U.S. Department of Labor

Office of the Secretary

November 2016
Table of Contents

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS .....................................................................................................................II

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW ........................................................................... 3

Mission ....................................................................................................................................... 3

Authorizing Legislation.............................................................................................................. 3

Organizational Structure............................................................................................................. 4

Key Leaders................................................................................................................................ 6

Budget ........................................................................................................................................ 7

TAB 2: OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OFFICES ............................................................................... 8

Office of the Executive Secretariat............................................................................................. 8

Office of Public Engagement (OPE)........................................................................................... 9

Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (CFBNP).......................................... 10

Office of the Chief Economist.................................................................................................. 12

Office of Congressional & Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA)................................................ 13

TAB 3: ADJUDICATION OFFICES .................................................................................................. 17

Office of the Administrative Law Judges (OALJ).................................................................... 17

Administrative Review Board (ARB)....................................................................................... 18

Benefits Review Board (BRB).................................................................................................. 19

Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB)................................................................. 20

TAB 4: ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS COMPENSATION PROGRAM................ 22

TAB 5: BUDGET............................................................................................................................. 23

Office of the Secretary (OSEC)................................................................................................ 23

Adjudication.............................................................................................................................. 26
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

3

TAB 1: AGENCY ORGANIZATIONAL OVERVIEW

Mission

The Department of Labor (DOL or Department) is a cabinet-level department with the mission to 

foster, promote, and develop the welfare of the wage earners, job seekers, and retirees of the 

United States; improve working conditions; advance opportunities for profitable employment; 

and assure work-related benefits and rights. In carrying out this mission, the DOL component 

agencies administer and enforce more than 180 federal laws and thousands of federal regulations 

which cover many workplace activities for about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. 

The Secretary of Labor heads the Department and is the principal advisor to the President on the 

development and execution of polices and the administration and enforcement of laws relating to 

wage earners, their conditions, and their employment opportunities. The agency, OSEC, 

supports the Secretary in fulfilling the Secretary’s responsibilities.

Authorizing Legislation

The Act to Establish the Bureau of Labor, 1884, was amended by the Act of 1913 to establish the 

Department of Labor (29 U.S.C. 1); this act also authorizes the Departmental Management 

functions. 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

4

Organizational Structure

Organizational Chart

Office of the Secretary

Secretary of Labor

Thomas E. Perez (PAS)

Chief of Staff

Seema Nanda 

(Non-Career SES)

Policy Advisors

Martha Gimbel (Non-Career)

Jane Farrell (Non-Career)

Executive Assistant to 

Deputy Chief of Staff

Joseph Vilca

White House Liaison

Avin Sharma 

(Non-Career)

Executive Assistant

Alfreda Johnson

Deputy White House Liaison

Tanisha Humphrey 

(Non-Career)

Deputy Chief Of Staff

Rajesh Nayak 

(Non-Career SES)

Executive Assistant

Sonja Hoover (Non-Career)

Deputy Chief Of Staff

Samuel Cornale 

(Non-Career)

Chief Economist

Heidi Shierhloz

(Non-Career SL)

Senior Counselors

Sharon Block

(Non-Career SES)

Ali Khawar

Office of Public Engagement

Vacant

Center for Faith Based and 

Neighborhood Partnerships

Vacant

Management Support 

Services

Kevin Jackson

DOL Agencies

BLS OASP OSHA

EBSA OCFO OWCP 

ETA ODEP SOL

ILAB OFCCP VETS

MSHA OLMS WB

OASAM OPA WHD

Deputy Secretary

Christopher P. Lu (PAS)

Chief of Staff

Michelle Rose 

(Non-Career)

Associate Deputy Secretary

Nancy Rooney (Career SES)

Special Assistant

Christina Chen

(Non-Career)

Counselor to the Deputy 

Secretary

Cerissa Cafasso 

(Non-Career)

Administrative Review Board

Paul Igasaki

Executive Secretariat

Vacant

Chief Innovation Officer

Xavier Hughes

(Non-Career)

