Stakeholder Consultation

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs

(OWCP)Department of Labor (DOL)

DRAFT Strategic Plan FY 2010-2016

Draft: March 5, 2010

Overview Office of Workers’ Compensation

Programs– Mission: The Office of Workers' Compensation Programs implements

four Federal workers’ compensation statutes providing monetary, medical and return-to-work benefits for work-related injuries and illnesses for Federal employees and certain other designated employee groups, and responsibly administers the benefit funds authorized for these purposes.

– Leadership: Director, OWCP – Shelby Hallmark Deputy Director, OWCP – Nancy Flynn Director, Federal Employees’ Compensation – Doug Fitzgerald Director, Black Lung Benefits – James DeMarce Director, Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation – Michael Niss Director, Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation – Rachel Leiton

– Organization in 2010: National/Regional Office FTE Allocation: 1,802 Current FY 2010 Resources: $338,260,000

Goals

OWCP supports the following Department of Labor Strategic Goals and Outcome Goals:

Secure Health Benefits and, for those not working, provide income security.

– Facilitate return to work for workers experiencing workplace injuries or illnesses who are able to work.

– Ensure income support when work is impossible or unavailable.

Prepare workers for good jobs and ensure fair compensation.

– Help middle-class families remain in the middle class.

Results How will we measure success?

Current Measures:

FECA Increase the share of Federal employees with work-related injuries or

illnesses coming under FECA’s Quality Case Management and Vocational Rehabilitation programs that are reemployed by (non-Postal) Federal agencies

Increase the percent of Wage-Loss Claims received timely from Federal agencies

Reduce Lost Production Days (LPD) rates (per 100 employees) for Federal agencies

Meet Communications Goals

Longshore Reduce the average days to receive the Employer’s First Report of Injury

in Longshore Defense Base Act cases Reduce the average days for the first payment of compensation for

Longshore Defense Base Act cases

Results How will we measure success?

Current Measures:

Black Lung Reduce the average days to process Black Lung claims

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Program (EEOIC) Reduce the average days to process Energy Program Part B initial

claims Reduce the average days to process Energy Program Part E initial

claims Increase the percent of Final Decisions in Part B and Part E in the

Energy Program processed within 180 days (hearing cases) and 75 days (all other cases)

ResultsNew (proposed) measures:

FECA Percent of Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) cases returned

to work by Federal employers Timeliness of employer submission of FECA Wage-loss claims

Longshore Timeliness of Longshore employers’ first notice of injury Timeliness of delivery of first payment of Longshore compensation

EEOIC Time of processing from date of filing through Final Decision Response time for calls and correspondence

Black Lung Improve customer service: Enhanced monitoring of most vulnerable

beneficiaries

Results

Do you believe these are the right outcomes?

Do you believe these are the right measures for those outcomes?

Strategies We are using new approaches.

– Additional emphasis on employer performance to support of injury case outcomes

more automated and more timely submission of claims – FECA and Longshore Defense Base Act (DBA);

shortened time to first payment in Longshore DBA; work with Federal agencies to adopt individualized Lost Production Days and

Return to Work targets accounting for the characteristics of their injured worker populations (FECA program.

– Focusing on improving diagnostic medical testing, evaluation, and reporting processes (Black Lung program)

– Working with individual doctors and clinics to increase the submission of timely and well-reasoned reports (Black Lung program)

– Using surveys to assist customer service improvements (FECA and EEOIC programs)

Do these strategies make sense to you?

Questions

If you would like to send comments to DOL or to learn more about the DOL strategic planning

process, please visit http://www.dol.gov/strategicplan2010.