
- To foster accountability and to ensure effective, results-oriented
education and job training, DOL will continue to incorporate findings from the
long-term evaluation study of Job Corps, as well as any new recommendations
from other external bodies, such as the Office of Inspector General and General
Accounting Office. (1.2B)
- DOL will ensure the Youth Opportunity Grant program effectiveness
through monitoring and providing oversight via quarterly reports.
(1.2C)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2003:
- While in this last year of authorization under the Workforce
Investment Act, DOL will place continued emphasis on improving the quality of
services in order to equip our youth with the knowledge, skills, and abilities
required to effectively meet the changing needs of business and the new economy
as well as a focus on the reauthorization of The Workforce Investment
Act. Because Program Year 2003 is the last year of authorization, DOL
plans to analyze the experiences of State and local areas in the effective
delivery of high quality, comprehensive youth services and assess how well
these services met the challenge of preparing our most at-risk youth for
post-secondary education and careers. Our goal is to determine the
potential areas for improvement and issues that could be addressed through the
reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act. (1.2A and C)
- DOL will enhance Job Corps career offerings that meet local
labor market demands through modernization of training programs, using labor
market information and input from Industry Councils and employers.
(1.2B)
- During the last year of direct federal funding, a continued focus
will be on developing and implementing viable sustainability strategies.
DOL will provide technical assistance to Youth Opportunity Grantees in the
areas of resource mapping, developing ties to State, local, and private
funding, and strengthening linkages to local youth formula-funded
programs. DOL will work with local Youth Councils in this effort.
(1.2C)
- DOL will increase the number of high school diplomas attained
as a means to enhance educational credentials and career opportunities for
youth. (1.2A, B, and C)
- DOL will survey WIA Workforce Investment Areas to determine the mix
of service provider applicants including the percentage that are faith- and
community-based organizations to establish a baseline for performance.
(1.2D)
- DOL will develop informational strategies to promote the application
by faith and community-based organizations for WIA Youth funds. (1.2D)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
DOL will work with the Department of Education and the Department of
Defenses Education Activity to assist with the development of local
partnerships to expand high school diploma attainment opportunities for Job
Corps program participants.
A. |
Produce and disseminate timely, reliable, and
relevant economic information. |
B. |
Improve the accuracy, efficiency, and relevancy
of economic measures. |
Means and Strategies
Operating Agency: BLS
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOL will continue to carry out its mandate as the principal
fact-finding agency for the Federal government in the field of labor
economics. This includes producing impartial and objective essential
economic data for the Nation in the areas of employment and unemployment, price
change, compensation, safety and health, productivity, and economic
growth. Business, labor, governments, the media, and the public rely on
these measures to develop economic policy and make well-informed
decisions. (1.3AB)
- By utilizing technological advances, DOL will improve the operational
processes used to develop economic data, specifically through the use of the
BLS Statistical Program Model. (1.3AB)
- The Departments BLS is a knowledge-based organization composed
of information workers: individuals who must have the knowledge, skills, and
abilities to gather, analyze, and disseminate statistical information relevant
to policy makers and American citizens. The rapid development of
information technology and new approaches and methods for data collection and
analysis has changed and continues to change the nature of the work at
BLS. As a result, BLS needs to insure that it remains competitive with
other organizations in terms of the salaries, benefits, training, challenging
work, and other incentives it offers to its highly skilled workers. BLS
will continue to focus its efforts in several key human capital activities,
specifically in recruitment and retention. (1.3AB)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY
2003:
- DOL will publish Current Employment Statistics, Job Openings and
Labor Turnover Survey, and Current Population Survey data series using the
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). NAICS replaces the
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system and offers a new and more
consistent approach to industrial classification that better reflects the
modern economy. (1.3B)
- DOL will put in place a new, more rapid process for updating the
items in a significant proportion of Consumer Price Index categories.
Item samples for these categories will be reselected within existing stores and
establishments midway between each four-year outlet sample rotation. This
effort will further improve the timeliness and accuracy of the index.
(1.3B)
- DOL will complete implementation of a new process to electronically
collect prices for Consumer Price Index items other than rent. The
process offers numerous benefits, including the reduction in time required to
transmit and process data; increased accuracy and efficiency in data entry and
review due to field staff directly entering data instead of completing
handwritten survey forms for later input by clerical staff; and data editing
during data collection. (1.3B)
- DOL will produce measures of labor productivity and unit labor costs
for two additional service-producing industries and a measure of multifactor
productivity for one additional industry. Users of the productivity statistics
have stated the critical need for more coverage in the service sector and
specifically more measures of multifactor productivity. Multifactor
productivity measures take into account labor, capital, and intermediate
inputs. New multifactor productivity measures for service-producing industries
will provide information on the substitution of capital for labor and the
substitution of intermediate inputs, such as materials and energy, for
labor. They also will supply insight on technological progress in the
service sector. (1.3B)
- DOL will modernize the computing systems for monthly processing of
the Producer Price Index (PPI) and the U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes,
both OMB-designated Principal Federal Economic Indicators. These efforts
will allow for improvements to both programs, such as annual weight updates to
the U.S. Import and Export Price Indexes. Historically, these indexes
have been reweighted every five years and the change will produce a significant
improvement in index reliability. (1.3B)
- The Departments BLS Internet Data Collection Facility (IDCF)
will be fully operational for at least two of its Principal Federal Economic
Indicators. IDCF can provide a single, manageable, and secure
architecture for Bureau surveys to use in collecting information over the
Internet. This data collection method is intended to reduce the cost of
conducting surveys as well as increase the accuracy and efficiency of
collection. (1.3B)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
DOL, as a producer of economic statistics on the U.S. economy, must work
in partnership with other Federal, State, and international statistical
agencies. These organizations encounter common and sometimes overlapping
issues that must be addressed in a coordinated manner for the benefit of the
users of these data. Such coordination not only maximizes DOL
performance, but also helps to improve the accuracy, efficiency, and relevancy
of economic measures produced by the Department.
As a Federal statistical agency, the Departments BLS is a member
of the Interagency Council on Statistical Policy, a committee of
representatives from 15 agencies, which works to identify areas for
collaboration. During FY 2003, the Council will enhance FedStats, a
portal or "one-stop shopping" website for Federal statistics, and continue
research and development efforts with its academic Digital Government partners
in moving towards a National Statistical Knowledge Network.
As a member of the international statistical community, DOL also works
with foreign statistical agencies and international organizations in efforts to
enhance comparability of concepts and definitions. During FY 2003, DOL
will participate in statistical working parties sponsored by the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development to address issues dealing with
improving and standardizing the data on productivity and
employment/unemployment used around the world.
4.2 DOL Strategic
Goal 2A Secure Workforce
DOL STRATEGIC GOAL 2
A SECURE WORKFORCE Promote the economic security of
workers and families
OUTCOME GOALS:
- Increase compliance with worker protection laws
- Protect worker benefits
- Increase employment and earnings for retrained workers
|
Total Funds for This Goal (in Billions):
$ 50.2 |
$ 49.2 |
$ 52.2 |
$ 50.7 |
$ 37.0 |
$ 32.3 |
$ 26.5 |
$ 24.9 |
$ 27.7 |
$ 26.5 |
DOL is committed to protecting workers hours, wages, and other
working conditions; providing unemployment compensation and other benefits when
workers are unable to work; and expanding, enhancing, and protecting
workers retirement plans, health care plans, and other benefits.
Department of Labor programs and agencies with the primary operational
responsibility for achieving this strategic goal include the Pension and
Welfare Benefits Administration (PWBA); the Pension Benefit Guaranty
Corporation (PBGC); the Employment and Training Administrations
Unemployment Compensation programs, Trade Adjustment Assistance and North
American Free Trade Agreement-Transitional Adjustment Assistance
(TAA/NAFTA-TAA) programs, Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Dislocated Worker
Assistance; and the Employment Standards Administration (ESA)'s Wage and Hour
Division, Office of Labor-Management Standards and Office of Workers
Compensation Programs. In addition, the Office of Small Business Programs
(OSBP), the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Administration and Management, the Office of Inspector General, and the
Appellate Boards provide indirect support to this strategic goal.
The performance goals in this section support the Department's
commitment to the protection of the American workforce in the 21st
Century. The goal of promoting compliance in typically low-wage
industries, for example, reflects the Department's commitment to guaranteeing
an honest day's pay for an honest day's work, which is especially critical for
the most economically disadvantaged American workers. The Department has
also established a goal to protect the economic safety and security of American
workers and their workplaces by promoting the responsible stewardship of union
funds.
A key objective of the Departments role in the administration and
oversight of benefit programs for unemployed workers and for those who have
suffered work-related injuries and illnesses is the responsible stewardship of
taxpayer dollars. Additionally, DOLs goals to improve payment
timeliness and assistance to unemployed and injured workers to return to the
workplace represent the practical implementation of the Department's pledge to
give hope to all individuals that they will not be left behind in the quest for
the American dream.
The retraining assistance offered to workers
who lost their jobs in mass layoffs or plant closings or who have been laid off
and are unlikely to return to their jobs illustrates the Secretarys
emphasis on effective, results-oriented job training. The FY 2003
performance goals for these dislocated workers set ambitious benchmarks for the
economic results, including employment, earnings and job retention, to be
achieved through job training and other employment assistance
services.
DOL policies that guide the implementation of dislocated worker programs
underscore the importance of directing training efforts to meet the skill needs
of the 21st Century, especially with respect to countering skill shortages in
information technology and other high-tech fields. This focus on training
to meet emerging skill demands supports the Secretarys emphasis on
re-orienting the Departments programs to meet the needs of the 21st
Century workforce.
The FY 2003 outcome and performance goals for this strategic goal
follow. Detailed information on every performance goal, including
indicator, data source, baseline and explanatory comments, can be found in
Appendix A.
