Obama Administration Accomplishments List
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- Accomplishment: Implemented the Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment (POWER) Initiative.
- What does it mean?
The POWER Initiative, which covers fiscal years 2011 through 2014, "sets forth minimum targets for improvement," in the following seven areas:
1. reducing total injury and illness case rates;
2. reducing lost time injury and illness case rates;
3. analyzing lost time injury and illness data;
4. increasing the timely filing of workers' compensation claims;
5. increasing the timely filing of wage-loss claims;
6. reducing lost production day rates; and
7. speeding employees' return to work in cases of serious injury or illness. (ref)
POWER is "tasked with increasing the percentage of injured workers that return to employment within 2 years" (ref). Also, POWER requires agencies to reduce lost production day rates by 1% per year, each year. (ref)
- Why does it matter?
Although federal employee injuries have decreased over the past several years, the number of injuries reported in 2009 were still more than 79,000, which cost taxpayers nearly $1.6 billion in lost wages and medical benefits. With "early intervention by trained disability personnel," injured workers are more likely to return to regular employment more quickly (ref).
It can be a very difficult process to find new employment after suffering an injury. If you've done the same type of work for a long time and the injury affects your ability to perform that type of work, finding a new job can take so long that some people give up entirely. By providing education, resources (including the Return-to-Work Resources website), and professional personnel, the POWER Initiative will help injured employees through this difficult time.
The POWER Initiative requires agencies to authorize medical care and advise injured employees of any alternative positions, if applicable. If injury prevents employee from returning to original agency, goal is to return them to suitable employment with a company in the private sector. Additionally, requires employer to "advise the injured worker of any accommodations the agency can make" (ref)
Additional resources: the July 19, 2010 Presidential Memorandum