Staff Assistant

Kwanice Jackson

Benefits Review Board 

Betty Jean Hall

Employees' Compensation 

Appeal Board 

Christopher Godfrey

Office of Administrative Law 

Judges

Stephen Henley

Ombudsman

Malcolm Nelson

Associate Deputy Secretary

Megan Uzzell 

(Non-Career SES)

Deputy Director of Scheduling 

and Advance

Lauren Pitruzzello (Non-Career)

Briefing Book

Lucy Moore (Non-Career)

Director of Scheduling and 

Advance

Wayne Skinner (Non-Career)
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

5

Workforce At-A-Glance
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

6

Key Leaders 

Secretary’s Office: 

o Secretary of Labor – Thomas E. Perez (non-career)

o Chief of Staff – Seema Nanda (non-career)

o Deputy Chief of Staff – Raj Nayak (non-career)

o Deputy Chief of Staff – Sam Cornale (non-career)

o White House Liaison – Avin Sharma (non-career)

o Briefer – Lucy Moore (non-career)

o Current FTE: career – 2; non-career – 11

Office of Scheduling and Advance: The Office of Scheduling and Advance coordinates and plans 

the meeting, events, and travel for the Secretary of Labor. The Office of Scheduling and 

Advance has eight FTE.

o Director: Wayne Skinner (non-career)

o Deputy Director: Lauren Pitruzzello (non-career)

o Current FTE: career - 2; non-career - 6

Office of the Deputy Secretary of Labor: The Deputy Secretary (DS) is the Department’s chief 

operating officer. As such, the Deputy Secretary oversees key operational functions such as: 

strategic planning; budget formulation; financial management; information technology; and 

human resource management. Additionally, the Deputy Secretary provides the leadership and 

management of DOL’s agencies necessary to support the Secretary and the Department’s 

mission. In doing so, the Deputy Secretary utilizes performance management, program 

evaluation, and cross agency collaboration. The Deputy Secretary also oversees the 

administration of DOL’s adjudicatory boards, which are responsible for reviewing and 

determining thousands of appeals each year. The DS staff supports these efforts by working 

directly with agency leadership and senior staff.

Deputy Secretary’s Office:

o Deputy Secretary of Labor - Christopher P. Lu (non-career)

o Associate Deputy Secretary for Policy – Megan Uzzell (non-career)

o Associate Deputy Secretary for Management – Nancy Rooney (career)

o Briefer/Staff Assistant - Kwanice Jackson (career)

o Current FTE: career - 2; non-career - 4

Adjudicatory Boards:

o Office of the Administrative Law Judges (OALJ)

o Administrative Review Board (ARB)

o Benefits Review Board (BRB)

o Employee Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB)

o Office of the Ombudsman for the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation 

Program (Ombudsman) 
TAB 1: Agency Organizational Overview

7

Management Support Services (MSS): 

MSS provides administrative support to OSEC and works closely with the Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Administration and Management in areas including: budget; facilities; human 

resources; IT; procurement; property management; recordkeeping; and travel. Additionally, 

MSS works closely with the Office of the Chief Financial Officer with regard to financial 

management. Another key service provided through MSS is the executive motor pool which 

provides transportation for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and DOL’s Assistant Secretaries. 

MSS has 13 career FTEs. 

o Director: Kevin Jackson (career)

o Deputy Director: Janet Newkirk (career)

The following are also component offices within OSEC; overviews of these offices are attached. 

o Office of the Executive Secretariat (ExecSec) 

o Office of Public Engagement (OPE) 

o Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (CFBNP) 

o Office of the Chief Economist (CHECO) 

o Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA)

*OCIA is not technically part of OSEC except for the purposes of this document

Budget 

The Secretary’s Office and the Office of the Deputy Secretary are funded through the Program 

Direction and Support (PDS) account. The FY 2016 PDS funding level for OSEC is $5,067,000. 

