The Pipeline Program initiative (a transitional return to work strategy) is a collaborative initiative designed to assist agencies in recognizing and capturing the contributions of skilled employees recovering from on the job injuries. Additionally, it promotes a work environment that motivates and drives commitment, resulting in a contribution of value to the organization's stakeholders.
From a cost benefit analysis perspective, the Pipeline Program initiative mitigates the impact that large contingents of injured workers' have on an agency's fiscal budget. The Program also denotes a revolutionary commitment and investment in human capital (injured workers) by DoD agencies and installations to retain valuable education and skills that are often lost to an injured workforce.
The Pipeline Program enables DoD installations to overcome reemployment issues involving injured DoD civilian employees, such as budget and complement constraints by providing funding for salaries and benefits, and over hire authority for the first year of reemployment. Pipeline provides an installation with the ability to integrate these injured workers back to full employment while effectively reducing lost production days during the recovery period; supporting the Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment (POWER) Initiative established by President Obama in FY10. Under this initiative, each executive department and agency is expected to improve its performance in seven areas. Some of these areas are the same or similar to the SHARE Initiative, which expired in 2009. The POWER Initiative is slated to last through the end of FY 2014. The program also has a positive effect on mission readiness and preparedness, while allowing injured workers to contribute to that mission and improve their quality of life.
Funds are reallocated from DoD Component budgets to a specific fund in the Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service (DCPAS) budget. The Deputy Under Secretary for Civilian Personnel Policy (CPP) monitors and oversees the program to ensure compliance and results. DCPAS Injury & Unemployment Compensation (ICUC) Branch manages the program to ensure appropriate return-to-work processes are performed.
The hiring installation is responsible for Full Time Equivalent (FTE) allocation and funding after one year from the date the employee begins an approved Pipeline position. Normal attrition allows Installations to use vacated FTE positions, and associated funds to cover expenses of Pipeline employees after Pipeline funding is expended.
Since December 2004, more than 130 DoD installations have tapped into Pipeline funding offering more than 1,000 injured workers the opportunity to return to work, realizing a potential lifetime cost avoidance (LCA) of more than $803 million. Program specific potential cost avoidance metrics are based upon the insurance company life expectancy index of 75 years.
