2016 Annual Report

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ContentsLetter from the Director III-IVReal Jobs RI 1-2Income Support 3-9

Unemployment Insurance 3-4WorkShare 4RESEA Program 4Federal Claims 5Integrity Programs 5-6

Temporary Disability Insurance 7-8Police Officers’ Relief Fund and Firefighters’ Relief Fund 8-9

Workforce Development 10-16Job Search Technology 10-11netWORKri One-Stop Career Centers 11Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act 12Trade Adjustment Assistance 12Veterans’ Service Unit 13Senior Community Service Employment Programs 14Youth Initiatives 14RI Works 15Business Workforce Center 15Rapid Response 15Work Opportunity Tax Credit 16Foreign Labor Certification and Migrant Seasonal Farm Workers 16

Labor Market Information 17-18Workers’ Compensation 19-21

Education Unit 19Fraud and Compliance Unit 20John E. Donley Rehabilitation Center 20-21

Workforce Regulation and Safety 22-24Labor Standards 22Professional Regulation 22-23State Apprenticeship Agency 23Occupational Safety 24

Legal Division 25Budgetary Expenditures 26Map of Offices 27Departmental Directory 28

II

III

Job Number One: Investing in the Potential of People and Employers

Since her first day in office, Gov-ernor Raimondo has been very clear about the Department of La-bor and Training’s imperatives:

• Job No. 1 is for DLT to devise and deliver programs that in-vest in both the potential of Rhode Island workers and the competitiveness of Rhode Is-land employers.

• The governor wants DLT to help stop the “brain drain”— keeping our best and bright-est young Rhode Islanders right here where they belong —through skills training that gives them a fair shot at good-paying jobs and a path to the middle class.

• And the governor insists that we run efficient, responsive, and customer-centered benefit programs that work better for both claimants and taxpayers.

I can report with confidence that DLT made good progress in 2016.

Real Jobs RIFor starters, through the gov-

ernor’s central job-training pro-gram, Real Jobs RI, DLT partnered with hundreds of employers in 26 partnerships spanning 10 eco-nomic sectors to start connecting a supply of trained, skilled work-ers with businesses and industries demanding these very skills. This is the essence of a “demand driven” program. Real Jobs RI lets employ-ers identify their own skills needs,

develop their own job-training so-lutions, and collaborate with what-ever partners they need—trainers and educators, labor unions, or nonprofit organizations—to train workers for open positions.

By the close of 2016, 232 Rhode Island workers—the vast majority of whom were unemployed be-forehand — got jobs through Real Jobs training that was developed and implemented to fill specific skill gaps. At the same time, em-ployers used Real Jobs RI to “up-skill” nearly 300 more of their exist-ing workers.

Although there were advances in partnerships across all of Real Jobs RI, I’d like to highlight our work in a partnership called Pipelines to Manufacturing Careers in Ship-building. It’s led by one of Rhode Island’s most important employ-ers, General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB, or simply, EB), and its goal is simple yet extraordinarily chal-lenging. In order for EB to meet its considerable ship-building com-mitments to the US Navy over the next 10 years, EB’s Quonset Point facility needs to hire hundreds of trained and skilled carpenters, electricians, machinists, pipefitters, sheet metal workers, ship fitters, and welders immediately.

Over many months, the Real Jobs RI staff spent many, many hours with the EB human resources team learning the EB culture, clearly identifying hiring needs, and to-gether coming up with a solution.

In July, DLT and EB presented it to the governor members of the Con-gressional Delegation.

As part of the plan, EB opened maritime metalworking, shipfit-ting, and welding programs at six career and technical education (CTE) locations—Chariho, Coven-try, Cranston, the Providence Ca-reer and Technical Academy, War-wick, and the William M. Davies Jr. Career and Technical High School —for a total enrollment of about 180 students in 2016 and 180 more in 2017. Eventually, and with the RI Department of Education’s con-tinued partnership, we anticipate that about 350 students will gradu-ate annually from CTE programs in marine industries, as the programs expand to all career-technical cen-ters and schools across the state.

Another critical piece was run-ning a pilot program through which job applicants who passed EB’s screening tests and obtained the appropriate security clearanc-es but who were not trained for the occupations EB needs to fill were hired, contingent on their being trained at the Community College of Rhode Island and New England Institute of Technology, and receiv-ing passing grades on that training.

Typically, marine trades training lasts about 12 weeks. In 2016, EB hired 44 out of 45 workers using our “post-employment training model.” We have bigger plans in store.

continued

IV

‘I Got the Job!’In early 2016, DLT partnered with

the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce on a demand-driven workforce development initiative that launched Skills for Rhode Is-land’s Future (Skills RI). Much like Real Jobs RI, Skills RI starts by ad-dressing the unmet hiring needs of businesses from across the state by matching up highly qualified indi-viduals from the pool of displaced workers—Rhode Islanders cur-rently collecting unemployment benefits or whose unemployment benefits have expired but remain unable to find suitable employ-ment.

By partnering closely and learn-ing employers’ pain points, Skills RI recruits and matches candidates with vacancies, and then prepares candidates through a variety of transitional services to ensure suc-cess once they get their foot in the door—all at no cost to the em-ployer or the job seeker. Skills RI is becoming known as a resource to many HR departments across the state and can be particularly help-ful to smaller businesses lacking HR support staff.

Notably, Skills RI has become a trusted talent source for Real Jobs RI partner, General Dynamics Electric Boat, helping place highly skilled tradespeople at EB’s Quon-set Point facility.

For a worker who has been a key contributor at the same company for 20 or more years, a layoff can be

Investing in the Potential, continued doubly devastating because along with the loss of a job, they may not be ready for the difficulty of the job market, may have never needed a résumé, or aren’t comfortable fill-ing out online applications. Eric Barrientos was in this unfortunate situation after he was unexpect-edly laid off from his longtime job as a plumber.

A married father of four, Eric worked a series of temp jobs in order to support his family. He heard about a Skills RI hiring fair and showed up at the West War-wick Public Library dressed in a suit and ready to learn about EB. After interviewing him, Skills RI quickly recognized that Eric’s plumbing skills and experience could trans-late ideally into a pipefitter posi-tion, one of the critical marine trade occupations that EB must fill at Quonset Point. (Other essential, unfilled positions include welders, millwrights, sheet metal workers, electricians, and CNC machinists.)

After Skills RI helped with job and résumé-writing coaching, Eric ap-plied at EB—and immediately was hired, making $15.75 an hour with full benefits and career growth op-portunities. Now he’s undergoing training for his new role, feeling fulfilled, and feeling hopeful.

“With Skills for Rhode Island’s Future, we have that missing link to make the direct connection be-tween the workers we are training and the businesses that are hiring,” the governor said. “The best words I can hear are ‘I got the job!’—I want every Rhode Islander to be able to

say that. And the best way to make this a reality is to train job seekers for work that actually exists.”

Customer Service Turnaround

DLT was very pleased to host Governor Raimondo at an event in August at which she recognized the staff of the Unemployment In-surance (UI) program for having reduced call waiting times by 63 percent during the summer peak claim period versus the same peak period in 2015. The UI Call Center’s customer service turnaround high-lighted the benefits of the Lean Government Initiative, which the governor implemented early in her term.

“In order to grow our economy, we need to stay constantly focused on making government work bet-ter for taxpayers and people who count on our services,” the gover-nor said.

In the months ahead, DLT will keep on working to help Rhode Is-land workers and companies build a resilient, 21st century economy.

Sincerely,

Scott R. JensenDirectorRI Department of Labor and Training

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Under the leadership of Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Rhode Island has begun transforming state-wide workforce development into a more nimble system guided by employer demand. Working back-wards from employer demand en-sures that Rhode Island job seekers receive training and services that are aligned with in-demand occu-pations and actual, ‘real’ job open-ings. Real Jobs RI is a grant pro-gram and policy platform designed to support this strategy.

As the state’s key workforce de-velopment initiative, Real Jobs RI creates strategic industry and re-gional partnerships to train work-ers on a timeline set by business needs. Flexibility and innovation are defining characteristics of this program. Real Jobs Partnerships are driven by employers from the state’s most critical industries in-cluding healthcare, manufacturing, marine trades and defense. Part-nerships also include other entities such as colleges and universities, training providers, public entities, non-profits, and community-based organizations, among others.