A. |
Covered American workplaces legally, fairly,
and safely employ and compensate their workers as indicated by:
- Improving customer service by increasing the number of
complaints resolved within 90 days. Target TBD; baseline being
established in FY 2002.
- Reducing employer recidivism. In FY 2003:
- Increase the number of reinvestigations without violations
- target TBD; baseline being established in FY 2002.
- Decrease the number of reinvestigations with identical
violations - target TBD; baseline being established in FY 2002.
- Increasing compliance in industries with chronic violations.
- as indicated in the garment manufacturing industry by:
- Increase by 3 percentage points the percent of garment
homeworker cases in southern California conducted jointly with the State of
California.
- Increase by 2 percentage points the percentage of
contractors in southern California that pay all employees on the payroll.
- Increase by 2 percentage points the number of
manufacturers that monitor their contractor shops for compliance in southern
California.
- Increase by 2 percentage points the percentage of
contractors that are subject to unannounced visits and payroll reviews in
conjunction with monitoring by manufacturers in southern California.
- Increase by 4 percentage points the level of compliance
of new contractors in New York City through compliance education.
- Increase by 5 percentage points the rate of compliance
of those New York City contractors engaged by manufacturers which were
previously in violation of the FLSA hot goods provision.
- Increase by 20 percent the number of New York City
cases referred to SOL, the U.S. Attorney, or the New York State Attorney
Generals Office for litigation.
- as indicated in the long-term health care industry by:
- Increase by 3 percent the rate of compliance of nursing
homes with identified staffing shortages (i.e. staffing less than the
nationwide or State average or homes cited for staffing shortages).
- Increase by 5 percent the number of employees in
nursing homes provided information about their rights and available
remedies.
- Increase by 2 percent the number of reinvestigated
nursing homes without violations.
- Increase by 2 percent the percent of employees in the
residential living (group home) segment of health care industry paid in
compliance with the overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act.
- as indicated in agricultural commodities by:
- Targets TBD, baselines being established in FY
2002.
|
B. |
Advance safeguards for union financial
integrity and democracy and the transparency of union operations by:
- Improving timely filing of union annual financial reports that
contain information sufficient for public disclosure. In FY 2003, the
timely filing of union annual financial reports by unions with annual receipts
over $200,000 will increase - target TBD; baseline being established in FY
2002.
- Extending Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
protections for union financial integrity to a greater number of labor
organizations through a more effective use of investigative resources. In
FY 2003 the percentage of investigative resources applied to criminal
investigation that result in convictions is increased - target TBD; baseline
being established in FY 2002.
|
C. |
Increase by 5 percent (to 2,093) per year the
number of closed civilinvestigations of employee pension plans where assets are
restored, prohibited transactions are corrected, participant benefits are
recovered, or plan assets are protected from mismanagement and risk of future
loss is reduced. |
D. |
Increase by 5 percent (to 651) per year the
number of closed civil investigations of employee health and welfare plans
where assets are restored, prohibited transactions are corrected, participant
benefits are recovered, or plan assets are protected from mismanagement and
risk of future loss is reduced. |
Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ESA, PWBA
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOL will establish complaint intake procedures to ensure the adequate
screening of complaints. (2.1A1)
- DOL offices will conduct regular reviews of complaint inventories
using established accountability measures and management reports to ensure that
timeliness measures are being met. (2.1A1)
- DOL will establish streamlined procedures where necessary to ensure
early:
- contact with complainants;
- development of case facts;
- identification of appropriate investigative tool; and,
- identification of potential litigation cases. (2.1A1)
- DOL will:
- provide compliance assistance on all applicable statutes
administered by DOL during the conduct of an investigation; secure agreements
for future compliance and specific commitments for future compliance following
a DOL intervention; and, obtain commitments for corporate-wide compliance by
multi-establishment employers through formal and informal agreements following
a history of DOL interventions.
- assess penalties, pursue litigation and prosecution, and
publicize the consequences of non-compliant behavior as may be appropriate for
willful and repeat violators.
- provide ongoing training to its investigative staff and conduct
reviews according to established accountability measures to ensure that proper
policies and procedures are followed during initial DOL interventions.
(2.1A2)
- DOL will establish liaisons on the State and Federal level to
coordinate and facilitate joint homework investigations; will conduct joint
training with the State of California to facilitate communication and jointly
working on homework cases; and will conduct a garment enforcement sweep with
the State of California with emphasis on homeworkers. (2.1A3)
- DOL will work to identify potential sources of non-compliance in the
garment industry by:
- meeting with organizations and businesses to discuss practices of
paying workers off the payroll and the impact on minimum wage and
overtime compliance;
- asking employers at all final conferences whether they have
knowledge of competitors paying less than minimum wage;
- asking all homeworkers who they have worked for before as a
homeworker; and,
- reading classified ads and listening to radio ads seeking
homeworkers.
DOL will follow-up on the above information by conducting a
directed program based on leads from these sources. (2.1A3)
- DOL will conduct face-to-face contacts with contractors and
manufacturers in southern California, providing them with compliance
assistance. (2.1A3)
- DOL will work with manufacturers who monitor their contractors to
identify and correct off the payroll situations, and will meet with known
monitoring companies in southern California to discuss and train staff in ways
to detect and correct situations where workers are off the payroll.
(2.1A3)
- DOL will work with members of the Korean Manufacturers Associations
to implement monitoring; will conduct monitoring training sessions for
manufacturers, including some in Korean and have those attending submit their
first monitoring report to DOL for review and suggested corrective action; and
will emphasize in contacts with manufacturers the value and importance of
monitoring and effective monitoring. (2.1A3)
- DOL will conduct diamond approach investigations of
manufacturers with repeat violations. (2.1A3)
- DOL will use the southern California survey information in monitoring
classes, training sessions, face to face and telephone contacts with
manufacturers, and meetings with monitoring companies, emphasizing effective
monitoring and these components specifically as potential predictors of better
compliance. (2.1A3)
- DOL will provide compliance assistance to new contractors, including
partnering with the New York State Apparel Industry Task Force, and will
conduct payroll audits of newly registered contractors. (2.1A3)
- DOL will encourage/ensure that contractors producing for
manufacturers that are members of New York Citys Apparel Industry
Compliance Partnership (AICP) will participate in the AICPs training
program. (2.1A3)
- DOL will target manufacturers with a history of hot goods
violations for investigation, and will provide training to manufacturers and
their contractors when hot goods violations are found.
(2.1A3)
- DOL will request manufacturers to institute a compliance monitoring
program of their contractors. (2.1A3)
- DOL will target enforcement on repeat violators, and will consider
litigation for repeat violators. (2.1A3)
- DOL will partner with DOLs Office of the Inspector General, the
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Office, and the New York State Attorney
General to explore areas of common interest for potential criminal
investigations. (2.1A3)
- DOL will work more closely with RSOL to identify potential litigation
cases early in the investigative process. (2.1A3)
- DOL will develop a compliance assistance program geared to problems
common in nursing homes with staffing shortages and implement the program in
district offices where violations continue to be prevalent. (2.1A3)
- Where compliance rates continue to be low and identified violations
are those with a high correlation to staffing shortages, DOL will pilot an
employer consultation program with the assistance of local and national health
care associations. (2.1A3)
- Fact sheets on meal breaks, child labor requirements, hours worked,
and bonuses will be developed and distributed through industry trade magazines,
the Internet and association seminars. DOL will work with industry
representatives to ensure that the fact sheets are clear, concise and geared
towards the health care industry. (2.1A3)
- DOL will complete the employee rights card for employees that
provides basic information on employee rights. The card will be
distributed to employees through employee advocacy organizations, community
groups, community colleges that offer courses and training to certified nurses
assistants, and State licensing agencies. The card will also be made
available to employees during the course of investigations. (2.1A3)
- DOL will provide compliance assistance on all common compliance
problems in nursing homes during the conduct of an investigation.
(2.1A3)
- DOL will secure agreements for future compliance and specific
commitments for future compliance following a DOL intervention.
(2.1A3)
- DOL will obtain commitments for corporate-wide compliance by
multi-establishment employers through formal and informal agreements following
a history of DOL interventions. (2.1A3)
- DOL will maintain an enforcement presence among prior violators, and
will assess penalties, pursue litigation and prosecution, and publicize the
consequences of non-compliant behavior as may be appropriate for willful and
repeat violators. (2.1A3)
- DOL will conduct full investigations of alleged overtime, minimum
wage and child labor violations. (This excludes last paycheck
conciliations.) (2.1A3)
- DOL will re-emphasize its compliance assistance program to highlight
problems common in residential care and in geographic areas where residential
care violations appear more common. (2.1A3)
- DOL will work with State licensing agencies to pilot the
dissemination of compliance materials to newly licensed residential care
facilities. (2.1A3)
- DOL will work with local and national health care associations to
develop and pilot a consultation program for small and new residential group
homes. (2.1A3)
- DOL will continue the operational development of the Technology for
Excellent Customer Service (TECS) systems that will provide nationwide
toll-free access to: 1) promptly identify and refer calls unrelated to
DOL activities to the appropriate agency; 2) answer commonly asked questions
quickly and accurately; and, 3) eventually accept employee complaints alleging
violations and refer them electronically to the proper field office. (2.1A1, 2,
and 3)
- DOL will investigate complaints concerning union officer elections,
supervise remedial union officer elections, and conduct audits and civil and
criminal investigations to enforce LMRDA standards for union democracy and
financial integrity. DOL will secure reports required from unions and
others under the LMRDA and make them available for public disclosure, including
public disclosure via the Internet using a searchable data base of information
from union financial reports. DOL will administer an electronic reporting
process initiated in FY 2002. DOL will continue to perform all statutory
responsibilities to ensure union democracy and to strive for quality and
efficiency in these mission-critical endeavors. (2.1B)
- DOL will continue to offer and conduct compliance assistance seminars
throughout the country to explain the requirements of the Labor-Management
Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). These seminars cover topics such as
union reporting and recordkeeping, financial safeguards for union funds,
elections of union officers, and training for union trustees on conducting
audits in small unions. These seminars may be sponsored by labor unions,
labor education programs, or other groups to provide training for their
representatives or may be DOL-sponsored and attended by any interested union
officers and members. DOL will continue to advertise upcoming compliance
assistance seminars on its website, and to extend to interested organizations
the opportunity to sponsor seminars in the future. (2.1B)
- DOL will foster partnerships with international unions to promote
voluntary compliance with LMRDA standards by affiliates and will provide
compliance assistance to union officials. A program of compliance
assistance contacts will be continued that targets unions scheduled to elect
officers in FY 2003 whose previous election was investigated by the
agency. A program of contacts at the field office level to obtain timely
reports by unions with receipts of more than $200,000 that were delinquent in
the prior year will be continued. A program of seminars for trustees of
small unions will be continued to provide assistance and training in use of the
agency-developed guide for trustees in conducting audits in small unions.
