Stakeholder ConsultationU.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs

Division of Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation

Strategic Planning

FY 2010-2016

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation

Mission: minimize the impact of employment injuries and deaths on employees and their families by ensuring that workers' compensation benefits are paid promptly and properly

Leadership: Shelby Hallmark, Director, OWCP Michael Niss, Director, Longshore Division Miranda Chiu, Branch Chief, Longshore Division

Organization: National plus 10 District Offices Current FY 2010 Resources: 99 Staff Members

DOL Goals Supported

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

Outcome Goals:– Income support when work is impossible or

unavailable

– Facilitating Return-to work

Results We are measuring results differently.

– Previous performance measure focused on dispute resolution timeliness – our performance

– New measures focus on timely reporting claims and delivering benefits – insurer performance. We are first targeting the Defense Base Act cases and will expand our goal to include all Longshore program cases in FY 2012. We are currently refining our target goals and will soon share those with our stakeholders

How will we measure success?– Reduce number of days to first report of injury– Reduce number of days to first benefit payment

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.

– Focus on identifying deficiencies in reporting and paying– Inform claims adjusters and claims managers– Escalate to corporate executives if necessary

Our strategies to achieve these goals include:– communication with claim handlers and management at all

levels to increase awareness or requirements and provide feedback about industry and individual company performance

– Assess fines and penalties for violations– Review annual authorizations with focus on performance– Provide performance results to industry & provide greater

transparency in the future

Do these strategies make sense to you?

Questions

To send comments to DLHWC via e-mail:

strategic-plan@dol.gov

If you would like to learn more about the DOL

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