After developing and launching the program in 2015, the RI Depart-ment of Labor and Training’s five-person Real Jobs RI team spent the better part of 2016 working with grantees to implement their

Real Jobs RIpartnerships’ plans. The level of employer input and design is what sets Real Jobs RI apart and is one of the reasons it was termed one of “the nation’s most extensive sector workforce development strategies” at the National Skills Coalition’s State Workforce and Education Alignment Project (SWEAP) Con-ference in November 2016. Under Real Jobs RI, proposals must show substantial employer involvement to be eligible for funding.

Year One performance met high expectations. There were 277 incumbent workers who were upskilled to help RI businesses increase or maintain their competi-tiveness, and 232 Rhode Island-ers obtained new employment through training that was specifi-cally designed to address employ-er skill gaps.

In addition to direct training not-ed in the chart below, a number of long-term systems changes were implemented in the education and workforce development network, and funded through the Real Jobs RI program, including:

• Development of a new Banking and Commercial lending cur-riculum at URI;

• Development of new rapid Cy-ber-Security certification pro-grams at CCRI;

• Development of a Community Health Worker certification pro-gram at RIC;

• Institution of new Career and Technical Education programs in Maritime Trades across the state; and

• The development of a Biomedi-cal Equipment Technician Ap-prenticeship program.

Another unique feature of the Real Jobs RI program is the staff’s agile coordination with industry partners. Real Jobs RI operates much like the cooperative agree-ment model used by the federal government to guide and ensure programming success. If a partner-ship faced recruitment challenges, Real Jobs RI could connect them with referral sources to generate a stream of job seekers. If a partner-ship needed additional training resources or assistance design-ing curriculum, staff could coordi-nate with training providers and community colleges to deliver a helping hand. This deep level of involvement promotes program success and closely monitors tax-payer investment.

A good illustration of the prog-ress made in Year One is the De-fense Industry partnership. As a larger employer who is critical not only to Rhode Island’s economy,

continued

Real Jobs RI Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Incumbent Workers Upskilled through RJRI-sponsored Training 277 N/A

Individuals Who Obtained New Employment via RJRI-sponsored Training 232 N/A

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but also the nation’s defense pos-ture, Electric Boat and its suppliers not only require specialized skill-sets in welding and ship fitting, but also impose stringent human resource requirements such as background screenings and drug tests before employment can be offered. Through 2016, Real Jobs RI successfully recruited, trained and placed 34 welders and machinists with Electric Boat through a co-operative model whereby Electric Boat assists with the selection of candidates up-front, after which the program provides resources for training.

This inaugural success was lever-aged to secure federal resources. On November 18, 2015, the Gover-nor, Senators Jack Reed and Shel-don Whitehouse and US Repre-

Real Jobs RI, continued sentatives Jim Langevin and David Cicilline announced the award of six million dollars to help train up to 1,000 Rhode Islanders over the next four years in four Real Jobs RI partnerships that both focus on advance manufacturing skills and contribute to the defense sector. The RI Governor’s Workforce Board will receive the funds from the US Department of Labor and Train-ing’s America’s Promise Job Driven Grant program. This funding will accelerate workforce training for the defense industry in Rhode Is-land, largely through a strong part-nership with Electric Boat, its sup-pliers and related companies.

“This is good news for the state and we commend Governor Rai-mondo and her team for putting together a successful application,” said members of the RI Congressio-

nal delegation in a joint statement. “This program will help boost the number of skilled workers here in Rhode Island who are ready for high-demand jobs in a number of industries.”

“Rhode Islanders have always been willing and eager to make an investments in themselves,” said Governor Raimondo. “This Ameri-ca’s Promise grant will expand the Real Jobs RI program and prepare hundreds of Rhode Islanders for the advanced manufacturing jobs we’re creating in our state. Thanks to the partnership from our con-gressional delegation and DLT Di-rector Scott Jensen’s leadership, Rhode Island’s advanced industry economy is growing more quickly than any state in New England.”

With Year One under its belt, and the potential to add additional em-

ployers in more of Rhode Island’s largest and/or growing industries, Real Jobs RI is progressing in its mission to help over 3,500 Rhode Islanders to con-nect to employment and advance in their careers.

More on Real Jobs RI may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/realjobs or email-ing the team at dlt.real-jobs@dlt.ri.gov.

RJRI Sector Partnership Convener

Defense Industry

Financial Industry

Hospitality Industry

Marine Trades Industry

Manufacturing Industry

Strategic Partners, such as: Two- and Four-Year Institutions of Higher Education Local Governments Local Workforce Boards Economic Development Entities Industry Associations Labor Unions K-12 Programs Philanthropic Groups Nonprofits Community-Based Organizations

Defense Finance

Hospitality

MarineTrades Manufacturing

...strategic industry-led partnerships that collaborate around a common industry.

are corralled into...

Loosely coordinated workforce development efforts

KEY

Governor’sWorkforce Board

ProgramsAdult

Education

WIA/WIOAPrograms

CCRI

RIC

TANFPrograms

URI

Career andTechnicalEducation

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Income SupportThe Division of Income Support

insures RI workers against tempo-rary loss of income due to unem-ployment or an inability to work

due to a non-work-related illness or injury. Support programs in-clude Unemployment Insurance (UI), Temporary Disability Insur-

ance (TDI), Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) and the Police Of-ficers’ and Firefighters’ Relief Funds.

Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a federal/state insurance pro-gram financed solely by employers through payroll taxes.

UI may provide temporary in-come support to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and have earned suffi-cient wages within a specific “base period.” Up to 26 weeks of benefits may be available to job seekers who qualify for the program.

In 2016, approximately 31,950 RI employers paid federal and state taxes to finance the state’s Employ-ment Security Trust Fund.

To initiate a claim, an individual must submit an application on-line or over the telephone. Once a claim is approved, applicants must certify each week, through an au-tomated payment system called “TeleServe,” that they are able and available for full time-work and

have been actively seeking work. An active work search consists of at least three verifiable work search activities for every week that UI benefits are sought.

Both the individual who files a UI claim or the employer(s) who is charged when a claim is allowed have the right to appeal the de-partment’s initial decision.

More information may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/ui.

UI Claims Filed in 2016Total Change from 2015

Claims that generated payment of benefits 29,480 - 3.4%

Claims that were issued a waiting period credit only 4,387 0.2%

Claims that were denied due to monetary ineligibility 2,669 - 7.5%

Total Calls Received 879,335 - 10.2%

TeleServe via Telephone 455,074 - 10.9%

TeleServe via Internet 298,685 - 4.1%

Unemployment Insurance Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Regular Benefits

Initial Claims (New and Additional) 64,825 - 4.9%

First Payments 30,539 - 3.2%

Number of Payments 456,594 - 6.1%

Net Payments $153,004,049 - 3.3%

Average Weekly Benefit $335 2.8%

Average Duration (weeks) 15.0 - 2.6%

Trust Fund

Total Income $288,932,781 - 2.3%

Total Disbursements $154,573,184 - 3.1%

Year-End Fund Balance $ 271,034,076 98.1 %

continued

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The WorkShare Program serves as a viable layoff alternative for RI employers while they experience a temporary, non-seasonal slow-down in business.

All workers in a department or unit are authorized by DLT to work a reduced work week and then collect a percentage of unemploy-ment insurance (UI). This allows workers to keep their jobs, ben-efits and economic security. It also enables employers to retain their skilled workers and avoid disrup-

WorkShare

WorkShare Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Initial Claims 1,201 16.6%

Payments 15,035 36.1%

Layoffs Averted 313 14.2%

RI Companies Approved 95 5.6%

RESEA Program

Call Center Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Call Center 325,374 - 15.6%

Payment History 22,140 - 29.2%

Adjudication Status 19,631 - 24.3%

Requests for 1099-G Tax Forms 1,558 - 20.0%

General Information 33,186 - 8.6%

Hold File Certification 23,938 - 26.3%

Waiting Period Certification 11,874 - 9.7%

The Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Program (RE-SEA) is designed to reduce the time an individual receives unemploy-ment insurance (UI) benefits by fa-cilitating a return to the workplace. Additionally, this program ensures that participants meet the eligibil-ity requirements for UI benefits and serves to prevent and detect im-proper payment.

RESEA participants are selected via a profiling process that factors in work history, occupation and industry. Individuals whose scores

point to a likelihood of successful job matching and placement with only modest interventions are en-rolled in the program and are man-dated to attend a RESEA orientation at the most convenient netWORKri One-Stop Career Center. Thirty days after orientation, program partici-pants are required to consult with an RESEA counselor, during which time their work search records are reviewed and further service refer-rals may be made.