DOL will provide outreach to union members to promote the objectives of the
LMRDA. DOL will also continue distribution of a publication and program
to advise new unions and new officers about their responsibilities under the
LMRDA. (2.1B)
- DOL will promote the formal voluntary compliance program through
which fiduciaries who have found problems with their plans can seek assistance
and/or approval in taking corrective action. This will particularly
benefit small employers who otherwise might not take the corrective actions
necessary to come into compliance. (2.1C)
- DOL will continue to support cross cutting activities pertaining to
coordinated compliance assistance for small businesses and One-Stop Centers for
education and outreach. (2.1CD)
- DOL will continue to target and investigate pension, health care and
other plan violations where participants are most susceptible to actual loss of
benefits, or populations of plan participants who are potentially
exposed to the greatest risk of falling victim to unlawful conduct. The
solicitor will continue to support PWBAs enforcement efforts by
pursuing litigation to remove bad actors and to make financial recoveries
on behalf of plan participants. (2.1CD)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOL will focus case targeting and management to promote effective use
of investigative resources. DOL will allocate criminal investigative time
to cases with the most prosecutive potential and, where appropriate, redirect
criminal investigative resources to union compliance audits. DOL will
increase the number of compliance audits that are conducted to discover and
correct violations of LMRDA fiduciary safeguards. Beginning in FY 2003,
at least 1 percent of labor organizations subject to the LMRDA will be audited
each fiscal year. (2.1B)
- DOL will further efforts to incorporate in the Internet-based public
disclosure system, union trusteeship reports and reports filed by employers,
consultants, union officers and employees, and surety companies under the
LMRDA. (2.1B)
- DOL will explore means to enhance union transparency, increase
information available to union members, and better inform union members of
their rights. (2.1B)
- DOL will expand its orphan plan project as a means for
safeguarding employee benefits where fiduciaries have abdicated their
responsibilities through neglect, death, bankruptcy, or incarceration
(2.1C).
- Publish and/or update compliance assistance materials for employers,
plan sponsors, and practitioners to inform them about requirements related to,
among other things, the new health laws (2.1D).
- Continue educating employees and employers via the Departments
national health education campaign in conjunction with the many private and
public partners about health benefit issues. (2.1D)
- Via the Departments Benefit Advisors, conduct grassroots
outreach to plan sponsors by proactively seeking out local organizations and
events to distribute printed compliance assistance material and provide
technical assistance (2.1D)
- DOL continues to expand upon its enforcement efforts of the new
health care provisions in Employee Retirement and Income Security Act (ERISA)
to ensure there is compliance with the new health care laws. The
Department continues to refine extensive compliance guides to assist
investigators in review of health plans and a nationwide enforcement project to
conduct investigations of health plans to ensure that workers and their
families are not unjustly denied any protections provided under the new health
care provisions. (2.1D)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
The Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP) serves a cross-cutting
function by coordinating with ESA and other DOL enforcement agencies on
customer/stakeholder feedback to resolve problems and improve agency
operations.
In addition, PWBA and SOL coordinate enforcement, policy, regulatory,
and public information programs with numerous Federal, State, and local
entities in carrying out the Departments ERISA and Federal Employee
Retirement Security Act responsibilities. Under ERISA, DOL/PWBA shares
enforcement responsibilities with the Treasury Department, the IRS, and
DOLs Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Cooperation with
these agencies promotes increased benefit coverage by minimizing regulatory and
administrative burdens, to the extent appropriate, with respect to ERISAs
statutory and regulatory requirements.
Additionally, DOL/PWBA often coordinates enforcement actions with
financial institution regulatory agencies, such as the Comptroller of the
Currency, the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the Securities and
Exchange Commission, State insurance and financial regulatory entities,
DOLs Office of Inspector General, as well as with the enforcement
agencies such as the FBI, US Postal Service, and State and local law
enforcement agencies.
A. |
Make timely and accurate benefit payments to
unemployed workers, facilitate the reemployment of Unemployment Insurance
claimants, and set up Unemployment tax accounts promptly for new
employers. In Fiscal Year 2003:
- Payment Timeliness: 91 percent of all intrastate
first payments will be made within 14/21 days;
- Payment Accuracy: Work to improve payment accuracy
based on the target set in FY 2002;
- Facilitate Reemployment: A target will be set
based on a baseline established during FY 2002 for the entered employment rate
of Unemployment Insurance claimants; and
- Establish Tax Accounts Promptly: 80 percent of new
employers will receive a determination about their Unemployment Insurance tax
liability within 90 days of the end of the first quarter they become liable for
the tax.
|
B. |
Promptly review employer applications for
foreign labor certifications. In Fiscal Year 2003:
- Process 95 percent of employer labor condition applications for
the H-1B professional/specialty temporary program within seven days of receipt;
and
- The average time required in the ETAs Regional Offices to
process applications received under the new PERM process for permanent alien
residency will be reduced to six months.
|
C. |
Increase by 2 percent (to $68 million)
benefit recoveries achieved through the assistance of Pension Benefit
Advisors. |
D. |
Minimize the human, social, and financial
impact of work-related injuries for workers and their families. In FY
2003:
- Decrease by 3 percent from the FY 2001 baseline the average
number of production days lost due to disability in the FECA program for
- United States Postal Service (USPS ) cases
- All other Government cases
- Reduce by 5 percent over the FY 2001 established baseline the
average time required to resolve disputed issues in Longshore and Harbor
Workers Compensation Program contested cases.
- Increase by 4 percent over the FY 2001 established baseline the
percentage of Black Lung benefit claims filed under the revised regulations for
which, following an eligibility decision by the district director, there are no
requests for further action from any party pending one year after receipt of
the claim.
- For Initial Processing of claims for benefits in the Energy
Program:
- 80 percent of claims of Department of Energy (DOE)
employees, or of contractors employed at DOE facilities, are processed within
120 days.
- 80 percent of claims of employees of Atomic Weapons
Employers (AME) and Beryllium Vendors are processed within 180 days.
- For processing of Requests for Hearings in the Energy Program:
- 80 percent of Final Decisions in
Approved Claims or No-Contest Denials are issued within 75 days from issuance
of the Recommended Decision.
- 80 percent of Final Decisions in
Reviews of the Written Record are issued within 75 days of the Request for
Review of Written Record.
- 80 percent of Final Decisions in
Formal Hearings are issued within 250 days of the Request for Hearing.
- Through use of Periodic Roll Management, produce $145 million
in cumulative first-year savings (FY 1999 -2003) in the FECA program.
- Reduce the overall average medical service costs per case
(adjusted for inflation) in the FECA program by .75 percent versus the FY 2000
baseline.
|
E. |
PBGC will provide accurate and timely
payments to the beneficiaries and businesses it serves, including (1)
paying eligible beneficiaries an estimated lump sum payment within one year of
trusteeing the pension plan; (2) minimizing the number of erroneous benefit
payments; (3) beginning accurate benefit payments within 60 to 90 days of
receipt of a completed application; and (4) refunding pension fund overpayments
to businesses within ninety days of a request. |
Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ETA, ESA, PWBA, PBGC
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- To help raise overall first payment timeliness and new status
determination timeliness, DOL will initially ensure that the State Quality
Service Plans of States with performance below the established minimum criteria
have the mandatory corrective action plans to raise performance. DOL will
also urge all other States that are below the 91 percent target to develop
plans leading to quicker claims handling without compromising payment
accuracy. States just meeting the minimum performance criterion (60
percent) for determining new status liability will be encouraged to develop
plans designed to increase timeliness, without compromising the accuracy of
determinations. (2.2A)
- DOL will continue to urge States to use data in the State Directory
of New Hires to limit overpayments due to working while claiming benefits and
detect earlier those which have occurred. (2.2A)
- DOL will provide the system with quarterly reports on State payment
timeliness and State employer tax liability determination timeliness so that
progress can be monitored and problems can be addressed immediately.
(2.2A)
- DOL will monitor functioning of the labor certification application
process, both the web-based and faxed-based, for the H-1B
professional/specialty temporary program on a continuing basis. (2.2B)
- DOL will continue pension and health education campaigns to: 1) raise
public awareness about where to seek assistance about their rights; 2) educate
workers and their employers about health and pension plans; 3) provide
individual technical assistance to workers who have questions about their
health and pension benefits or need assistance in obtaining those benefits; and
4) provide information to employers and plan sponsors about their
responsibilities under the various laws. An informed and knowledgeable
customer (worker or business) is an asset to ensuring compliance with the laws
and will positively impact our efforts at recovering benefits for
participants. (2.2C)
- DOL will develop and refine compliance guides for the public and the
Department's customer service staff to assist them in handling inquiries and
ensure that American workers and their families receive the important
protections afforded under the numerous enacted health care laws.
(2.2C)
- DOL's Quality Case Management strategy employs creative methods and
services to assist recovery and return to work, including early case management
by nurses who coordinate medical treatment and reemployment. Further, the
non-adversarial nature of the FECA program allows DOL to work with Federal
agencies and employee unions to facilitate the return to work process.
