Activity 4. ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT (1975 $10,382,000, Pos. 346; 1976 $10,746,000, Pos. 341) Narrative Description of Program The Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management directs this activity which is responsible for planning, managing, and evaluating administrative support operations and for providing centralized administrative services for all Departmental Agencies. The full range of administrative support services for Departmental activities includes financial, personnel, organization, and administrative management, equal employment opportunity, and economical administration of Departmental programs. These functions are carried out by the Office Directors. (Authorizing Legislation: 37 STAT 73, 738) In 1974, a Spanish Speaking Program was successfully established in the Department and partially staffed. The Office of Equal Employment Opportunity also conducted a skills survey to determine the potential for advancement among nonprofessionals. A computerized system to collect and maintain data on the representation of minorities and women by occupational services and Agency/Region was established. A two day mandatory supervisory orientation in EEO was developed in 1974. The Directorate of Personnel Management developed a nationwide schedule for Agency and Regional visits to colleges and universities for recruitment and placement of qualified graduates (focusing on minorities and women). A workertrainee program was developed to provide upward mobility for persons in "dead-end" job assignments and allow for recruitment and training of minimally-qualified applicants. An annual affirmative action plan was developed for hiring, training, and advancing the handicapped under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. A 16 hour supervisory training program on labor-management relations was implemented. The Directorate of Management and Operations Revie: established a tracking system for Presidential Objectives on an intensive basis to provide continuous high-level focus on accomplishments, problem areas, and needed actions by management to achieve the objectives. The Comptroller converted contracts to grants in all programs that provide financial assistance to state and local governments and completed the redesign and development of the Department's Financial Management Reporting System. Also, the Comptroller developed and implemented accounting procedures for the Black Lung Benefit Program. The Directorate of Audit and Investigations was restructured to include responsibility for integrity investigations where improper activities were alleged, as well as responsibility for audit. In the audit program, revisions were made to emphasize audit of management procedures and operations in addition to financial audits. The DOL Library, along with 26 other Federal Libraries, began a shared automated cataloging program under the sponsorship of the Federal Library Committee. In 1975, the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity aided in the establishment of a full-time EEO officer for each region along with a full-time training officer to coordinate upward mobility training for minorities and women. Criteria for conducting EEO performance evaluations for supervisors has been established as a requirement throughout the Department. A full-time Director for the Spanish Speaking Program was appointed. Technical assistance in development of upwardmobility programs will be provided in FY 1975. The Directorate of Tersonnel lanarement designed a "ersonnel managerent evalution system to assess effectiveness of Departmental practices. This was designated a Secretarial Objective and a full-time manager was assigned. Other projects planned are automation of service control files, retirement computations, training records, master personnel file and the personnel management evaluation package. A grievance control system was implemented based on Executive Order 11491. training agreement facilitating movement between various occupations was developed and approved. A The Directorate of Management and Operations Revier expanded the Department's Management by Objectives program by adding Secretarial and Agency Objectives. This office will monitor progress of 45 objectives (9 Presidential, 17 Secretarial, and 20 Agency.) Manpower Utilization Surveys will be made throughout the year with deficiencies surfaced and tracked to assure proper corrective action. The Comptroller is participating in Inter-Departmental work on Governmentwide requirements for grants to non-profit organizations which will result in a Federal Management Circular. Also, the Comptroller will develop procedures for informing minority business of opportunities under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act as well as DOL administered laws and programs that can affect a business. The Comptroller has established a pilot Regional Accouating function in Atlanta which will result in further system development for all regions. Guidance in developing accounting procedures to start up the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation ill also be provided. The Directorate of Audit and Investigations developed audit guides and procedures for the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act program and will continue a regular audit program to audit 50% of the State Employment Service Agencies as well as OSHA grantees. Outside audit assistance (CPA's) will be used to maintain a reasonable audit program standard for closeout of Manpower Training Service Contracts. The Directorate of Administrative Programs and Services had to plan for additional permanent space for the newly enacted Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and related Agency functions. Also in FY 1975, a computerized carpool-matching study is being conducted for the move to the new DOL building as well as to save energy. Physical consolidation of the DOL into major locations will be achieved by the move to the new building. Increased security measures were taken to red ice loss of government property. In 1976, the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity's plans are geared to strengthening program support and increasing scope and availability of EEO services to all Departmental employees. Technical assistance on upward mobility programs for minorities and women will be increased. Expansion of EEO investigators will be negotiated with Agency/Regional heads since CSC no longer fills this role. The Spanish Speaking Program will develop a "skills bank" for recruitment and placement of Hispanic candidates for employment. The Federal Women's Program will remain viable in promoting the occupational status of women and two all-employed metings are planned at Departmental level to increase employee awareness of EEO progress and plans. The Directorate of Personnel Management plans to orce again conduct a summer employment program for approximately 750 students and young people, including the disadvantaged. The College Relations