Additionally, the Secretary is allocated a Reception and Representation Fund (R&R Fund) of 

$28,000 annually for the purpose of official workforce development-related receptions and 

engagements. As of September 1, the non-disbursed balance for the R&R fund is $2,255.32. The 

Secretary also has available a Gifts and Bequests account. This account is funded through 

philanthropic gifts and bequests from external, non-governmental entities to the Department for 

the purpose of official receptions, engagements, or events that further the Department’s mission. 

This account has no current funding available as of September 1. The budget accounts of the 

other OSEC components are addressed in their respective overviews. Detailed budget 

information provided below.
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

8

TAB 2: OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OFFICES

Office of the Executive Secretariat

Mission

The Office of the Executive Secretariat (ExecSec) is part of the immediate Office of the 

Secretary and serves as a liaison between the Office of the Secretary (including, the Office of the 

Deputy Secretary) and DOL agencies. ExecSec establishes, implements, and manages processes 

and procedures to ensure prompt and efficient processing of Executive correspondence/records 

from sources internal and external to the Department. ExecSec also assists agencies in 

producing timely, accurate, and quality responses to Executive correspondence. Additionally, 

ExecSec secures appropriate clearance of decision memoranda and other documents requiring 

Secretarial or Deputy Secretarial approval and/or signature. Furthermore, ExecSec assists with 

agency-management. Each ExecSec Senior Policy Advisor covers an assigned portfolio of DOL 

agencies and assists in the orderly administration and implementation of Departmental policies, 

including the distribution and management of decisions and assignments coming out of key 

management and operational meetings. Finally, ExecSec is responsible for the oversight of the 

Department’s 17 Federal Advisory Committees.

Organizational Structure 

ExecSec is comprised of a policy division and an operations division. Although the work of the 

policy and operations divisions are interrelated and the staff work closely together, it was 

determined, in 2011, that each division be headed by a deputy director given the nature of 

ExecSec’s work. As such, the single SES-level career deputy director position was eliminated 

and replaced by two GS-15 deputy directors. Including the director position, ExecSec currently 

has 20 FTEs, 19 of which are career positions. The career positions are filled; additionally, 

ExecSec does have two detailees given the current workload. 

Key Leaders 

o Director of the Executive Secretariat – vacant (non-career)

o Deputy Director for Policy converted to Principal Deputy Director for the Executive 

Secretariat (SES conversion NTE 9/5/2018) – Elizabeth (Bea) Way (career)

o Deputy Director for Operations – Nalini Close (career)

Key Issues

ExecSec has established processes for achieving our mission; however, there are some key 

procedural matters that must be addressed quickly by the incoming Secretary and Deputy 

Secretary. These matters include: signature blocks; auto-pen and electronic signatures and use; 

sign-off authority; blanket approvals; briefing book archiving; the handling of Executive 

(including Secretarial) correspondence; and the clearances and approval processes. Given that 

the work ExecSec performs is integral to the Office of the Secretary, ExecSec requests to brief 
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

9

the key Transition personnel and the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and their appropriate staff as 

early as possible. 

Initiatives

Many of ExecSec processes are paper-based, including clearances, approvals, and recordkeeping. 

However, ExecSec relies on the Secretary’s Information Management System (SIMS) for 

tracking and the assignment of Executive correspondence. SIMS is web-based database that was 

developed in-house in the late 1990s. As technology has advanced, the limitations of SIMS have 

become more burdensome from both management and user perspectives. In 2011, OASAM 

committed to replacing SIMS with a document management system; however, it has been unable 

to fulfill this commitment due to functionality requirements and funding. The need for a 

modern, more robust, document management system is becoming more urgent, not just due to 

efficiency, but due to the requirement that the Executive branch components must submit records 

electronically to the National Archives and Records Administration by 2019. The Deputy 

Secretary determined that the system replacing SIMS will serve as ExecSec’s vehicle for 

meeting the electronic archiving requirement. 