(2.2D1, 2.2D7)
- DOL will facilitate returns to work through better oversight of
medical treatment:
- Continue the Quality Case Management Program, in which new injury
cases receive early intervention from nurses allowing case management to begin
at a point when it can be much more effective.
- Actively manage disability cases in the early Continuation of Pay
(COP) period.
- Improve access to expert medical evaluation.
- Communicate more effectively with medical providers, through
better technology and interaction between treating physicians and nurse case
managers.
- Screen cases for appropriateness of medical and pharmacological
treatment, identifying outliers for directed review. (2.2D1,
2.2D7)
- DOL will assess implementing recommendations stemming from the FY
2002 evaluation study of FECA's Early Nurse Intervention program. The
studys objective is to evaluate the Nurse programs support of
FECAs Quality Case Management and return-to-work goals.
(2.2D1)
- Through ESA/OWCP's work with OSHA, DOL will assist Federal agencies
to reduce injuries, improve timely filing of injury reports, and assist injured
workers to obtain benefits and return to work. Specific actions include
conducting periodic conferences, technical assistance or informational meetings
with the agencies, expanding electronic filing of claims documents, and
widening access to OWCP case data and other program information through the
Internet and other automated applications. (2.2D1)
- DOL will continue to provide public recognition of Federal agency
performance to reduce Lost Production Days and improve the timeliness of filing
Notices of Injury. (2.2D1)
- Using the FECA future benefit liability model developed in FY 1999,
DOL will share forecasting information in conjunction with its work with
Federal employing agencies to reduce lost production days. (2.2D1)
- DOL will continue to improve mail intake and document imaging
processes and increasing paperless operations. (2.2D1, 2.2D6, 2.2D7)
- DOL will reach the implementation phases of its automated system
redesign project; redesign features will improve system administration
and management, integrate to a common platform, centralize databases, improve
communications and information access for program customers, modernize medical
bill processing, improve security, and simplify claims work processes. (2.2D1,
2.2D6, 2.2D7)
- DOL will continue multiple broad-based strategies to improve customer
services, gauge customer needs, and measure customer satisfaction in the FECA
program. These include:
- A multi-faceted Communications Redesign initiative, including
upgrade of telecommunications hardware and operation of a central call center,
and improvement of national and district automated call intake systems;
- Focus groups held with Federal agency representatives to assess
agency assistance requirements and improve agency assistance programs;
- A call-back survey of claimant callers to our district offices,
and development of other surveys for various customer groups;
- Measurement of district office performance against nation-wide
standards to ensure a high level of caller access to telephone services, prompt
and accurate responses, professional handling, and high quality. (2.2D1, 2.2D6,
2.2D7)
- DOL will continue to use mediation skills, outreach, telephonic
intervention, and other communication tools to work closely with parties to
contested cases under the Longshore program as a means for reaching quicker
resolution of disputed issues in those cases. (2.2D2)
- DOL will continue to use outreach and technical assistance activities
with all Black Lung program stakeholder communities to promote an atmosphere of
understanding and constructive cooperation in support of fewer challenges to
program adjudication decisions. DOL will also work with Black Lung's
authorized diagnostic provider community to emphasize the need for complete and
accurate medical reports that satisfy program requirements and further support
fewer challenges to program adjudication decisions. (2.2D3)
- DOL will continue building new and improved automated data processing
tools to support the timeliness and quality of Federal employee compensation
case handling, case management, and return to work. (2.2D1, 2.2D6, 2.2D7)
- DOL will continue to improve overall management of the Federal
Employees' Compensation Fund by expanding quality review of medical servicing
and pursuing the redesign and modernization of medical bill payment
processes. Quality review will include centralized prior authorization of
requests for medical treatment, focus reviews to ensure that proper treatment
regimens are followed, bill review to identify duplication or other improper
practices, and reevaluation and development of new treatment guidelines.
(2.2D7)
- DOL will continue to improve fiscal integrity by using fee schedules
to reduce medical, pharmacy and hospital service costs under FECA.
(2.2D7)
- The Periodic Roll Management system will continue to review long-term
cases on the disability roll and reevaluate case status for change in medical
condition and potential for return to work. (2.2D6, 2.2D7)
- DOL will assume responsibility for under-funded defined benefit
pension plans where necessary to ensure that participants pension
benefits are continuously provided. About 3,200 trusteed plans (with over
700,000 participants) will be under PBGCs management in FY 2003. To
manage this workload, PBGC will continue to improve in the delivery of customer
service by listening to customers and assessing ways to better meet their
expectations. (2.2E)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY
2003:
- DOL will work with States to improve benefit payment accuracy and
reemployment by working against targets for payment accuracy and entered
employment target established in FY 2002. States will implement
additional data collection to obtain entered employment data on a continuing
basis and use it to guide their reemployment assistance to Unemployment
Insurance claimants. States will have guidance on the extent and nature
of erroneous denials from denied claim accuracy data (a part of the Benefit
Accuracy Measurement BAM system.) DOL will also provide
States with additional analytical data from BAM on the nature and cause of
overpayments to assist them in crafting better front-end procedures for
preventing overpayments. (2.2A)
- DOL will develop enhancements to existing systems for the early
detection of multi-claimant fraud schemes in cooperation with the states.
(2.2A)
- DOL will initiate a more streamlined system for processing foreign
labor certifications. The process should reduce the time an employer
waits for a Labor Department response on its application from an estimated 24
months to six months (the Immigration and Naturalization Service review takes
additional time). In the new system, DOL regional staff will review
applications; in their review they will rely on employers previous
recruitment efforts to establish the lack of available qualified workers for
the positions to be filled by foreign labor. In the previous procedure,
the State workforce agency first conducted time-consuming advertisements to
confirm that the employer was paying a prevailing wage and that there were no
domestic applicants for the opening, then DOL regional staff completed the
review. (2.2B)
- DOL will implement a data system that will enable tracking and
reporting the time required to complete each application for alien foreign
labor certification. Under the old two-tier system, only the
number of cases on hand was available. The new data system will enable
the process to be managed, not only by the number of cases on hand, but also by
the speed of the service being provided, permitting monitoring of overall
timeliness and the identification of types of applications which require
additional attention. (2.2B)
- DOL will continue to develop new and improved ADP tools to support
the timeliness and quality of Energy Employees Illness Compensation Program Act
(EEOICPA) decisions, benefit delivery, and case management. (2.2D5,
2.2D6)
- DOL will seek to improve financial performance and ensure proper
medical care for injured workers by developing improved processing of Prior
Authorizations before surgery and other medical procedures and development of
Medical Utilization Review (UR). Through UR, FECA will monitor the level
and appropriateness of medical services as related to medical condition.
(2.2D7)
- DOL will inaugurate a new program aimed at timely issuance of
estimated lump sum benefits to eligible participants within one year of
PBGCs trusteeship of the plan. This is in contrast to the three
years now required, and will affect the 40 percent of participants who are
eligible to take their pension benefit in a lump sum. The program will be
developed in FY 2002 and implemented in FY 2003. (2.2E)
- Based on a measure defined, baseline values established, and annual
targets set during FY 2002, DOL will begin to report on the accuracy of
benefits it pays. (2.2E)
- As DOL achieves the performance goal of 95 percent of first benefit
payments within ninety days of completed application, it will also begin to
measure the percentage paid within sixty days. (2.2E)
- To begin to measure improvement in the timeliness of processing
refunds, waivers, and reconsideration requests received from pension
practitioners. (2.2E)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
To fulfill the Departments employee benefit plan responsibilities,
PWBA works with HHS, Treasury, the National Economic Council, the Bureau of
Census, BLS, the Thrift Savings Board, the Solicitors Office, and the
Small Business Administration (SBA). PWBA has established a
Federal-State-local partnership to help employee benefit plan participants who
are at risk, (e.g., dislocated workers) understand not only their rights, but
also how their employment status may affect their pension and health
benefits.
DOL/ESA/OWCP's Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) program
involves every Federal agency in the filing and management of injury
compensation claims, providing services to injured workers, and assisting in
the effective administration of the FECA program. For example, the FECA
program coordinates with the Office of Personnel Management on matters of
benefit elections, and in some specialized claims, with State and local police
agencies on matters of entitlement and benefits. Federal agencies that
undertake special initiatives related to management of their injured employees'
claims work closely with FECA program offices at the national and regional
levels to evaluate best practices. Other efforts improve communication
and cooperation to reduce lost productivity due to workplace injuries.
Through FECA's Agency Query System, the Department provides secure, on-line
information to enable agencies to provide better service to their injured
employees and assist in FECA claims processing and case management. In
new injury cases, the Department assigns nurses to coordinate among injured
workers, agencies, and medical providers to resolve issues and facilitate
recovery and return to work. DOL/ESA/OWCP is working with all Federal
agencies to improve timeliness of injury claims submissions - in part through
expansion of electronic claims submission - and to increase re-employment
opportunities, and has established ongoing measures of agency performance,
which are posted on the Internet.
DOL's OWCP and OSHA work with Federal agencies to reduce new workplace
accident/illness rates, speed the timeliness of reporting new injuries to the
Department of Labor, and reduce lost production days rates. OWCP works
with Federal agencies by intervening in lost time cases, providing case
management, and tracking disability time lost during the Continuation of Pay
period immediately following an injury. DOL measures agencies performance
on its website at http://www.dol-esa.gov/fesii.
DOL tracks and posts detailed agency (sub-agency) performance in terms of
timely injury notice submission. DOL/ESA/OWCP works in tandem with OSHA
and the Office of Disability Employment Policy to help agencies reduce
accidents/illnesses and speed return to work.