Program will continue to insure that fresh new graduates will be recruited into the Department. The Worker-Trainee Program will be used to advance employees in limited positions and provid: employment for the less experienced applicant. Emphasis will be placed on advancing administrative, clerical and technical (ACT) employees throughout the Department (Grades GS-1 through 11). The automated personal system will expand the use of remote input/ output and implement a full manpower planning system. The Directorate of "anacement and Operations "evier ill conduct Departmentide training on t'e Departmental Management System (DMC) to achieve greater understanding and utilization. The Directorate will continue with the objective to revie all cor.ponents of the Department every four years. The Comptroller will begin Inter-departmental work on grant procedures, develop a sub-contracting program including reports and reviews of major contractors' minority sub-contracting programs; complete the Regional Accounting Project by providing a full range of budget, accounting and analysis services to Regional managers; and assist the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation by providing accounting guidance in handling assets and pension payments for terminated pension plans. Provisions of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act of 1974 will be implemented. The Directorate of Audit and Investigations will conduct audits of 30% of the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) prime sponsors in accordance the biannual audit requirement in the CETA legislation. Efforts will be made to use State audit agencies in meeting this requirement. Major national audits of management procedures and operations will be conducted. Increased attention will be directed to secure greater management use of audit findings. In the Cost Determination program, priority attention will be directed to concluding indirect cost agreements with Comprehensive Employment and Training Act prime sponsors. The Directorate of Administrative Programs and Services plans to decentralize responsibility for the property management system to the regions as well as complete the move to the new DOL building. Plans will be made to develop the Library into a multi-media resource center which will include microfilm, microfiche, cassettes, motion-picture films, recordings and other information media pertinent to programs of the Department. Mandatory changes consist of $128,000 for net additional cost of pay increase Program changes consist of increases totaling 13 positions and $324,000 to staff the Departmental Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and reductions of 18 positions and $226,000. Reductions in Personnel Management, Administrative Services, Comptroller, Audit and Management Analysis are attributed to initiatives to keep overhead at a minimum. Increased efforts to streamline activities will not result in any adverse impact on current levels of accomplishments. ADDITIONAL POSITIONS FOR EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OP!ORTUNITY Proposal: The Department proposes to provide permanent financing for 13 positions currently financed from other sources, thereby insuring that the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) program will be capable of performino its mission which ran's high on the list of Presidential, Secretarial, and Agency objectives and in keeping with the Civil Service Commission rules and regulations and the Equal Opportunity Act of 1972. The Need: The EEO program efforts to eliminate discrimination in employment and provide upward mobility opportunities for minorities is a permanent and recurring effort within the Department as well as the Federal Government at large. The current means of financing does not provide a solid base for support of the EEO effort. Permanent financing will insure EEO program continuity in the Department. The Program: The Equal Employment Opportunity program has been well established in the Department of Labor since 1972. New components to the program include a Federal Womens Program, a Spanish-speaking program, and recently, full-time investigators to investigate formal complaints since the Civil Service Commission no longer provides this. For three years, the Department's Affirmative Action Plan has been used as a model for other agencies by the Civil Service Commission. The Department's EEO staff has succeeded in informally resolving 87% of all complaints as well as instituted a mandatory 16 hour training program and EEO performance evaluation procedure to orient management and supervisors of their EEO responsibilities. Activity 5. APPEALS FROM DETERMINATIONS OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEE CLAIMS (1975, $260,000, Pos. 7; 1976, $264,000, Pos. 7) Narrative Description of Programs The Employees' Compensation Appeals Board hears and decides appeals under the Employees' Compensation Act. (Authorizing Legislation: 37 STAT 736, 738) In 1974, the average time lapse between the filling of an appeal and closing of the case was approximately 3.7 months. New procedures instituted during the latter part of that fiscal period should result in a substantial reduction in the time lapse during 1975 and 1976 with the target being 2.7 months. At the end of the fiscal period, there were 46 pending cases, none of which were ready for determination since they were all in some preliminary stage of processing. In 1975, the Board will function with 3 members and a supporting staff of a clerk of the Board, a Deputy Clerk, and two secretaries, conducting hearings with oral arguments when requested by the appellant and otherwise decides cases which are submitted on the record. The Board's jurisdiction is fixed by statute. It is not a policy-making body and has no control over its workload. The workload during the current fiscal year has increased dramatically and the appeals to the Board continue to have a high percentage of non-routine issues of law of first impression. Its decisions are by statute, final and serve as the ultimate guide for a program covering millions of employees and the expenditure of millions of dollars each year. The Members of the Board carefully summarize and review the record, conduct the hearings, perform legal research, decide the cases and write the decisions and orders. Every effort is made to produce decisions of a high quality, in view of the tremendous impact any one of the decisions may have on all Federal agencies and civil employees. Based upon a projection for the first two quarters of fiscal year 1975, the workload will more than double that of 1974, which was the highest since fiscal year 19.9. For example, during the first six months of this fiscal period, the number of appeals docketed is 185 compared to 179 for the full 12 months of fiscal 1974. There are several thousand hearing loss cases arising primarily out of the closing of Naval shipyards and we anticipate receiving appeals in a large number of those cases. 52-899 O-75-52 |