Quarterly comparison reports of those served in the RESEA program

indicate that services provided to participants are instrumental in re-ducing UI durations and reducing the number of weeks to reemploy-ment.

Rhode Island received $1,249,242 in Supplemental Budget funding in 2016 to run the program which allowed DLT to serve 7,614 par-ticipants through December 2016. Rhode Island has also applied for $1,061,856 in Supplemental Bud-get funding in 2017 to run the pro-gram which will allow DLT to serve an additional 5,319 participants.

Unemployment Insurance, continued

tion in operations when business picks up again.

The total UI benefits are limited to the amount an employee could have received if laid off under regu-lar UI.

More information on the Work-Share Program may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/ui/WS.htm or by calling (401) 462-8418.

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Federal ClaimsFederal law requires that states

provide Unemployment Insurance (UI) coverage to Unemployed Ci-vilian Federal Employees (UCFE) and former federal military person-nel (UCX). These individuals must meet the same entitlement and eli-gibility provisions as individuals fil-ing claims based on state-covered employment/wages.

Federal Claims Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Federal Employee UI Benefits (UCFE)

Initial Claims 136 - 17.6%

Net Payments $401,438 - 25.6%

Federal Military Personnel UI Benefits (UCX)

Initial Claims 159 - 20.8%

Net Payments $635,257 - 48.6%

Integrity Programs

The Division of Income Support has a variety of initiatives to ensure integrity, including:

Central Adjudication: The Cen-tral Adjudication Unit (CAU) is re-sponsible for determining all dis-puted Unemployment Insurance claims and the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program. CAU inter-views are conducted over the tele-phone. According to federal guide-lines, CAU decisions are subject to quarterly external review for accu-racy, timeliness and adherence to RI General Laws.

Benefit Accuracy Measure-ment: The Benefit Accuracy Mea-surement (BAM) Program is a di-agnostic tool used to audit the accuracy of UI claims. In 2016, the department continued to cross-match the UI benefit payments against quarterly wage records and the National Directory of New Hires to improve accuracy and to prevent overpayments that may occur in the future.

UI/TDI Fraud Unit: To preserve the integrity of the UI and Tempo-rary Disability Insurance Programs,

the UI/TDI Fraud Unit investigates suspicious activity.

Overpayment Recovery: DLT recovers overpayments resulting from fraud by intercepting RI in-come tax refunds and lottery win-nings. In 2016, the Department continued to fund a dedicated at-torney at the Attorney General’s of-fice to focus on UI fraud.

continued

CAU Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Total Decisions 22,584 6.5%

Separation Issues 13,727 0.2%

Non-Separation Issues 9,312 17.1%

41.8% of separation issues resulted in the denial of benefits.87.7% of non-separation issues resulted in the denial of benefits.

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Benefit Accuracy Measurement Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Benefits Paid $152,694,075 - 10.1%

Scientific Sample Size 483 3.7%

Dollars Paid Properly 83.1% - 3.4%

Dollars Overpaid 16.9% 20.7%

Dollars UnderpaidBy Federal Department of Labor policy, underpayments are exclusive from dollars paid.

0.5% 25.0%

Overpayment Causes

Earnings 25.7% 33.9%

Eligibility Issues 4.4% 67.6%

Base Period Wages 0.4% - 80.0%

Work Search 65.4% 23.6%

Separation Issues 4.0% - 67.5%

Other Causes 0.1% 0.0%

Responsibility for Overpayment

Claimant OnlyClaimant was at fault for not reporting correctly the amount of wages earned in a week in which benefits were claimed and unemployment benefits were received.

82.6% 7.7%

DLT Only 0.0% N/A

Claimant, Employer and DLT 0.2% - 60.0%

Claimant, DLT and Other 0.0% 0.0%

Claimant and Employer 3.0% N/A

Employer Only 0.0% N/A

Claimant and DLT 7.6% - 20.0%

Employer and DLT 0.2% N/A

Other Only 0.0% N/A

UI and TDI Overpayment Recovery 2016Total Change from 2015

UI Recovery from State Income Tax $1,628,410 - 5.0%

UI Recovery from Federal Income Tax $1,041,066 - 54.0%

UI Recovery from Lottery Winnings $10,774 - 54.0%

TDI Recovery from State Income Tax $77,393 9.8%

TDI Recovery from Federal Income Tax $0 0.0%

TDI Recovery from Lottery Winnings $625 N/A

Integrity, continued

UI/TDI Fraud Unit Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Cases Investigated 179 - 11.4%

Overpayments Detected $787,054 - 14.2%

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The Temporary Disability Insur-ance (TDI) Program is a state-administered insurance program designed to provide a measure of financial protection to those un-able to work due to illness or inju-ry. Unlike Workers’ Compensation insurance which protects against income loss caused by job-related disabilities, TDI covers disabilities that are not work connected, or otherwise not covered by Work-

Temporary Disability Insurance

ers’ Compensation. Together, the two programs ensure that virtually all Rhode Island wage and salary workers will receive a weekly in-come while they are medically un-able to work.

The TDI Program is financed entirely by workers who are pro-tected by the program. No General Revenue funding support is pro-vided, nor are employers asked to pay any portion of program costs.

Temporary Disability and Temporary Caregiver Insurance Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Temporary Disability Insurance Benefits

Total Claims 37,003 - 9.0%

Total Eligible Claims 35,581 4.6%

Total Ineligible Claims 1,422 - 78.7%

Number of Payments 335,496 - 1.5%

Net Payments $160,575,104 3.6%

Average Weekly Benefit $478.62 5.2%

Average Duration (in weeks) 10.4 - 9.3%

Total Change from 2015

Temporary Caregiver Insurance Benefits

Total Claims 9,937 28.9%

Total Eligible Claims 5,882 19.0%

Total Ineligible Claims 4,055 4.6%

Number of Payments 20,977 17.9%

Net Payments $11,201,050 21.2%

Average Weekly Benefit $533.97 2.8%

Average Duration (in weeks) 3.6 0.0%

Total Change from 2015

Trust Fund (for both TDI and TCI programs)

Total Workers Paying TDI Taxes 421,000 1.4%

Total Income $190,126,614 5.2%

Total Disbursements $190,115,603 5.3%

Year-End Fund Balance $103,608,699 0.0%

In order to be covered by TDI, a person must work for a subject Rhode Island employer. All private employers are automatically sub-ject by law, while state and local governmental entities have the option to elect TDI coverage. To be eligible for benefits, an indi-vidual must meet minimum earn-ings requirements and be certified by a Qualified Healthcare Provider

continued

continued

8

If a police officer becomes totally and permanently disabled, the Po-lice Officers’ Relief Fund provides that officer with tuition payments at any RI college or university for four consecutive years. If the officer is killed in the line of duty, the sur-viving spouse is allowed four con-secutive years of tuition payments. Students are required to submit an official transcript of grades and re-fund tuition for failed classes.

If an active or retired volunteer or auxiliary firefighter dies from a heart condition, hypertension, cancer, respiratory ailment or if he or she is killed in the line of duty, the Firefighters’ Relief Fund offers an annuity of $3,600 per year to the surviving spouse for life or un-til remarriage and $1,200 per year

If an active or retired police of-ficer, state police officer or cor-rectional officer is killed or dies of a heart-related condition such as hypertension, the Police Officers’ Relief Fund offers an annuity of $3,600 per year to the surviving spouse for life or until remarriage. In addition, $1,200 per year is pro-vided for each dependent until the age of 18.

If a police officer, correctional of-ficer or member of the state police is killed or dies from a heart condi-tion or becomes totally and perma-nently disabled, the Police Officers’ Relief Fund offers tuition payment for his or her dependents at any RI college or university for four con-secutive years to earn a baccalau-reate or lesser degree.

Police Officers’ Relief Fund and Firefighters’ Relief Fund

for each dependent until the age of 18.

If an active or retired firefighter, crash rescue person, or an auxiliary or volunteer firefighter is killed or if he or she dies from hyperten-sion, heart condition, cancer or a respiratory ailment or if he or she becomes disabled, the Firefighters’ Relief Fund offers tuition payments to dependents or to the disabled firefighter for four consecutive years in order to earn a baccalau-reate or lesser degree. Students are required to submit an official transcript of grades and to refund tuition for any failed classes.

TDI, continued

(QHP) as being unable to work for at least seven consecutive days. An individual can submit a claim ap-plication online, by downloading and mailing an application or by requesting an application by tele-phone. If approved, benefits are paid on a weekly basis.