DOL/ESA/OWCP has primary responsibility under the Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA), issuing compensation
and medical benefits to eligible applicants, but must also coordinate with
three other Federal departments to ensure the successful administration of this
program. The Department of Energy's Office of Worker Advocacy assists
workers in filing State workers' compensation claims and providing exposure
histories at Federal facilities where covered workers were employed; the
Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for establishing
guidelines and conducting reconstruction of radiation exposures<> which
may be related to a worker's cancer; and the Justice Department is obligated to
notify uranium workers eligible for benefits under the Radiation Exposure
Compensation Act that they may also receive compensation under the energy
workers' program.
Under a memorandum of understanding with the Social Security
Administration (SSA), DOL/ESA/OWCP's Division of Coal Mine Workers'
Compensation administers and monitors benefit payments and provides claims
maintenance services for claims previously approved by SSA.
A. |
Increase the employment, retention, and
earnings replacement of individuals registered under the WIA dislocated worker
program. In Program Year 2003:
- 78 percent will be employed in the first quarter after program
exit;
- 88 percent of those employed in the first quarter after program
exit will be employed in the third quarter after program exit; and
- Those who are employed in the first quarter after program exit
and are still employed in the third quarter after program exit will have 98
percent of their pre-dislocation earnings.
|
B. |
Increase the employment, retention, and
earnings replacement of workers dislocated in important part because of trade
and who receive trade adjustment assistance benefits. In Fiscal Year
2003:
- 78 percent will be employed in the first quarter after program
exit;
- 88 percent of those employed in the first quarter after program
exit will be employed in the third quarter after program exit; and
- Those who are employed in the first quarter after program exit
and are still employed in the third quarter after program exit will earn, on
average, 90 percent of their pre-separation earnings.
|
Means and Strategies
Operating Agency: ETA
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
Context for 2.3A: In PY 2003, the WIA Dislocated Worker
program will be starting its fourth year of operation. The strategic
goals and means of the previous years provide a context for 2003. In PY 2003,
ETA will monitor the states performance and operations, determine which
states are not achieving their performance goals, and provide customized
technical assistance. ETA will also prepare recommendations and reports
regarding the re-authorization of WIA.
This plan builds upon previous years strategies to better serve
workers with strategic partners. The PY 2002 program objectives are: 1)
ensuring timely, accurate, consistent and meaningful financial and performance
data at the program level to facilitate informed management of dislocated
worker program operations at all levels; 2) improving system response to
customer needs; 3) improving wage replacement for dislocated workers; 4)
improving the system of accountability for performance; and 5) strengthening
the One-Stop Centers system and partnerships formed to improve services for
jobseekers and employers.
- DOL will enhance universal access of all dislocated workers to
services available through One-Stop Career Centers by: 1) supporting outreach
to groups of dislocated workers through community-based organizations,
faith-based organizations, organized labor, and other entities, State Rapid
Response units, etc., enlisting their assistance in assessment and referral of
individuals to local One-Stop Career Centers; and 2) expanding access to
services through enhanced use of Internet, telephone and other technologies to
provide a broad spectrum of access points not dependent on a single method or
medium. (2.3A)
- DOL will continue efforts begun in PY 2002 to identify reasons why
dislocated worker jobseekers do not achieve a successful labor market
transition (as defined by WIAs core measures (jobs, retention, earnings,
credential)), and take steps to respond to the findings. (2.3A)
- DOL will continue to invest in engaging private-sector employers both
as customers and partners in the workforce development system, by
communications, conferences, and contractor support to business leads within
the State Workforce Investment Boards. The Department will strive to
improve dislocated worker program services for the business customer by:
- Seeking to ensure that training available in local areas is
directly linked to employer-identified skill shortages, in part by improving
employer participation in the development and use of Eligible Training Provider
Lists in local areas and States;
- Through community audits, sectoral analyses, and other means,
promoting training of dislocated workers in occupational areas identified by
the business community as most in demand;
- Improving the employer-related services provided through Rapid
Response assistance, and
- Increasing employers awareness of the requirements of the
Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act (see second bullet,
part a. below under Significant New or Enhanced Efforts). (2.3A)
- DOL will continue services to dislocated workers who are likely to
exhaust Unemployment Insurance benefits as identified by the Worker Profiling
and Re-employment Services component of the workforce system by improving the
assessment of claimants needs and providing appropriate Wagner-Peyser Act
and WIA Title I re-employment services (e.g., job search workshops, counseling,
referrals to suitable openings) and other needed assistance. (2.3A)
- DOL will improve the validity and quality of the data used to manage
performance of the Trade Act programs by:
- Achieving full reporting and a high standard of accuracy for data
reported in the Trade Act Participant Report (TAPR) through constant review of
State data submissions and by ensuring that participant data systems are part
of the states normal evaluation and monitoring systems;
- Completing training, by the end of fiscal year 2002, for all
states on reporting requirements and data quality standards and providing
targeted technical assistance to correct reporting or data quality problems;
- Updating the TAPR to reflect any new data needs that result from
reauthorization and/or reform of the programs and providing technical
assistance and training to the states as needed; and
- Communicating suitable employment goals to the states and local
offices by the end of fiscal year 2002 so that suitable outcomes are understood
and pursued for each participant at the levels where training and other
services are actually provided. (2.3B)
- DOL will institute measures to increase productivity and reduce
investigation time for petition determinations. These measures will be
aimed at reducing the percentage of investigations that exceed the statutory
time limits and will depend on increases in resources such as contract staff
and/or additional DOL staff for conducting investigations. Instituting
electronic processing of trade petitions and related documents will be a key
approach to achieving the objective of reduced investigation time for petition
determinations. Electronically receiving and transmitting petitions,
company and customer surveys and decision documents to the interested parties
holds the potential to significantly increase the efficiency and timeliness of
the determination process. (2.3B)
- DOL will continue to pursue full integration of the Trade Act
programs into the One-Stop system and the WIA programs by assisting states and
local boards to overcome barriers that stand in the way of increasing the
percentage of Trade Act program participants who are coenrolled in the
dislocated worker program. DOL will also use the Trade Taskforce to
identify opportunities to better integrate the Trade Act programs and the WIA
dislocated worker program. DOL will prepare and deliver training sessions
that will disseminate information and best practices for use by States and
local boards. (2.3B)
- DOL will continue to conduct region-based training sessions for all
TAA/NAFTA-TAA State staff. These sessions provide State staff with all of the
information they need to operate the Trade Act programs effectively,
efficiently, and in accord with the law and the regulations. In addition,
training programs at the State level will be conducted as needed to compensate
for staff turnover and other changes in a particular State. (2.3B)
- DOL will continue to promote the co-enrollment policy in the context
of One-Stop service delivery methods under the Workforce Investment Act. The
Trade Act programs and the Dislocated Worker program under JTPA developed a
policy of co-enrolling eligible dislocated workers in both programs. This
policy aimed to provide benefits and services to workers in a way that neither
program could do alone. (2.3B)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY
2003:
- PY 2003 will be the final year of WIA prior to consideration of its
reauthorization. Objectives for the dislocated worker program in PY 2003
will include improving data quality, improving services to working adults, and
strengthening the One-Stop Center system. Program reviews will focus on
financial and performance accountability and be undertaken in part to identify
promising practices. DOL will encourage States and local areas to explore
means for improving outcomes for a range of dislocated workers, including
individuals with Limited English Proficiency.
- Based upon the input from GAO, the WIA Readiness Teams, partners, and
contractor studies, DOL will complete plans to improve how the program and the
One-Stop system responds to customers needs and to improve the quality
and timeliness of data in performance management systems. This will
assure that the programs can be managed in a more effective, efficient manner,
that more adults will receive appropriate employment and training services, and
that the GPRA employment goals will be met or exceeded.
- Strategies to improve the dislocated worker program components of
participant assessment, case management, eligibility determination, informed
customer choice, and customized and responsive services involve using several
means to assess current practices, identify promising examples, and develop
methods for bridging gaps between current and exemplary practice. Through
collaborative assessments, DOL and State and local partners will determine
appropriate means of improving the aforementioned components, identify key risk
areas, and work intensively with those areas with specific needs.
Demonstration projects will be supported to implement more effective practices
in some states and areas. The reconstituted National Dislocated Worker
Workgroup provides a framework for progress in most of the areas of emphasis,
including increasing the timeliness of employer notices under the Worker
Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and Rapid Response
activities.
By the end of PY 2003, a large majority of States and local
areas will be providing sophisticated customized employment and training
services at One-Stop Centers, through internet web centers, and with business,
community-based, and faith-based partners support. (2.3A)
- The strategy to improve the performance accountability system
will parallel the process to improve the program components. DOL staff in
national and regional offices will monitor the reports timeliness and
validity to determine which states meet the standard level of confidence; for
those states which do not meet the standard, DOL will develop and provide
customized technical assistance to assure they meet the standards. These
efforts will provide a more reliable, valid, and accurate reporting system and
assure more credible reporting to Congress and the public. During PY
2002, a joint workgroup is to review the performance accountability system for
dislocated workers. The groups reports will serve as the basis for
DOL consideration of improvements to the reporting and accountability
systems. Improvements in the timeliness of data are expected to be
implemented late in 2002, for applications in 2003. This menu will include
measures on impact of customers served, broader customer satisfaction,
comparisons benchmarked with related One-Stop Centers and competition.