Office of Public Engagement (OPE)

Overview

The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) serves to advance the Secretary’s efforts to effectively 

engage stakeholders by making the Department inclusive, transparent, accountable and 

responsible. OPE is DOL’s primary liaison to external organizations, stakeholder and advocacy 

groups, and the private sector. While DOL agencies maintain their own external relationships, 

OPE is used to both consult on and manage longer-term, more strategic initiatives. OPE serves as 

trusted messengers to complement the outreach efforts of DOL’s agencies to ensure a broad 

cross section of stakeholder participation in all facets of the Department's efforts. OPE also 

manages and supports many of the Secretarial- and Presidential-level roll-outs of rules, 

regulations, and new initiatives, coordinating with internal DOL staff and agencies to ensure 

material, outreach and time lines are being managed and met. OPE facilitates and coordinates 

external meeting requests, ensures that obstacles to participation are mitigated and provide 

recommendations to inform and influence Departmental resources, programs and policies. 

Additionally, OPE is the primary means of staff support for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and 

other senior department officials in travel, event development, and briefing materials.

OPE works in close coordination with the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA) and the 

Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (CFBNP) to form the Secretary's 

Outreach Team. OPE is based in the National Office but does extensive outreach to the Regions 

by leveraging the Regional presences of DOL’s agencies.

Organizational Structure 

OPE has five non-career FTE and one career assistant.
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

10

Key Personnel

o Advisor to the Secretary – Shauna McCarty (non-career)

o Advisor to the Secretary – Jumoke Balogun (non-career)

o Advisor on Working Family Engagement - Kimble Burke DellaFave-Snyder (non-career)

o Advisor on Private Sector Engagement – Edgar Gonzalez (non-career)

o Advisor on Private Sector Engagement – Alison Omens (non-career)

Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (CFBNP)

Overview

DOL’s Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships (CFBNP) reaches out to faithbased groups, community organizations, and neighborhood leaders to provide information and 

seek input on the important work that DOL performs. https://www.dol.gov/cfbnp/ CFBNP 

seeks to build lasting community partnerships between these groups and DOL’s workforce 

development agencies. It coordinates with the White House Office for Faith-Based and 

Neighborhood Partnerships and similar offices within other Executive-Branch departments. 

The establishment of CFBNP stems from Executive Order (EO) 13199 (2001) by which 

President Bush established the White House Office for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. 

That Office had lead responsibility to establish policies, priorities, and objectives for the Federal 

Government's comprehensive effort to enlist, equip, enable, empower, and expand the work of 

faith-based and other community organizations. It worked closely with corresponding offices in 

Federal departments. The primary focus at DOL was to make grants more accessible to small 

faith-based organizations. In 2009, this effort was re-established with a change in focus and 

name by EO 13498. https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ofbnp/about At DOL, 

CFBNP has focused its work in four primary areas: outreach; worker protection partnerships; 

job club partnerships; and grants and partnerships.

Organizational Structure 

CFBNP has three non-career FTEs: Director; Deputy Director; and Staff Assistant. However, it 

currently has no permanently assigned staff. A decision was made in 2015 to limit its day-to-day 

activities. Currently, the VETS Deputy Assistant Secretary (Policy) leads CFBNP on a part-time 

basis and detailee provides administrative support.

Key Leadership 

o Director – vacant - non-career; Teresa Gerton, Deputy Assistant Secretary in VETS, is 

acting

o Deputy Director – vacant - non-career
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

11

Initiatives

Outreach: Outreach is a primary focus of CFBNP and it has approximately 20,000 contacts. 

Additionally, CFBNP maintains a more active, smaller list of about 250 strategic contacts 

comprised of leaders of national or regional organizations, denominations, and associations who 

can reach thousands of more organizations and people. CFBNP uses this list to share 

information on DOL regulations, grants, and other noteworthy information. The CFBNP also

works closely with DOL’s Office of Public Engagement in support of DOL outreach efforts to 

faith and community organizations.

Worker Protection Partnerships: CFBNP works closely with DOL’s worker protection agencies 

(such as, WHD, OSHA, and OFCCP) to facilitate relationships between these agencies (national, 

regional, and field offices) and a wide range of worker-centric faith and community 

organizations that can be helpful in performing outreach to vulnerable workers about DOL laws 

and rules, providing input on regulations, and assisting in investigations as appropriate. 