Individuals have the right to ap-peal disallowed claims to the Board of Review. All active claims are sub-ject to continuous review and, if deemed appropriate, individuals are required to undergo an impar-tial medical examination to main-tain their eligibility.

In 2013, the RI General Assembly passed legislation creating a new Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) Program which became ef-fective on January 5, 2014. The TDI unit created the criteria for the pro-gram, issued rules and regulations, and successfully incorporated the new program into its existing TDI Program. TDI began accepting TCI claims on January 5, 2014.

The TCI Program provides up to four weeks of wage replacement benefits to workers who need to take time out of work to care for a seriously ill child, spouse, domes-tic partner, parent, parent-in-law, or grandparent or to bond with a

newborn child, adopted child, or foster child. Bonding claims may be requested during the first 12 months of parenting. Proof of par-ent-child relationship is required. Applicants will be responsible for obtaining the required medical documentation from the care re-cipient’s QHP. The monetary eligi-bility requirements are the same for TCI as for TDI.

More information on TDI or TCI Programs may be found by visit-ing www.dlt.ri.gov/tdi or by calling (401) 462-8420.

chart on facing page

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Police Officers’ Relief Fund and Firefighters’ Relief Fund Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Police Officers’ Annuity Benefits

Recipients 221 - 0.5%

Expenditures $800,500 - 4.2%

Average per Person $3,622 - 3.8%

Police Officers’ Tuition Benefits

Dependents 40 - 2.4%

Police Officers 0 - 100.0%

Expenditures $180,818 - 23.9%

Firefighters’ Annuity Benefits

Recipients 691 - 1.1%

Expenditures $2,543,800 - 1.0%

Average per Person $3,681 0.2%

Firefighters’ Tuition Benefits

Dependents 71 - 13.4%

Firefighters 1 - 50.0%

Expenditures $382,338 - 7.0%

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Workforce DevelopmentThe Workforce Development Ser-

vices Division dedicates itself to the advancement of all who comprise the workforce: those who perform the work and those who hire them. The division oversees activities that guide job seekers to suitable employment and introduce em-ployers to qualified workers.

In 2016, these activities included:• Employment Services, includ-

ing State Workforce Investment activities;

• netWORKri One-Stop Career Centers;

• Trade Adjustment Assistance Programs;

• Veterans Services; • Senior Community Service Em-

ployment Program;• RI Works Program for Temporary

Aid to Needy Families (TANF) re-cipients;

• Youth Workforce Services;• Rapid Response Services for

Dislocated Workers;

• Business Workforce Center;• Federal Work Opportunity Tax

Credit (WOTC) Program; and• Foreign Labor Certification and

Migrant Seasonal Farmworkers Program.

More information on Workforce Development may be found by vis-iting www.dlt.ri.gov/wfds.

Labor Exchange Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Job Seekers

Customers Served 33,025 - 14.3%

UI Eligible Claimants 19,588 - 17.2%

Staff-Assisted Services 12,229 - 13.7%

Job Search Activities 8,118 - 11.9%

Employers

Employers Served 1,761 - 13.2%

Job Orders 16,602 30.9%

Job Fairs and Recruitments 270 - 11.8%

Work Opportunity Tax Credit Certifications 4,658 - 17.4%

continued

Job Search Technology

EmployRI.org is an internet-based system that contains in-formation about job seekers, em-ployers, job orders, and training providers. It has greatly improved netWORKri’s ability to assist with job matching for self-service job seekers and employers and has also proven to be a helpful tool for staff-assisted job matching. EmployRI is also available in Span-ish for the benefit of the depart-

ment’s Limited English Proficient customers. EmployRI spiders mul-tiple online job boards to create a virtual one-stop job search re-source. It allows job seekers to tar-get their search by preferred em-ployer, location, source, date and/or required skills, and offers addi-tional features such as automated résumé and cover letter writing. EmployRI is also an important la-bor market information tool.

The EmployRI mobile app, avail-able for both Android and Apple (iOS) mobile device users, makes it easier for job seekers to search and apply for jobs posted on EmployRI.

Prove It! is a collection of internet-based occupational assessment tests that help netWORKri One-Stop Career Center staff gauge a job seeker’s proficiency in a partic-ular subject matter. It also acts as

11

netWORKri One-Stop Career Center System

DLT operates the Rhode Island branch of the federal American Job Center network in Rhode Island, known locally as netWORKri One-Stop Career Centers.

In 2016, three full-time net-WORKri centers operated in Provi-dence, West Warwick and Woon-socket, and a part-time center was in operation three days a week in Wakefield.

No-cost public employment ser-vices available at netWORKri cen-ters include:

• Staff-assisted or self-directed employment searches;

• Local and national job listings;• Employment counseling and

testing;

• Access to information and refer-rals to training programs funded through federal workforce dol-lars, including the Workforce In-novation and Opportunity Act and Trade Adjustment Assistance;

• A resource area, including tele-phones, copiers, fax machines, computer workstations, and assistive technology for people with disabilities;

• Workshops such as: résumé preparation, interviewing skills, job search techniques, and in-troduction to LinkedIn; and

• Employer recruitments.DLT has coordinated with partner

agencies that comprise the net-WORKri system. They include:

• Department of Education;• Department of Human Services;• Office of Rehabilitation Services;• Workforce Partnership of Great-

er Rhode Island; and• Workforce Solutions of Provi-

dence/Cranston.Over 70 organizations, including

community-based and rehabilita-tion programs, meet regularly at their local netWORKri center, col-lectively forming the Employer Ser-vice Network, a group dedicated to local job development.

More information on netWORKri may be found by visiting www.net-WORKri.org.

Job Search Technology, continued

EmployRI Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Total Job Seekers Registered 34,289 - 14.3%

New Job Seekers Registered 17,098 - 5.8%

Employers Registered 673 - 4.8%

a powerful screening and referral tool for employers. Tests are avail-able in multiple languages and can be accessed remotely through any computer with internet access.

ALISON is the world’s leading free online learning resource for ba-sic and essential workplace skills. ALISON provides high-quality, engaging, interactive multimedia courseware for certification and standards-based learning. The mis-

sion of ALISON is to enable anyone, anywhere, to educate themselves at no-cost via interactive, self-paced multimedia.

12

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Participants Served 2016Total Change from 2015

Adults Served 506 - 0.6%

Dislocated Workers Served 906 39.4%

Younger Youth Served 306 - 39.5%

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) provides monetary benefits and/or educational assistance to workers who have lost their jobs, or whose hours of work and wages have been reduced, due to increased imports or a shift in pro-duction out of the United States. The RI Department of Labor and Training coordinates with the US

Department of Labor’s Employ-ment and Training Administration, filing petitions on behalf of affected workers. TAA services may include: educational and occupational training; On-the-Job training, job search and relocation allowances, income support, other reemploy-ment services, and assistance with healthcare premium costs (Health

Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC)). Ad-ditionally, Alternative Trade Ad-justment Assistance (ATAA) and Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA) provide a wage subsidy to eligible individuals 50 years of age or older who become reemployed at a lower wage than they previously earned.

Trade Adjustment Assistance

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

In an effort to better align work-force development programs and promote accountability, the Work-force Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) took effect on July 1, 2015 and superseded the Work-force Investment Act (WIA) of 1998. WIOA has been fully implemented on the state and local levels as of July 1, 2016.

The newly restructured Work-force Development Services Divi-sion, in concert with the Gover-nor’s Workforce Board developed the state’s four year state workforce plan which outlines three major goals:

• Implement the state’s first demand-driven sector-based strategy to aggregate econom-ic opportunities by employers and their intermediaries;

• Create a career pathway strate-gy to provide employment, ed-ucation, training, and support services for individuals, particu-larly those with barriers to em-ployment, so they can improve

their individual capacities and effectively compete in the labor market to achieve economic se-curity for themselves and their families; and

• Develop an effective perfor-mance management strategy to track labor market interac-tions beyond federal reporting requirements.