Potential improvements will be considered for inclusion in the recommendations
for WIA reauthorization to the Congress. If approved and implemented,
these changes will enable the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training
to better measure and justify the programs impact, value, and benefits to
Congress and the publi
The review will include consideration of
One-Stop system measures and measures on impact of customers served, broader
customer satisfaction, comparisons benchmarked with related One-Stop career
centers and competition. To improve the quality of competitive incumbent and
dislocated worker grants, DOL will continue the strategy, begun in the previous
year, to sponsor bidders conferences for 50 percent of
competitive procurements. The workgroups recommended technical
changes to the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training might also be
included in the recommendations for reauthorization to the Congress. The
bidders conferences will be expected to provide better proposals
and later projects to better meet the needs of dislocated and incumbent
workers. All the above require contractor support to
complete. If approved and implemented, these changes will enable
the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training to better measure and
justify the programs impact, value, and benefits to Congress, WIA
stakeholders and the public. (2.3A)
- A strategy to improve the wage replacement rate goal
will consist of following up to activities begun in PY 2002. Research
findings on factors affecting wage replacement rates and promising practices
and policies, developed in the previous year, will be provided to the One-Stop
network and related partners, showcased in national conferences, and available
in guidance from the DOL WIA websites. This will require contractor
support to complete in 2003. The factors will inform DOL and its partners
as we consider the relationship between wage replacement, total compensation,
customer needs, and customer satisfaction. The impact of this strategy
will be to enable State/local program operators to better understand the
interplay between wages and customer satisfaction, to understand effective
approaches to improving wages for dislocated workers, and to more accurately
measure wage outcomes and hence, implement effective approaches to reemployment
for their dislocated worker customers. (2.3A)
- DOL will transition to a system of electronic grant application
filing and program and financial reporting for National Emergency Grants.
The efficiency gained from the electronic filing and abbreviated filing
requirements will enable grant award decisions to be announced within 15 days
of receipt of a complete application. The current processing time
standard is 45 days. Similarly, electronic system will improve the
timeliness with which program and financial data are available thus enabling
improved program monitoring and technical assistance targeting. All NEG
grant application filing will become electronically based in FY 2003.
Implementation of the electronic system is a key DOL e-government
initiative. (2.3A)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
The Department will implement pilot and demonstration projects to
improve local areas ability to understand business and labor market
trends and undertake comprehensive planning for services to dislocated workers
and incumbent workers. For example, DOL will focus on:
- Supporting community audit, incumbent worker and sectoral employment
demonstration projects that develop, collect and analyze information regarding
economic and labor market trends in specific geographic areas, industries, or
sectors. This will improve real-time workforce investment information and
services, prevent dislocations, more effectively target training resources, and
support business growth and worker welfare.
- Continuing to work with the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and
others to support strategies to assist communities in developing comprehensive
economic adjustment strategies to deal with dislocations with community-wide
impact.
DOL also will continue to work in close cooperation with State and local
partners in monitoring and overseeing the workforce development system and with
federal partners in promoting unified planning at the State and local
levels.
The Department will continue to collaborate with other Federal agencies,
including Commerce, Agriculture, HUD, Treasury and SBA, as well as State and
local governments, in programs for economic development and community
adjustment assistance in areas affected by worker dislocations, including
trade-impacted areas. These government entities work with the Community
Adjustment and Investment Program and the North American Development Bank,
created by the implementing legislation for the North American Free Trade
Agreement, to increase business investment opportunities and employment
opportunities for dislocated workers.
DOL will also work across One-Stop partner programs to identify and
eliminate disincentives for co-enrolling individuals in multiple programs, in
order to improve program integration and outcomes for jobseekers.
4.3 DOL Strategic
Goal 3Quality Workplaces
DOL STRATEGIC GOAL 3
QUALITY WORKPLACES Foster quality workplaces that are
safe, healthy, and fair
OUTCOME GOALS:
- Reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities
- Foster equal opportunity workplaces
- Reduce exploitation of child labor, protect the basic rights of
workers, and strengthen labor markets
|
Total Funds for This Goal (in Billions):
$ 0.9 |
$ 1.1 |
$ 1.0 |
$ 1.0 |
$ 1.0 |
$ 0.8 |
$ 0.8 |
$ 0.8 |
FY 1999 |
$ 0.7 |
$ 0.7 |
This strategic goal is aimed at guaranteeing every working American a
safe and healthful workplace with equal opportunity for all. Also, the
Department is committed to protecting workers rights and economic status
and improving the working conditions of children throughout the world.
Department of
Labor programs and agencies with the primary operational responsibility for
achieving this strategic goal include the Employment Standards
Administrations Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health
Administration, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, and the Office of
the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management. In addition,
the Office of the Solicitor, the Womens Bureau, the Office on Disability
Employment Policy, and the Office of the Inspector General provide indirect
support to this strategic goal.
OSHA and MSHA have been reviewing their strategic and performance goals,
measures, and strategies to reflect the focus and priorities of the
Administration. OSHA and MSHA will in FY 2003 continue to expand and refine
compliance assistance and outreach efforts, focusing on the prevention of
workplace injuries and illnesses and directing training programs to the needs
of a 21st Century workforce. The budget request and the annual
performance plans means and strategies represent the evolution of the
Departments compliance assistance and outreach initiatives, and include
building on successes with expert systems, electronic compliance assistance
tools and technology-enabled training, focus on root causes of persistent
safety problems, and on emerging needs identified by compliance assistance
specialists and other front-line staff, in order to provide more direct
assistance to the public.
The ESA performance goals for FY 2003 support the Department's
commitment to the protection of the American workforce in the 21st Century and
ESA's efforts strongly reflect the Department's current areas of
emphasis. The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs goal to
improve the equal employment opportunity performance of Federal contractors
reflects the commitment of the Department to enforce the laws that protect all
American workers and give hope to those individuals who have been denied the
right to a productive, meaningful work life because of their race, gender,
nationality, veterans status, or disability.
The FY 2003 performance goals for the Bureau of International Labor
Affairs (ILAB) support the Department's commitment to the education, training,
and protection of workers and children in developing and transition countries.
As the economies of the world continue to become more interdependent, the
importance of ensuring respect for internationally recognized core labor
standards among countries increases, contributing to the labor dimension of the
trade policy agenda of the U.S. Government. As such, through our support
of efforts to eradicate abusive child labor and to advance workers' protections
and economic status throughout the world, ILAB is contributing to efforts to
increase economic opportunity and security both here and abroad and meet the
challenges of the 21st Century.
The FY 2003 outcome and performance goals for this strategic goal
follow. Detailed information on every performance goal, including
indicator, data source, baseline and explanatory comments, can be found in
Appendix A.
A.
|
Reduce the number of mine fatalities by 15
percent annually, and the nonfatal injury incidence rate by 26
percent below the projected baselines.
|
B. |
Reduce the percentage of respirable coal
dust samples exceeding the applicable standards by 5 percent for designated
occupations, and reduce the percentage of silica dust samples in metal and
nonmetal mines exceeding the applicable standards by 5 percent for high-risk
occupations.
Reduce the percentage of noise exposures above the citation
level in all mines by 5 percent.
Reduce the number of citations/orders for the diesel
particulate matter regulation cited in all mines. |
C. |
Reduce three of the most significant types of
workplace injuries and causes of illnesses by 15 percent annually. |
D. |
|
E. |
Reduce injuries and illnesses (LWDII) by 20
percent in at least 125,000 workplaces where OSHA initiates an
intervention. |
F. |
Decrease fatalities in the construction
industry by15 percent [from baseline], by focusing on the four leading causes
of fatalities (falls, struck-by, crushed-by, and electrocutions and electrical
injuries). |
Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: OSHA, MSHA
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOLs mine safety and health regulatory philosophy and practice
will be refocused to place additional emphasis on accident prevention and
expand existing outreach efforts in the mining community shifting the emphasis
from after-the-fact enforcement to compliance assistance and prevention,
focusing attention on root causes of persistent safety problems and helping
mine workers and operators address these problems. DOL will also direct
informational outreach programs to occupations with a high incidence of
exposures to airborne contaminants and physical agents, with particular
attention to dust, noise and diesel particulates. The Department will focus
attention on areas where sampling indicates excessive dust and noise levels and
will work with operators who are having high exposure problems.
(3.1AB)
- Through our computer infrastructure, DOL will also create Internet
portals to provide miners, mine operators and our State partners with
mine specific accident, injury, illness and compliance information.
Through this system, mine operators will only be able to access data related to
their particular mining operation. Improved access to data will
facilitate the timely development of measures to prevent conditions that cause
hazardous and unhealthy situations. (3.1AB)
- DOL will continue to target workplace exposures, injuries, illnesses
and fatalities in line with its Strategic Plan. OSHA will use its
worksite-targeting program to notify over 13,000 employers with high injury and
illness rates and provide an opportunity for compliance assistance through the
Agencys Consultation Program. Local partnership agreements will be
established. (3.1CF)
- DOL will continue to utilize a variety of compliance assistance,
outreach and cooperative approaches to prevent injuries and illnesses and to
reach small businesses and targeted audiences. Approaches include the
Consultation and Voluntary Protection Programs, electronic software systems,
web-based training, training grants, local partnership agreements, and
field compliance assistance. These efforts will be linked to OSHAs
performance goals in a coordinated, complementary manner. OSHAs
State Consultation providers will be encouraged to target high-priority areas
while serving the unique needs of employersparticularly small employers
in their States. The Voluntary Protection Programswhich involved
583 worksites in FY 2001will identify worksites in the industries and
hazards covered by the Plan; partnership agreements will be processed in these
areas as well. (3.1CF)
- DOL will continue to work with its State plan partners to support the
accomplishment of individual State strategic and annual performance plans,
which align with OSHAs approach under GPRA. The State strategic and
annual performance plans all target reductions in exposures and injuries,
illnesses and fatalities, tailored to each States individual
priorities. (3.1CD, F)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY
2003:
- Currently, DOLs resources devoted to metal and nonmetal mining
operations have been outstripped by the rapid growth of the metal and nonmetal
mining sector. DOL will expand MSHAs existing outreach efforts in
metal and nonmetal mining to provide crucial assistance to operators and miners
in identifying hazards and understanding the requirements for compliance.
(3.1AB)
- To meet the academic and technological challenges of the
21st Century, DOL will implement state-of-the-art-teaching
methodologies, including flexible training such as automated distributed
learning, use of CD and DVD programs at mine sites that provide self-paced
interactive programs with enhanced visual capabilities tailored to accommodate
the mining industry. This training will include safety systems
management, awareness of the latest advancements in mining methods, and a
working knowledge of new mining equipment and will enhance DOLs ability
to effectively enforce the safety standards and advise mine operators in ways
to improve safety conditions. (3.1AB)
- DOL will expand compliance assistance efforts in FY 2003 through
OSHAs Consultation projects and computer-based outreach projects.