Job Club Initiative: In 2011, the CFBNP launched its Job Clubs Initiative to create a community 

of practice among the faith-based and community-based job search support groups to better 

connect these groups with the public workforce system. These groups are typically run by 

volunteers in familiar community settings like churches. The Job Club Initiative has: connected 

with over 2,000 active groups; maintains a community of practice web site and a state job club 

directory; helped develop formal relationships between job clubs and the public workforce 

system in more than 20 states; held over 15 Job Club Symposia nationwide form 2011-2013; 

helped raise awareness about the needs of the long-term unemployed through regional events and 

roundtables; and facilitated the inclusion of job clubs as partners in ETA’s Ready to Work and 

Job Driven NEG grants. The Job Clubs Initiative was the lead item in a White House Office of 

Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnership’s Year of Action Report for 2014.

Grants Partnerships: CFBNP has worked both DOL grant-making agencies, such as ETA, and 

externally with faith-based and community organizations to increase opportunities for smaller 

community organizations to participate in grants as partners and sub-grantees. To help facilitate 

partnerships, CFBNP maintains a grantee web site that lists all DOL grantees since 2011 by 

state.

Policy and Regulatory Issues: The White House recently updated the original “faith-based” 

rules promulgated by the Bush Administration. The new rule, known as the Equal Treatment 

Rule, (EO 13599) was issued in November 2010 and amended in March 2016. 

https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/cfbnp/cfbnp20160331 DOL issued its corresponding 

guidance in July 2016. https://www.dol.gov/cfbnp/20160705.htm The rule requires DOL 

grantees to provide participants with access to alternative, secular providers if participants are 

opposed to receiving services from organizations that are faith-based. The DOL Civil Rights 

Center, in OASAM, will be responsible for administering the rule. 
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

12

Office of the Chief Economist

Overview

Office of the Chief Economist (CHECO): CHECO provides economic and statistical analysis to 

the Secretary of Labor and its components. CHECO works closely with internal and external 

stakeholders, with a special relationship with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, to ensure the 

provision of:

• up-to-date information to the Secretary and others in DOL on labor market and economic 

conditions, 

• representation on “rule” teams, ensuring the quality of the economic impact analysis of 

each rule, 

• support in the review of reports, speeches, fact sheets, social media items, etc. for 

appropriate use of economics and data,

• relevant economic data and justifications for departmental priorities,

• written blog posts, speeches, and expert participation on panels related to departmental 

priorities,

• representation at CEA and other CHECO offices in the administration (e.g. at Treasury 

and Commerce), and

• representation in DOL and White House policy processes, in particular, quantifying the 

economic impact of proposed policies.

Key Personnel

In addition to the Chief Economist, the CHECO office has three full-time staff -- two policy 

advisors (political) who are integral staff on all of the above and one BLS detail (career) who is 

the CHECO liaison to BLS and focuses primarily on the above tasks where BLS data plays an 

integral role.

o Chief Economist: Heidi Shierholz (non-career)

o Policy Advisor: Keith Miller (non-career)

o Policy Advisor: Patrick Oakford (non-career)

o BLS/CHECO Liaison: Lyda Ghanbari (career – detailee)

30/60/90 Days 

Aside from normal economic data releases, no key issues, decisions, meetings, or 

announcements are expected in this timeframe. By far the most important data release for the 

Secretary is the release of the employment and unemployment numbers on, generally, the first 

Friday of every month. On the day of the release (also known as “numbers day”), the Secretary 

is briefed at 8:00AM by the Commissioner of BLS, then works with staff to develop talking 

points as the Secretary customarily does many TV, radio, and print interviews throughout the 

day. The 2017 calendar has not been released yet but it is likely that the first three numbers 

days of the new administration will be February 3rd, March 10th, and April 7th. 
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

13

Office of Congressional & Intergovernmental Affairs (OCIA)

Organizational Overview

OCIA is the Department of Labor’s (the Department) liaison to Members of Congress (MOCs) 

as well as state and local government officials and entities. OCIA's primary responsibility is 

communicating and advocating for the Department's priorities and policies. This effort is 

accomplished by coordinating and communicating with federal, state, and local elected officials 

and their staff. Areas covered include, but are not limited to:

• Legislative Work & Regulatory Action

o Reviewing pending and proposed legislation and its impact on the Department

o Coordinating requests for technical assistance on legislation

o Providing input on the Department's legislative agenda

o Monitoring all Department-related legislative actions

o Developing a strategy for notifying and briefing elected officials on regulatory 

action at all stages of the process

o Delivering Congressional Review Act packages to the House & Senate

• Budget

o Managing the roll-out of the President’s budget to the Hill

o Monitoring appropriations bills and riders

o Advocating for Departmental budget priorities and initiatives

• Oversight

o Leading the Department’s efforts on responding to Congressional oversight 

requests by working in coordination with the Office of the Solicitor

• Nominations

o Managing the Senate confirmation process for all Department nominated 

officials

• Outreach & Education

o Scheduling, coordinating and preparing Department staff for briefings and 

meetings

o Responding to Congressional requests for information

• Congressional Hearings

o Coordinate with agencies on drafting testimony for Congressional hearings 

o Scheduling and preparing Departmental witnesses for Congressional hearings

o Coordinating responses to QFRs

• Grants

o Issuing notifications to MOCs and state/local elected officials when funding 

opportunities are announced, providing information on the status of grant 

solicitations, and notifying when successful applicants are awarded

• Notifications

o OCIA is responsible for notifying Congress when certain instances occur: the 

death of a miner, a major OSHA incident, the death of a Job Corps student, etc. 

Agencies are responsible for sharing this information with OCIA timely so that 

appropriate notifications can occur. 
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

14

• Casework

o Managing incoming casework and coordinating with the appropriate agency on 

responses

• Travel/Event Invitations

o Notifying staff when the Secretary or Deputy Secretary are scheduled to travel to 

a specific area, and inviting participation from elected officials when appropriate

o Determining which invitations from elected officials should be accepted or 

declined

Organizational Structure

OCIA has 30 FTEs, all of which are Schedule C Political appointees with the exception of five 

career administrative personnel. OCIA is headed by a Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary 

(A/S). Four leadership positions all report to the A/S: one (1) Deputy Assistant Secretary; one (1) 

Associate Assistant Secretary for Budget & Appropriations; one (1) Chief of Staff; and one (1) 

Director of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA). 

Key Leadership

o Assistant Secretary: Adri Jayaratne (Acting) (non-career)

o Deputy Assistant Secretary: Nikki McKinney (non-career)

o Associate Assistant Secretary for Budget & Appropriations: Julie Aaronson (non-career)

o Chief of Staff: Andria Oliver (non-career)

o Director of Intergovernmental Affairs: Carrianna Suiter (non-career)

Within the Congressional Affairs office, there is a cadre of Senior Legislative Officers (SLO) 

whose responsibility is to be the primary liaison between a set of the Department’s sub-agencies 

that they are assigned to as part of their portfolio. Beneath that level of SLOs are Legislative 

Officers (LOs) who provide support to the SLOs who handle the agencies within the LOs 

assigned portfolio. LOs also handle the casework for their agencies. Additionally, OCIA has a 

Senior Counselor position which is the lead for all Congressional oversight related matters for 

both OCIA and the Department. The Senior Counselor works closely and coordinates with the 

Office of the Solicitor on oversight related matters.

Within the IGA office, the Deputy Director for IGA reports to the Director. Up to six (6) staff, 

known as Secretary’s Representatives are based in various regions and handle outreach to state 

and local elected officials and track legislative efforts at the state/local level on Departmentrelated issues. The Secretary’s Representatives the only political appointees the Department has 

outside of the National Office.

30/60/90 Day State of Play

• Appropriations: Depending on how Congress decides to fund the government in September 

2016, it is likely that negotiations on a long-term CR or Omnibus would be in play in the 

short term.
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

15

• FY2018 Budget roll-out: The President’s budget is usually rolled out in February/March.