In 2016, the division collaborat-ed with the Governor’s Workforce Board, the state’s two local work-force development boards (the Workforce Partnership of Greater Rhode Island and Workforce Solu-tions of Providence/Cranston), the Department of Education’s Office of Adult Education, and the Depart-ment of Human Services’ Office of Vocational Rehabilitation to bring

meaningful change to the adminis-tration of workforce development. Together, these agencies are rede-fining workforce development by creating integrated service models that create a holistic, all-encom-passing approach to program de-livery. The Workforce Development Services Division has been actively creating policies to support growth in services through the netWORKri Career Centers and assist the Gov-ernor’s Real Jobs Rhode Island grant program. The division is also responsible for the monitoring and oversight of all state and local pro-grams to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and the provi-sions of contract and grant agree-ments and to confirm that perfor-mance goals are achieved.

continued

13

Trade and Globalization Adjustment Assistance Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Program Participants 147 53.1%

Participants Trained 74 27.6%

Training Allocation $1,022,306 111.3%

Total ATAA Participants 14 - 26.3%

Veterans’ Service Unit

The Veterans’ Service Unit serves eligible veterans and other eligible persons, assisting them in obtain-ing sustainable and meaningful careers by providing employment, training, and placement services. These services are delivered at many locations throughout Rhode Island including netWORKri career centers, colleges, universities, the Department of Veterans Affairs, local housing authorities, military installations, homeless shelters, and other non-profit veterans or-ganizations. The Jobs for Veter-ans State Grant Program supports two unique staffing positions, Lo-cal Veterans Employment Service Representatives (LVER) and Dis-abled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPS) which work in collaboration to maximize em-ployment efforts by addressing the needs of the veteran and local businesses alike.

Local Veterans Employment Rep-resentatives (LVER) are responsible for conducting outreach to em-ployers focusing efforts in assisting veterans with gaining employment through services that include con-ducting seminars for employers, conducting job search workshops, and establishing job development methods such as:

• Promoting the hiring of veter-ans and other eligible persons;

• Informing employers about in-centives for hiring veterans;

• Generating job development contacts for veterans or other eligible persons; and

• Increasing the number of veter-ans who enter employment fol-lowing job development contact.

Disabled Veterans Outreach Program Specialists (DVOPS) are responsible for consulting and co-ordinating with various represen-tatives from federal, state, and local

programs to promote employment opportunities and employment assistance to qualified veterans of the armed forces. In addition, they develop outreach programs with local veteran organizations, employers, community-based or-ganizations, and educational in-stitutions to ensure maximum as-sistance is available to veterans. DVOPS specifically promote the development of entry-level and ca-reer job opportunities, job training, apprenticeships, and vocational counseling services for veterans.

In 2016 the unit, through many of our community partnerships which include: Veterans Assembled elec-tronics (VAe), Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) program, Homeless Veteran Supported Employment Program (HVSEP), Operation Stand Down RI, Veterans Inc., and the Vet-erans Court Program, assisted and placed 201 veterans in employment.

Trade, continued

14

Youth Initiatives

Eligible SCSEP applicants must reside in Rhode Island, be unem-ployed at the time of application, and be a member of a family with an income not more than 125 per-cent of federal poverty guidelines. Priority is given to applicants over the age of 60, veterans, and spous-es of veterans. Preference is given to limited English-speaking, minor-ity applicants.

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) is a service- and work-based program for low-income persons aged 55 and older.

DLT has outsourced the SCSEP Program to SER Jobs for Progress, which provides day-to-day admin-istration, such as recruitment and outreach, eligibility screening, en-rollment assessment, Individual Employment Plans, follow-up, work site placement, monitoring, and

Senior Community Service Employmentenrollee recertification. Through SCSEP, enrollees are placed at work sites for up to 30 hours per week and are compensated with mini-mum wage. Work sites, which in-clude faith-based organizations, senior centers, community action programs, and community-based organizations, prepare participants for future unsubsidized employ-ment. Participants usually stay in the program for two to three years before exiting into the workforce.

Rhode Island has adopted an “All Youth Agenda” as its basis for deliv-ering workforce development ser-vices to youth through the blending of WIOA, RI Department of Educa-tion (RIDE), Office of Rehabilitation Services (ORS), and Job Develop-ment Fund (JDF) funding.

The services were provided by Community Based Organizations (CBO’s) at 14 YouthWORKS411 cen-ters across the state.

The goal is to increase workforce development and educational out-comes for the emerging workforce, engage business in supporting youth employment, and build the capacity of service providers. This

initiative improves access for all youth in need of workforce develop-ment services while also providing a full array of wrap around services.

In 2016, approximately 3,000 youth aged 14 to 24 received workforce development services through 14 youth centers and 33 youth service providers. Of those served, 47 percent were consid-ered at-risk clients, as they included youth who had disabilities, were pregnant or parenting, were in-volved with the juvenile justice sys-tem, were in or aging out of foster care, were homeless or runaways, were deficient in basic skills, or had dropped out of school.

Services provided to youth in 2016 included:

• Summer employment;• Academic assistance;• Leadership development;• Financial literacy;• Occupational skills training;• Job coaching;• Work preparation;• Job development;• Work experience; and• Mentoring by an adult.

15

The Business Workforce Center offers the following employer ser-vices:

• Developing job orders;• Coordinating recruitments and

job fairs; and• Facilitating contacts that help

employers become or stay com-petitive (tax credits, On-the-Job training and incumbent worker grants, WorkShare).

Representatives from the Busi-ness Workforce Center are the de-partment’s liaisons to the business

Business Workforce Center

Business Workforce Center Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Employers Served 1,761 13.2%

Job Orders 16,602 30.9%

Job Fairs and Recruitments 270 - 11.8%

community and simplify the pro-cess of doing business in Rhode Island.

Because the Business Workforce Center often serves as the primary employer outreach for the depart-

ment, it also oversees such em-ployer-centered initiatives as Rapid Response and tax credit programs.

More information on the Business Workforce Center may be found by calling 1-888-616-JOBS.

RI Works is a partnership between the RI Department of Labor and Training and the RI Department of Human Services that provides intensive employment services to beneficiaries who receive cash as-sistance under the Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF) Program.

Those receiving cash benefits, as well as Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program (SNAP) benefi-ciaries and non-custodial parents, must participate in approved job

search activities in order to contin-ue receiving such benefits.

RI Works

RI Works Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Total Referred (by Dept. of Human Services) 892 - 32.0%

Participated in 1-4 of 20 program days 90 - 49.7%

Participated in at least 5 of 20 program days 234 - 39.7%

Rapid Response Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

RI Companies 22 37.5%

Impacted Workers 325 - 62.4%

Trade Certified Companies 2 - 33.3%

The Rapid Response Program, administered by the Business Workforce Center (above), proac-tively responds to layoffs and plant closings by quickly coordinating services and providing aid to com-panies and their affected workers, maximizing public and private

Rapid Response

resources and minimizing disrup-tions associated with job loss.

Rapid Response staff members assemble on-site to provide inten-sive assistance such as explaining how to apply for unemployment insurance benefits, outlining net-WORKri One-Stop Career Center

re-employment services and re-viewing available training oppor-tunities.

Other services include coordinat-ing job fairs and running custom-ized re-employment workshops, such as résumé development and interviewing strategies.

16

The foreign labor certification process allows employers to bring foreign workers who are temporar-ily authorized by the US Citizen-ship and Immigration Services to live and work in the United States on a temporary basis. However, be-

Foreign Labor Certification and Migrant Seasonal Farm Workers

fore hiring a foreign worker, a busi-ness must demonstrate its inability to fill the position with a qualified citizen at prevailing wages.

DLT provides guidance to the em-ployer in complying with US De-partment of Labor regulations and

requirements; offers training on placing job orders through the Em-ployRI Internet system; reviews job orders for compliance with content requirements; and monitors the re-ferral of US workers.

Work Opportunity Tax Credit

The Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) is a federal tax credit avail-able to employers for hiring indi-viduals from certain target groups

who have consistently faced “sig-nificant barriers to employment” (SBE). WOTC incentivizes work-place diversity.

In 2016, 4,658 WOTC certifica-tions were issued by the Business Workforce Center.

17

Labor Market Information

Quick Facts on the Rhode Island Economy

2015 2016

Total Labor Force 553,700 552,200

Number of Workers 520,400 522,800

Average Number of Unemployed 33,300 29,400

Average Unemployment Rate 6.0% 5.3%

Average Annual Wage $50,608 $52,015

Number of Jobs in RI Businesses 485,300 490,000

continued

The Labor Market Information (LMI) Division is responsible for collecting, analyzing and dissemi-nating a wide variety of informa-tion on the condition of the RI la-bor market. The division’s goal is to make the latest information avail-able to our customers, job seek-ers, employers, students, coun-selors, policy makers, economists and government officials so that they can make informed decisions about the economic future.

LMI operates four federal/state statistical programs in coopera-tion with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). BLS is responsible for the funding and administration of the programs providing conceptual, technical and procedural guid-ance. The LMI division is respon-sible for the preparation, analysis and publication of data collected through these programs. The BLS/state partnership insures data con-sistency and comparability over time and between states.