The increase for the on-site Consultation program will be directed to State
projects that encourage small, high hazard employers to provide safe and
healthful workplaces through the application of management systems.
Electronic software systems will support electronic compliance assistance
products that use text, illustrations, photographs, and simple animations to
instruct users about occupational hazards, OSHA standards, and recommended
practices in a given industry. (3.1C-F)
- DOL will improve training delivered by OSHA and focus training on the
provision of compliance assistance. DOL will support the continued
development and implementation of the Agency's technology-enabled training
initiative, and core competency training for OSHA staff on the provision of
compliance assistance. OSHA plans to use distance learning technology to
provide training and education assistance to employees and employers rather
than relying solely on traditional methodologies. Given the technological
advances of the past few years, and increased demand for OSHA training, it is
clear that improved training mechanisms will improve training opportunities for
Agency and State staff, and the private sector. Web-based courses will be
developed and offered, and all course materials will be placed on the Intranet
for use by the Agency=s staff in the delivery of
safety and health information to the public. DOL will also develop and
conduct training for Federal and State staff on providing compliance assistance
directly to employers. (3.1C-F)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
Within the Department, OSHA, MSHA, BLS, ESA, and ETA work together to
accomplish performance goals for reducing workplace injuries, illnesses, and
fatalities.
Collaborative efforts to ensure consistency in regulatory actions that
affect workers in both OSHA and MSHA jurisdictions are ongoing. To help the
Department meet its performance goal of reducing illnesses due to silica
exposure and other workplace-related diseases, MSHA and NIOSH have developed
working relationships in several areas, including compliance assistance and
enforcement initiatives across all occupations where overexposure to silica
must be reduced.
As part of the effort to redesign the OSHA injury and illness
recordkeeping system, BLS and OSHA collaborated on the design of the new injury
and illness forms, worked together to assure a smooth transition in the
statistical systems, and coordinated outreach and training efforts. The
agencies standardized data collection forms and limited duplicative data
collections.
ESA and OSHA are working together to make the safety and health of every
Federal worker a central value in Federal workplaces and to ensure that, when
injuries do occur, Federal employees are given the best possible care and are
returned to work as quickly as possible. The joint initiative includes
numerical goals for Federal agencies to measure progress on the objectives of
reducing workplace injuries and illnesses, reducing the average duration of
time away from work due to work injuries, and speeding the return to work.
OSHA is coordinating efforts with ETA to assist the Laborers
International Union in developing an anthrax biohazard training
curriculum. ETA awarded a training grant to the Laborers to develop the
training with OSHAs assistance. At first, the Laborers
certified waste workers will use the curriculum to upgrade their skills.
Later, the curriculum will be used by other organizations, including OSHA, to
train workers in the safe removal of biochemical agents.
As a result of the recent terrorist attacks, OSHA continues to work
closely with a number of Federal agencies to protect workers who are exposed to
potential biological and chemical hazards that may be introduced to the
workplace, such as anthrax. OSHA efforts with the U.S. Postal Service,
the CDC, the FBI, EPA, and FEMA resulted in an informational matrix that
provides guidance to employers about how to protect their workers against these
types of exposures. At the massive cleanup operations underway at the
World Trade Center, the CDC, NIOSH, EPA, and OSHA closely monitor exposures to
minimize health risks from a variety of substances, including lead and
silica.
OSHA coordinated with the Department of Transportation and others
to help identify and remove potential risks to road construction workers, who
are exposed to safety and health hazards that often lead to serious physical
harm and death. Roadway workers face hazards from crane use, trench
activities, falls from heights, lead exposure and silica exposure; the majority
of fatalities involve workers struck by motorists and construction
vehicles. As a result of this coordination, OSHA has updated its
construction standards that deal with workzone safety. The OSHA standards are
now consistent with the Department of Transportations Manual on
Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
Realizing the need to reach out to the small business community, OSHA is
working with the SBA, and in particular with the SBAs Office of
Advocacy. OSHA offers many resources designed specifically for smaller
employers and has rewritten its Handbook for Small Businesses to incorporate
suggestions made by the SBA. OSHAs Web Page for small businesses
provides one‑stop shopping for the most popular materials for small
businesses from free on‑site consultation, to interactive computer
software, to technical information and easy‑to‑follow guides for
specific OSHA standards. It also includes links to local OSHA offices and
to the SBA.
MSHA and OSHA work closely with the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is responsible for conducting research on
occupational safety and health issues. One of the disadvantages that both
agencies face as they seek to reduce the risk of occupational illness is a lack
of good, solid data that ties specific illnesses to specific workplace
conditions. To correct that shortcoming, MSHA and OSHA coordinate their
research requests to NIOSH in order to obtain more current data from a broader
array of industries. OSHA and MSHA also participate in the establishment of
NIOSHs National Occupational Research Agenda. NIOSH continues to
provide research assistance that helps identify work processes where silica
exposures occur.
Several other
Federal agencies have safety and health responsibilities which overlap those of
OSHA, MSHA, and ESA, including the U.S. Coast Guard (for protection of workers
in industries dealing with water safety), the Federal Aviation Administration,
and the Federal Railroad Administration, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Through the use of memoranda of understanding and other interagency agreements,
MSHA, OSHA, and ESA continue to work toward eliminating duplication and
minimizing overlap of activities.
In recent
years, OSHA has also expanded the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) to include
Federal agency sites Federal agencies with sites participating in the VPP
include NASA, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Department of Defense.
A. |
Federal contractors achieve equal opportunity workplaces
as indicated by:
- Improving the equal employment opportunity performance of
federal contractors and subcontractors within industries where data indicate
the likelihood of equal employment opportunity problems is greatest.
In FY 2003, contractors in SIC Group 50 and SIC Group 87 that participate in
specified DOL/OFCCP compliance assistance activities and are subsequently
evaluated will have:
- Better EEO performance in selection system evaluations as
indicated by less severe Case Management Systems (CMS) closure types than
contractors in SIC Groups 50 and 87 that did not participate in specified
DOL/OFCCP compliance assistance activities. In FY 2003 ESA/OFCCP will
improve by an additional one (1) percent the rate of compliance findings over
the baseline for SIC 50 and SIC 87, for a cumulative improvement of two
(2) percent.
- Better EEO performance in selection system evaluations as
indicated by less severe violations or deficiencies than contractors in SIC
Groups 50 and 87 that did not participate in specified DOL/OFCCP compliance
assistance activities. In FY 2003 ESA/OFCCP will reduce by an additional
one (1) percent the rate of findings of severe violations from the baseline for
SIC 50 and SIC 87, for a cumulative reduction of two (2) percent.
- Better EEO performance in selection system evaluations as
indicated by evaluation type than contractors in SIC Groups 50 and 87 that did
not participate in specified DOL/OFCCP compliance assistance activities.
In FY 2003 DOL/OFCCP will increase by an additional one (1) percent the rate of
focused and offsite compliance evaluation types over the baseline for SIC 50
and SIC 87, for a cumulative improvement of two (2) percent.
- Improving the equal employment opportunity performance of
federal contractors and subcontractors that have had prior contact with
DOL/OFCCP through evaluations, outreach, or technical assistance.
In
FY 2003, contractors and subcontractors that are selected for evaluation,
outreach, or compliance assistance activities will have:
- Better EEO performance in selection system evaluations as
indicated by less severe CMS closure types than contractors that did not have
prior contact with DOL/OFCCP. In FY 2003 DOL/OFCCP will improve by an
additional one (1) percent the rate of compliance findings over the baseline
for all supply and service closures, for a cumulative improvement of two (2)
percent.
- Better EEO performance in selection system evaluations as
indicated by less severe violations or deficiencies than contractors that did
not have prior contact with DOL/OFCCP. In FY 2003 DOL/OFCCP will reduce
by an additional one (1) percent the rate of findings of severe violations from
the baseline, for a cumulative reduction of two (2) percent.
- Better EEO performance in selection system evaluations as
indicated by evaluation type than contractors that did not have prior contact
with DOL/OFCCP. In FY 2003 DOL/OFCCP will increase by an additional one
(1) percent the rate of focused and offsite compliance evaluation types over
the baseline for a cumulative improvement of two (2) percent.
|
B. |
States that receive financial assistance under
the Workforce Investment Act provide benefits and services in a
nondiscriminatory manner as evidenced by:
- Positive change in access to benefits and services for persons
with disabilities
- Increased use of techniques for voluntary resolution of
complaints to achieve prompt results.
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Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ESA, OASAM
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOL will continue to expand its compliance assistance plan efforts
and continue its fair and balanced enforcement program with the tiered
compliance evaluation strategy. For all contractors and subcontractors
selected for compliance evaluations (including compliance checks, off-site
review of records, focused reviews, full compliance evaluations and complaint
investigations) , DOL/OFCCP will provide compliance assistance before, during
and after the particular evaluation event. In addition, targeted
contractors and subcontractors will receive compliance assistance outside the
evaluation process. (3.2A)
- DOL will continue to conduct compliance evaluations and complaint
investigations under all DOL authorities, including Executive Order 11246,
Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and 38 U.S.C. 4212 of the Vietnam Era
Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA). In this manner, DOL/OFCCP will
enhance its compliance evaluations for supply and service contractors and
subcontractors, individuals with disabilities, and special and disabled
veterans. (3.2A)
- DOL will utilize performance measurements and indicators to enable it
to focus compliance and technical assistance efforts to meet the goal
established in FY 2002. DOL/OFCCPs Strategic Formulation Team and
Executive staff will monitor program efforts. (3.2A)
- DOL will continue promotion of industry best practices in EEO and
anti-discrimination programs by acknowledging employer efforts with the
Exemplary Voluntary Efforts Award, the Secretarys Opportunity Award, the
Exemplary Public Interest Contribution Award, and the Industry Liaison Group
Award. (3.2A)
- DOL will enhance customer service through interactive and personal
public education and technical assistance training for stakeholder
organizations. (3.2A)
- DOL will continue to disseminate model employer recruitment practices
and will assist contractors in identifying resources for recruiting qualified
individuals with disabilities, protected veterans, women, and minorities.