These programs—Current Em-ployment Statistics (CES); Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS); Occupational Employment Statistics (OES); and Quarterly Cen-sus of Employment and Wages

(QCEW)—provide the foundation upon which much of the economic data disseminated by the LMI divi-sion is based.

• Current Employment Statis-tics: This is a monthly survey of business establishments. Approximately 1,200 Rhode Island businesses voluntarily participate in the CES survey providing the LMI division with a monthly count of employees, hours worked and wages paid. CES provides current estimates of non-farm establishment em-ployment as well as hours and earnings for production work-ers employed in the manufac-turing sector.

• Local Area Unemployment Statistics: This monthly pro-gram provides labor force, resident employment and un-employment estimates and un-employment rates for the state and sub-state areas, based on information obtained from a household survey known as the Current Population Survey.

• Occupational Employment Statistics: This program pro-vides industrial staffing pat-terns, occupational employ-ment estimates and wage rates

for Rhode Island. Approximate-ly 1,500 RI employers are sur-veyed each year with a request to provide the number of work-ers by wage range for each oc-cupation in their employ.

• Quarterly Census of Employ-ment and Wages: This collabo-ration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics provides monthly em-ployment and quarterly wage data by industry, location and size of employer. The QCEW program derives its data from the quarterly tax reports sub-mitted by employers subject to Rhode Island’s Unemployment Insurance law. This information is supplemented with data col-lected from government agen-cies and businesses with mul-tiple locations.

LMI is also responsible for state-wide industry and occupational projections. Using a national mod-el which incorporates state-specific industry trends, occupational staff-ing patterns and population fore-casts, these biennial projections provide a 10-year window into Rhode Island’s economic future. The LMI division also extracts data from DLT’s administrative records

18

Unemployment Rate Calculations

Rhode Island Employment and Wage AnalysisRhode Island Occupational Wage ReportRhode Island Employment Trends and Workforce IssuesRhode Island Statistical and Fiscal DigestLabor Supply and Demand ReportState of the State: Profiles of Rhode Island Cities and Towns

Job Count Estimates

Approximately 1,200 RI employ-ers, selected through a probability sample, are surveyed each month to determine the number of work-ers on their payrolls for the pay period including the 12th of the

month. The weighted employer responses are incorporated into statistical models developed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These models generate em-ployment estimates for the state’s

Each month, Census Bureau workers interview persons in ap-proximately 72,000 sampled households (750 located in Rhode Island) to obtain information on the labor force activities of all in-dividuals living in the household. The interviewees answer a series of questions which result in the classification of each household member (16 or older) as employed,

unemployed or not in the labor force. While the national unem-ployment rate is derived directly from data collected through this survey known as the Current Popu-lation Survey (CPS), sample sizes in each state are too small to provide reliable monthly estimates for the states directly. Therefore, all states including Rhode Island calculate their unemployment rates using

LMI, continued

to assemble reports on the diverse activities of the department.

The LMI division distributes a monthly Employment Bulletin newsletter in both print and elec-tronic form to over 1,000 custom-ers and releases an electronic data update, entitled LMI Stat-Track, to a list-serve of 1,500 customers.

LMI provides industry and occupa-tional information as well as an em-ployer database for EmployRI, the department’s interactive web site and virtual one-stop, to assist job seekers of all ages to evaluate job openings, conduct employment searches and plan careers.

In addition to these communica-tions vehicles, LMI staff provides overviews of current labor market

conditions as well as training sessions for students, industry groups and education counselors and business associations in the proper use of labor market infor-mation.

More information on Labor Mar-ket Information may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi or by calling (401) 462-8740.

statistical models developed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The models, which are based on historical trends, incorporate the number of jobs at businesses and current unemployment insurance claims data to refine the individual state estimates provided by the CPS survey.

major industries each month. Each year, the monthly job estimates are revised by benchmarking them to the employment data reported by all employers on their quarterly payroll reports.

More publications, as well as a Labor Market Information data center, are available to download at www.dlt.ri.gov/lmi.

Labor Market Information Publications

19

Workers’ CompensationWorkers’ Compensation insur-

ance is a no-fault system which mandates that all RI employers with one or more employees main-tain insurance coverage for the protection of their employees in the event of earnings loss and/or medical expenses due to a work-related injury or illness. This insur-ance may be purchased through any licensed insurance agent, bro-ker or insurance company offering Workers’ Compensation insurance.

A self-insurance program is also offered through DLT for larger companies who meet established criteria.

The Workers’ Compensation Divi-sion monitors procedures and pay-

ments made by insurance carriers, provides rehabilitative services to injured workers and responds to compliance and fraud issues.

More information on Workers’ Compensation may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/wc or by calling (401) 462-8100.

Education Unit

The Workers’ Compensation Edu-cation Unit instructs interested parties on workplace safety and Workers’ Compensation benefits and procedures. The unit is non-regulatory, and all services are of-fered at no charge.

Unit representatives outreach to employers, employee groups and medical professionals, offering em-ployer education workshops and on-site consultations.

Other services include guidance in establishing safety committees, a telephone information line and an extensive training video lend-ing library. In addition, the Educa-tion Unit staff members provide employers with information on Workers’ Compensation rights and responsibilities every year at the

Education Unit Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Telephone Calls to Information Line 3,010 7.1%

Telephone Calls in Spanish 111 - 34.3%

E-mails to Education Unit 427 20.6%

Walk-Ins 83 - 9.8%

Off-site Medical Staff Consultations 4 33.3%

Off-site Employer Consultations 2 0.0%

Off-site Insurer Consultations 2 200.0%

Seminars

Medical Office Staff On-Site 25 attendees - 39.0%

Workers’ Compensation Training On-Site 4 attendees - 66.7%

Workers’ Compensation Training Off-Site 4 attendees 33.3%

Workers’ Compensation Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Injury Statistics

Indemnity Injuries* 6,644 14.7%

Non-indemnity Injuries 13,105 - 4.4%

Workers’ Compensation Administrative Fund Reimbursements**

Requests for Reimbursement 723 - 11.9%

Total Reimbursements $1,297,637 - 5.9%

Self-Insured Employers Certified 25 0%

*Indemnity injuries are those that receive weekly compensation. **Reimbursement requests are limited to statutory restrictions.

annual Business Expo and at the Beacon Mutual Safety Expo.

More information on the Work-ers’ Compensation Education Unit

may be found at www.dlt.ri.gov/wc/edunit.htm or by calling (401) 462-8100, opt. #1.

20

The Fraud and Compliance Unit detects, prevents and refers for criminal prosecution any suspect-ed fraudulent Workers’ Compensa-tion activity. The unit also ensures employer and insurer compliance with the requirements of the Work-ers’ Compensation Act.

Once a lack of coverage com-plaint is registered with the unit, an investigator is assigned to the case, and the company involved is contacted. If an investigation reveals that an employer does

Fraud and Compliance Unit

not have the necessary Workers’ Compensation insurance, the em-ployer may be fined up to $1,000 for each day of non-compliance. Companies where an injury oc-curs during an uncovered period, that are repeat offenders or that intentionally failed to have Work-ers’ Compensation insurance, may be subject to penalties through the Workers’ Compensation Court in Providence.

In 2015, the number of employ-ers penalized for failure to have

Workers’ Compensation insurance increased from 97 to 108. The ma-jority of employers were able to quickly become compliant before large penalties accrued. This is cer-tainly beneficial to the employer, but more importantly, it is of ben-efit to the employees who are pro-tected by the insurance.

More information on the Fraud and Compliance Unit may be found at www.dlt.ri.gov/wc/fraud_fraud.htm.

The Dr. John E. Donley Rehabili-tation Center was established un-der RI Workers’ Compensation Law §28-38-19 to provide rehabilitation programs to RI injured workers.

Donley Center services include physical and occupational therapy, psychological counseling, aquatic therapy, work hardening (the sim-ulation of the physical demands of the job) and vocational counseling.

Referrals and admissions for treatment increased in 2016 by 2.9% and 9.7%, respectively. Stud-ies show that the earlier that in-jured workers receive intervention, the greater functional restoration they will experience. The Impact of

Delay chart on the next page illus-trates the negative impact of de-layed recovery to impede a subse-quent return to work. The Donley Center’s proactive initiatives such as Worker Recovery—Early Inter-vention Program and the Chronic Pain Program seek to return in-jured workers back to function in an expedited time frame

Forty-nine percent of injured workers who completed their treatment returned to work. This is an approximate increase of 8.5% from the prior year. Even so, those who completed treatment but did not return to work represent a population that Donley Center will

target in 2017 with referrals to vo-cational recovery services.