Such resources may include, but not be limited to, the nationwide network of
One-Stop Centers established by the Workforce Investment Act. (3.2A)
- The effectiveness of the various components of existing compliance
assistance materials will be evaluated, and changes or modifications to
compliance assistance materials will be made as required to increase
effectiveness or to reflect special needs or issues for an industry. (3.2A)
- OASAMs Civil Rights Center (CRC) external compliance assistance
will focus on two major cities - Miami, and New York. In 2002,
statistical data on the number of One-Stop Centers will collected, compliance
review timetable of One-Stop Center reviews will be developed, and One-Stop
Accessibility review guide designed. In 2003, the CRC will conduct
technical assistance reviews of a representative sample of One-Stop Centers in
the LWIAs of New York City and Miami, using the review guide to determine the
extent of compliance with Federal laws and regulations on programmatic and
physical accessibility for persons with disabilities. Where significant
non-compliance is identified, compliance assistance training will be provided
to the LWIAs subsequent to the reviews. In 2004, follow-up compliance
reviews will be conducted to determine whether barriers identified prior to the
compliance assistance training have been addressed. As part of the technical
assistance reviews, CRC seek to identify best practices and establish a
repository that will be place on CRC website and shared with the DOL
financially assisted State-level administered Workforce Investment Act (WIA)
programs. (3.2B)
- CRC will work with the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
to use research collected by ODEP on WIA State plans to assist in formulating
the technical assistance review plans. (3.2B)
- During 2003, CRC will request that all States provide copies of
complaint logs for the entire State. This data will be used to establish
baseline data for a longitudinal study on the resolution of complaints to
determine the utilization rate of ADR over the customary investigation process.
(3.2B)
- Although ADR training has been provided to State-level Equal
Opportunity Officers more may be needed to enhance skills at the LWIA
level. Based on the analysis of the method of complaint resolution, in
2003, CRC will provide supplemental ADR training to the LWIAs in the States of
New York and Florida on the use of alternative dispute resolution. This
compliance assistance is intended to increase skill level of staff responsible
administering the complaint process, and increase the proportion of complaints
resolved through ADR to a level greater than the 2002 baseline
year. The longitudinal study will span through FY 2004. (3.2B)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOL/OFCCP will examine new methods for increased utilization of
technology to enhance program quality, availability and interaction with
federal contractor community. (3.2A)
- DOL/OFCCP will provide targeted industries and other Federal
contractors with compliance assistance. (3.2A)
- Effectiveness of compliance assistance will be measured by comparing
compliance evaluation outcomes between those industry establishments that
received assistance and those that did not. (3.2A)
A. |
Reduce exploitative child labor by promoting international efforts
and targeting focused initiatives in selected countries to include these
objectives:
- Number of children in developing countries targeted for
prevention and/or removal from child labor, particularly its worst forms (as
defined in ILO Convention 182), through the funding of new DOL-IPEC programs.
(Target to be established Fall 2002 in consultation with ILO/IPEC)
- Number of children in developing countries prevented or removed
from exploitative work through the implementation of ongoing DOL-IPEC programs.
(Target to be established Fall 2002 in consultation with ILO/IPEC)
- Number of families provided with training and/or
income-generating alternatives to reduce their reliance on child labor and
encourage childrens school attendance, through on-going DOL-IPEC
programs. (Target to be established Fall 2002 in consultation with
ILO/IPEC)
- Establish baseline for a rate of drop out for children placed
in educational settings through DOLs Education Initiative.
- Through DOLs Education Initiative, an increase in the
persistence to end of school year or end of program in target schools in areas
with a high incidence of child labor.
|
B. |
Improve living standards and conditions of work
for workers in developing and transition countries
- Number and percent of relevant government officials and members
and officials of workers and employers organizations who are
influential in determining living standards and working conditions and
participating in USDOL project activities, who consider the project to have
improved their conditions of work. Target: To be determined following
collection of baseline data by September 2002.
- Number and percent of individuals whose economic situation has
benefited from USDOL project assistance. Target: To be
determined following collection of baseline data by September 2002.
(A
workers economic situation has improved if the individual: received an
increase in wages, income or employment benefits, or improved their potential
for increases in wages, income, employment benefits)
- Number and percent of workplaces exposed to USDOL project
assistance that have implemented new measures to prevent workplace accidents
and illnesses. Target: To be determined following collection of baseline
data by September 2002.
- Number of workers participating in pension funds that are
government regulated by project partner agencies. Target: To be
determined following collection of baseline data by September 2002.
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Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ILAB
Sustained Efforts in FY 2003:
- DOL activities in FY2003 will continue to support technical
assistance programs through the International Labor Organizations
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor. By the end of FY 2002,
DOL will have funded ILO/IPEC projects totaling over $150 million. These
include national timebound programs to eliminate the worst forms of
child labor, sector-specific projects to eliminate hazardous or exploitative
child labor, and statistical surveys on child labor. DOL will continue to
support ongoing IPEC efforts in countries that are committed to addressing the
problem of child labor, helping reduce the incidence of child labor around the
world, educating the public and policy-makers about this issue, and advocating
and enhancing the worldwide movement against abusive child labor. These
activities will reinforce the ILOs campaign to prioritize action against
the worst forms of child exploitation. (3.3A)
- DOL will continue to conduct research and publish reports dealing
with child labor exploitation and techniques for reducing its incidence around
the world in order to educate the public and policy-makers. (3.3A)
- Through the Education Initiative, DOL will continue to support
innovative projects that provide access to basic education as a means to combat
child labor. The Education Initiative will fund projects in additional
countries that strengthen the education components of IPEC projects, as well as
independent projects that test innovative approaches to improve educational
quality and relevance for children removed from child labor. The projects
will be implemented in various regions of the world where child labor is a
significant problem. Among the issues that these projects will address
are how to improve remedial and transitional education for children removed
from child labor; how to best mainstream children into the formal education
system and increase retention rates; how to raise quality and relevance in
non-formal and formal education settings; how to provide life skills and
school-to-work transitions for children near legal working age; and how to
improve the sustainability of these efforts. (3.3A)
- Promote appropriate consideration of core labor standards in each
bilateral or multilateral trade agreement negotiated by the United States.
(3.3B)
- Identify needs and establish programs for technical assistance, as
appropriate, to promote core labor standards in countries that benefit from
U.S. trade preference programs. (3.3B)
- DOL will continue to work to promote improved living standards and
conditions of work for workers through strategically targeted technical
assistance to key developing and transition countries. DOLs
partnership with the International Labor Organization (ILO) to assist
interested countries to implement core labor standards will continue as will
its work to strengthen social safety nets, carried out in partnership with
other DOL agencies, and other organizations. DOL will continue to work
closely with U.S. embassies and USAID missions abroad to ensure that DOLs
projects are supportive of the broader U.S. Government country strategy and
fully complement the assistance efforts of USAID and other USG agencies. (3.3B)
- DOL will continue to improve its capacity to report on the
achievement of its GPRA goal and to monitor and evaluate the performance of its
international projects through the systematic collection and reporting of
indicator data, and evaluation of projects at their mid-term and
conclusion. In an effort to replicate project successes, the
lessons learned and best practices from our existing projects are being
assessed and compiled for publication in an ILAB project handbook. (3.3 A and
B)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2003:
- With additional funding in FY 2003 for ILO/IPEC, DOL will expand its
support for targeted projects, including the funding of new timebound programs
aimed at eliminating the worst forms of child labor. (3.3A)
- In selected countries the Education Initiative will conduct
assessment and impact evaluation studies with partners such as USAID and the
World Bank on the links between child labor and education. These studies
will document lessons learned and best practices to assist in the design of
future education projects to benefit children removed from work. (3.3A)
- With the ILO/IPEC and other partners, DOL will conduct a series of
outreach efforts through which education experts and practitioners will share
lessons and experiences gained in projects to educate children removed from
child labor. These activities will help to build networks of educators
working on the special challenges of educating children removed from work.
(3.3A
- DOL will conduct program evaluations of the effectiveness,
efficiency, and relevance of their child labor projects. These
evaluations will also address the sustainability of the impact of these
projects and help draw valuable lessons learned. (3.3A)
- In FY 2003, DOLs technical cooperation program will place
greater emphasis on supporting the Administrations trade policy
agenda. This will be demonstrated in two ways: 1) by promoting
appropriate consideration of core labor standards in each bilateral or
multilateral trade agreement negotiated by the United States; and 2) by
identifying needs and establish programs for technical assistance, as
appropriate, to promote core labor standards in countries that benefit from
U.S. trade preference programs. DOL will work closely with the
other main USG agencies involved in international trade policy--United States
Trade Representative, and Departments of State, Commerce and Treasury--to carry
out this new initiative. (3.3B)
Cross-Cutting Programs and Issues
DOL works closely with the International Labor Organization (ILO),
American Embassies abroad, the Department of State, the Agency for
International Development (USAID), the U.S. Trade Representative, and the
Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Commerce, Treasury, and
Education to assure that technical assistance in support of our program goals
is strategically targeted at the most appropriate countries and to assure
coordination and avoid duplication of effort.
On child labor issues, DOL works closely with the ILOs
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) to develop
projects to reduce the incidence of abusive child labor and develop educational
opportunities for children. In the development of certain projects, DOL
works with U.S. and foreign industry and labor representatives and
non-governmental organizations to ensure that programs are effective and
credible.
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