Vocational recovery services are offered when an injured worker does not have a job in which to return upon completion of their multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Services go beyond traditional vocational counseling to include daily job clubs, job-seeking skills workshops, and basic computer skills to prepare an injured worker for an independent job search in today’s online job market.

More information on the Donley Rehabilitation Center may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/donley or by calling (401) 243-1200.

Donley Rehabilitation Center

Donley Rehabilitation Referral and Admission Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Referrals 1,207 2.9%

No Show Appointments 39 - 66.9%

Cancellations 66 32.0%

Admitted for Treatment 1,102 9.7%

Prior Workers’ Compensation Injury 65% 62.5%

No Prior Workers’ Compensation Injury 35% - 41.7%

21

Donley Rehabilitation Treatment Window Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

8-14 Days, from Injury to Admission 1 100.0%

15-30 Days, from Injury to Admission 13 160.0%

31-90 Days, from Injury to Admission 106 37.7%

91-180 Days, from Injury to Admission 152 0.7%

181-365 Days, from Injury to Admission 267 - 0.4%

One to Two Years, from Injury to Admission 338 10.1%

Greater than Two Years, from Injury to Admission 225 14.2%

Donley Rehabilitation Treatment Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Admitted for Treatment 1,102 9.7%

Treatment Outcomes

Treatment Not Completed 495 7.1%

Evaluation Only 206 19.0%

Non-Compliance 69 9.5%

Patient Request 63 46.5%

Physician Request 49 - 30.0%

Secondary Medical Issues 108 - 4.4%

In Treatment at Time of Data Collection 64 N/A

Treatment Completed 543 3.8%

Returned to Work 49% 8.5%

No Return to Work 51% - 8.5%

Impact of Delay on Return to Work in Subsequent Employment Period from Initial Injury Likelihood of Gaining Employment if Not Returned to Work in Prior Quarter

1 Quarter 92.2%

2 Quarters 55.4%

3 Quarters 42.7%

4 Quarters 32.2%

5 Quarters 22.8%

6 Quarters 15.8%

7 Quarters 10.7%

8 Quarters 4.9% Washington State Department of Labor and Industry, 2013. The longer an injured individual remains out of work, the less likely a return to work becomes.

22

Workforce Regulation and SafetyThe Workforce Regulation and

Safety Division is charged with en-forcing the safety laws that protect Rhode Island’s workforce, includ-ing:

• Fair collection of wages;• Child labor laws;• Safety in public buildings;• Trade licensing;

• Apprenticeship training;• Hazardous substance exposure;• Weights and measures; and• Prevailing wage laws.This is accomplished through li-

censing, inspection programs, ed-ucational programs and labor law enforcement.

The Division is comprised of three units: the Labor Standards Unit, the Professional Regulation Unit and the Occupational Safety Unit.

More information on Workforce Regulation and Safety may be found by visiting www.dlt.ri.gov/wrs or by calling (401) 462-8580.

Labor Standards Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Total Claims Filed 429 - 15.1%

Claims Closed 395 - 18.0%

Claims in Process 330 40.9%

The Labor Standards Unit en-forces workplace laws and ensures that employees receive the wages they have earned. Labor Standards investigates wage complaints in-volving minimum wage, payment of wages, overtime Sunday/holi-day premium pay and vacation pay upon termination, as well as child labor, parental and family medical leave and industrial homework. The unit also enforces record-keep-ing requirements mandated by law.

Labor Standards

Labor Standards also offers educa-tional services to all Rhode Islands’ employers, school departments and organizations to provide guidance on compliance with labor laws to prevent violations from occurring.

More information on Labor Standards may be found by visit-ing www.dlt.ri.gov/ls or by calling (401) 462-8550.

Prevailing Wage Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Total Cases Filed 47 - 36.5%

Back Wages Assessed $185,283 N/A%

Back Wages Awarded $90,234 - 67.9 %

Penalties Assessed $185,239 N/A

Penalties Collected $93,463 - 64.2%

The Professional Regulation Unit is responsible for monitoring and enforcing prevailing wage and safety laws, as well as for testing and licensing several technical pro-fessions.

In addition, this unit conducts regularly scheduled educational seminars for contractors as a deter-rent for trade licensing and prevail-ing wage violations.

RI General Law §37-13 mandates that any contractor awarded a bid on a public works construction project of more than $1,000 must pay “prevailing wage” rates. During

Professional Regulation

2015, nearly $365,000 was recov-ered in back wages and penalties.

The Trade Licensing Section li-censed 31,815 technical profes-sionals during 2016, many with multiple licenses. It also monitors and enforces trade laws pertaining

to electricians, hoisting engineers, pipefitters, refrigeration techni-cians, sprinkler fitters, plumbers, sheet metal workers and telecom-munications technicians.

continued

23

Professional Regulation boards include:

• Board of Examiners of Hoisting Engineers;

• Board of Examiners of Electri-cians;

• Board of Examiners and Licens-ing of Telecommunications Sys-tem Contractors, Technicians and Installers;

• Board of Examiners of Plumb-ers;

• Mechanical Board; and• Safety Awareness Board.

Professional Regs, continued More information on Professional Regulations may be found by visit-ing www.dlt.ri.gov/profregs or by calling (401) 462-8580.

Trade Licensing Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Examinations Performed 2,004 4.1%

Total Licenses (issued or renewed) 31,815 4.0%

Electrician 8,316 0.4%

Hoisting Engineer 9,675 4.3%

Pipefitter, Refrigeration Technician, Fire Protection Sprinkler Fitter, Sheet Metal Worker 7,520 3.9%

Telecommunication 2,141 5.8%

Plumbers and Irrigators 2,381 4.6%

Burglar Alarm 1,564 7.6%

State Apprenticeship Agency

The State Apprenticeship Agency (SAA) registers, coordinates and regulates training programs in which an apprentice receives tech-nical instruction while employed in a full-time occupation, thereby achieving certification.

The proven success of the ap-prenticeship training model has been recognized by many indus-tries seeking to build a skilled work-force. The SAA oversees training activities in licensed trades, such as electricians, in non-licensed con-struction trades, such as roofers

State Apprenticeship Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Apprenticeship Programs Overseen 536 - 14.5%

Individual Agreements Entered 1,551 6.9%

Apprentices Completed Program 102 12.5%

and in other apprenticable occu-pations, such as pharmacy techni-cians or tool makers. The SAA has been endorsed by the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor’s Office of Appren-ticeship.

The SAA also fosters open com-munication between DLT, the State

Apprenticeship Council, industry, manufacturers and educational in-stitutions.

More information may be found at www.dlt.ri.gov/apprenticeship or by calling (401) 462-8580.

24

Boiler Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Certificates of Operation 6,361 8.2%

Inspections 7,918 5.1%

Permits for New Installations 136 - 28.4%

Commission Licenses Issued 93 18.1%

Right-to-Know Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Employers Registered 2,509 - 79.2%

Inspections 200 0.0%

The Right-to-Know Section in-spects and assesses all businesses with employees who are exposed to hazardous substances or busi-nesses that store hazardous sub-stances on the premises.

Businesses must register these substances with the Occupational Safety Unit and the local fire de-partment as a workplace safety measure. The training and educa-tion of employers and employees in safety practices is an ongoing function. Each month, new em-ployers in the state are notified of the Right-to-Know law and receive an informational packet to assist them in understanding the law.

The Safety Compliance Section ensures safe working conditions in

all state, city and town buildings. Complaint and accident investiga-tions are investigated upon inci-dent or request.

The Weights and Measures Section inspects and assesses all gasoline measuring systems and measuring devices used in retail/wholesale establishments. It also licenses all oil dealers. To properly calibrate such measuring devices, sealers receive certification af-ter completion of highly techni-cal course training requirements. There are 11 licensed certified sealers in the state.

More information on Occupa-tional Safety may be found by visit-ing www.dlt.ri.gov/occusafe or by calling (401) 462-8570.

The Occupational Safety Unit directs, coordinates and enforces the lawful inspection of the safety of boilers and elevators, the lawful storage and handling of hazard-ous substances and the accuracy of weights and measures within Rhode Island’s business establish-ments. State inspections are syn-chronized with local government requirements to enforce a safe en-vironment for the public.

The Elevator Section inspects and assesses all elevator devices in the state, issuing licenses to el-evator service companies and their mechanics who engage in the in-stallation, construction, servicing, repair or modernization of elevator devices, including:

• Escalators;• Vertical platform lifts;• Material lifts;• Freight elevators; and• Other means of vertical trans-

portation.The Elevator Section also certi-

fies the safety of new installations, construction sites and repairs, and decommissions devices when they are no longer safe to operate.

The Boiler Section inspects and assesses all pressure vessels in the state, certifying that all new instal-lations, reconditioned vessels, re-pairs and hydrostatic testing meet all safety codes.

The Boiler Section partners with numerous state, city and town agencies to coordinate the pro-grams, mandates, licensing re-quirements, inspection procedures and enforcement measures which ensure the safe operation of boiler systems. These partners also edu-cate the public on dangers and preventative safety measures.

Occupational Safety

Elevator Activity 2016Total Change from 2015

Certificates of Operation 3,757 5.6%

Inspections 3,905 3.0%

Permits for New Installations 298 - 17.7%

Licenses Issued 262 9.2%

Violation Letters Issued 2,210 - 58.9%

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The Legal Division is a full-service law office within the RI Depart-ment of Labor and Training, serv-ing the legal needs of the depart-ment. The division represents the department in court proceedings and administrative hearings. It also counsels staff on state and federal laws as they influence the depart-ment’s activities. This includes ad-vising on legal matters; rendering written and oral legal opinions; appearing before various courts, boards and commissions; attend-ing board meetings in an advisory capacity; reviewing, advising on, and drafting legislative and regula-tory material; and serving as hear-ing officers. It assists the director in the appointment of mediators and/or arbitrators in certain labor matters.

Legal DivisionThe Legal Division monitors civil

prosecutions of benefit overpay-ment cases in District and Supe-rior Courts and initiates criminal prosecutions of Unemployment Insurance fraud cases in Superior Court. The Legal Division also ini-tiates civil prosecutions of Lack of Insurance (LOI) cases in the Work-ers’ Compensation Court, routinely bringing in revenues in the form of penalties against uninsured employers. In 2016, the Division filed 21 LOI petitions and obtained court orders totaling $39,113.46 in penalties.

The Legal Division represents the department in the following areas: motions to quash filed in all state courts when subpoenas for confidential department records are served; objections to court-

ordered counsel fees; hearings be-fore the Board of Review; appeals to the District Court from the Board of Review; appeals under the Ad-ministrative Procedures Act; and all stages of labor relations/person-nel cases (grievances, arbitrations, Personnel Appeal Board, Labor Re-lations Board and Human Rights Commission).

The Legal Division criminally prosecuted a large number of wage violation, Workers’ Compen-sation, and Unemployment Insur-ance fraud cases, resulting in crimi-nal convictions and significant restitution and fine amounts. In 2016, the Division secured restitu-tion in the amount of $482,451.00 in this effort.

Legal Activity 2016Type of Case Number of Cases Change from 2015 Amount Collected Change from 2015

Workers’ Compensation (Lack of Insurance) 21 - 22.2% $39,113.46 - 28.9%

Criminal Prosecutions 36 + 33.0% $482,451.00 99.4%

This amount represents amounts collected on orders entered prior to 2016.

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Workforce Development Services (8.5%) $36,169,283

Workforce Regulationand Safety (0.7%)$2,971,965

Income Support (88.2%)$375,243,644

Injured Workers Services (1.8%)$7,620,544

(too slight to render visibly on pie)Central Management (0.7%)$2,892,443

Labor Relations Board (0.1%)$439,709

Workforce Development Services (8.8%) $36,864,600

Workforce Regulationand Safety (0.7%)$2,825,411

Income Support (87.8%)$368,318,420

Injured Workers Services (2.0%)$8,552,358

(too slight to render visibly on pie)Central Management (0.6%)$2,554,448

Labor Relations Board (0.1%)$402,491

Other (81.4%)$346,245,303

General Revenue (2.0%)$8,382,043

Federal (9.2%)$39,141,931

Restricted Receipts (7.4%)$31,568,311

Other (83.3%)$349,268,389

General Revenue (2.0%)$8,212,636

Federal (9.2%)$38,451,580

Restricted Receipts (5.5%)$23,585,123

Actual Expenditures by FundFiscal Year 2016

Department Total $425,337,588

Actual Expenditures by ProgramFiscal Year 2016

Department Total $425,337,588

Budgeted Expenditures by FundFiscal Year 2017

Department Total $419,517,728

Budgeted Expenditures by ProgramFiscal Year 2017

Department Total $419,517,728

Fund Expenditures

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Office Map

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Departmental DirectoryUnit Phone* Web Address E-Mail Address

Business Affairs 462-8140

Executive Office 462-8870

Legal Counsel 462-8890

Marketing and Public Relations 462-8810 DLT.Marketing@dlt.ri.gov

Real Jobs RI 462-7574 www.dlt.ri.gov/RealJobs DLT.RealJobs@dlt.ri.gov

Fraud Hotline (UI/TDI) 462-1522 DLT.UITDIFraud@dlt.ri.gov

Labor Market Information 462-8740 www.dlt.ri.gov/LMI DLT.LMI@dlt.ri.gov

Police and Fire Unit 462-8855 DLT.PoliceFire@dlt.ri.gov

Temporary Disability Insurance 462-8420 www.dlt.ri.gov/TDI DLT.TDI@dlt.ri.gov

Temporary Caregivers Insurance 462-8420 www.dlt.ri.gov/TDI DLT.TDI@dlt.ri.gov

Fraud Unit 462-1522 DLT.UITDIFraud@dlt.ri.gov

Unemployment Insurance (UI) 462-8400 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI

Benefit Accuracy Measurement 462-8610

Employer Line 243-9137 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/EmployerInfoUI.htm

Call Center 243-9100 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/ContactUs.htm

Central Adjudication 462-8650 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/AppealsAdj.htm www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/ContactUs.htm

Central Overpayment 462-8010 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/Overpay.htm www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/ContactUs.htm

Crossmatch 462-8510 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/ContactUs.htm

Fraud Unit 462-1522 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/UIFraud.htm DLT.UITDIFraud@dlt.ri.gov

TTY via RI Relay 711

WorkShare 462-8418 www.dlt.ri.gov/UI/WS.htm DLT.WorkShare@dlt.ri.gov

Workers’ Compensation 462-8100 www.dlt.ri.gov/WC DLT.WCEdcUnit@dlt.ri.gov

Donley Rehabilitation Center 243-1200 www.dlt.ri.gov/Donley Harriet.Connor@dlt.ri.gov

Education Unit 462-8100 www.dlt.ri.gov/WC/edunit.htm DLT.WCEdcUnit@dlt.ri.gov

Fraud and Compliance 462-8100 www.dlt.ri.gov/WC/fraud_fraud.htm DLT.WCFraud@dlt.ri.gov

Workforce Development www.dlt.ri.gov/WFDS DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

Adult and Dislocated Workers 462-1407 DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

Business Workforce Center 1-888-616-JOBS www.dlt.ri.gov/BWC

Foreign Labor/Migrant Seasonal 1-888-616-JOBS DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

Jobs Network 1-888-616-JOBS

netWORKri see map, page 27 www.netWORKri.org DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

Rapid Response 462- 8723 Susan.Biagioni@dlt.ri.gov

Trade Adjustment Assistance 243-9166 DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

Veterans’ Services 1-888-616-JOBS DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

Work Opportunity Tax Credit 1-888-616-JOBS DLT.WDS@dlt.ri.gov

WIOA Office 462-8369 www.dlt.ri.gov/WIO

Workforce Regulation and Safety 462-8580 www.dlt.ri.gov/WRS

Labor Standards 462-8550 www.dlt.ri.gov/LS DLT.LaborStandards@dlt.ri.gov

Occupational Safety 462-8570 www.dlt.ri.gov/OccuSafe

Professional Regulation 462-8580 www.dlt.ri.gov/ProfRegs DLT.ProfRegs@dlt.ri.gov

State Apprenticeship 462-8580 www.dlt.ri.gov/Apprenticeship

Weights and Measures 462-8580 www.dlt.ri.gov/OccuSafe/WeightsMeasures.htm

* All telephone numbers are within Rhode Island’s 401 area code.

Administrative Offices: 1511 Pontiac Avenue • Cranston, RI 02920-4407(401) 462-8000 • RI Relay 711 • www.dlt.ri.gov

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.Governor Gina M. Raimondo • Director Scott R. Jensen

An Equal Opportunity Employer