• Nominations & Confirmations: The full slate of Senate-confirmed nominees for the 

Department will be coming in waves throughout the first weeks of the new Administration. 

OCIA works closely with White House Legislative Affairs to clear pre-hearing QFRs, 

Committee paperwork, prep for confirmation hearings, and post-hearing QFRs. Nominees 

should draft their own testimony, but OCIA staff will review.

• Secretary hearing on the Budget: Typically the Secretary has three (3) budget hearings. 

One each before the House & Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittees and a third 

before the House Education & Workforce Committee. Senate HELP has not traditionally 

held a budget hearing.

• Create a list of key staff on the Committees of jurisdiction: This will make it easy to send 

notifications.

• Create a system for handling incoming casework: OCIA has an email system that was 

developed in coordination with the IT team here at DOL, but casework will still come in via 

snail mail, fax and email.

• Spring Regulatory Agenda Roll-Out: There is no specific timing for this, but be prepared 

with a plan to push out the regulatory agenda.

• Grant/Reports Cycle:

o June is a big push for ETA grants that must be awarded before the end of the program 

year (June 30);

o September is a big push for grants that must be awarded before the end of the fiscal 

year (Sept 30). ILAB also releases their child labor reports in September/October.

General Approach to Communicating with Elected Officials

While there will always be unique situations, OCIA’s interactions with the Hill are done on a 

bipartisan, bicameral basis. Advanced notifications to the Hill—using strict embargo language—

is standard operating procedure.

Leadership: OCIA includes staff from the Speaker, Senate Majority Leader, and House and 

Senate Minority Leaders on major notifications and is in regular touch with leadership staff.

Key Committees:

House Senate

Education &Workforce HELP

Ways and Means Finance

Labor-HHS Appropriations Labor-HHS Appropriations

HSGAC OGR

Foreign Relations (ILAB) Foreign Affairs (ILAB)

Veterans’ Affairs (VETS) Veteran’s Affairs (VETS)

Budget Budget

• In some instances, we interact with House & Senate Armed Services on issues related to 

federal contracting and/or when NDAA is used as a vehicle to address a DOL issue.

• The House and Senate Small Business Committees often hold hearings on issues related to 

the impact of DOL policies or programs on small businesses.
TAB 2: Office of the Secretary Offices

16

• The Joint Economic Committee has on occasion invited BLS to testify on jobs numbers or 

other economic indicators.

• The House/Senate Agriculture Committees will weigh in with DOL on issues related to 

farms, farming, or the agricultural industry.

IGA Stakeholders: National Governor’s Association; National Association of Counties, National 

League of Cities, US Conference of Mayors, National Conference of State Legislators, State 

Innovation Exchange and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials.
TAB 3: Adjudication Offices

17

TAB 3: ADJUDICATION OFFICES

Office of the Administrative Law Judges (OALJ)

Overview

Federal Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) within the DOL’s Office of Administrative Law 

Judges (OALJ) preside over formal hearings concerning many labor-related matters. The OALJ

mission is to render fair and equitable decisions under the governing law and the facts of each 

case. Hearings concerning Black Lung Benefits, Longshore Workers' Compensation and 

Permanent Alien Labor Certification constitute the largest part of the office's work. The 

Department's ALJs, however, also hear and decide cases arising from over 65 other labor-related 

statutes and regulations, including federal contract and wage disputes, requests for mine safety 

variances, and retaliation cases involving corporate fraud, safety violations in the nuclear, 

aviation, railway, public transit, and commercial trucking industries and violations of 

environmental, consumer protection and food safety laws. 

Authorizing Legislation

The ALJs conduct these formal hearings under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 

U.S.C. §§ 554-557 where a statute, Executive Order or regulation requires notice and 

opportunity for a hearing on the record. 

Organizational Structure

Federal ALJs are appointed under the APA, 5 U.S.C. § 3105. Their appointments are nonpolitical and based solely on scores achieved in a comprehensive testing procedure administered 

by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Any agency wishing to hire an ALJ must notify 

OPM of the number and geographic location of its ALJ vacancies. In response to this notice, 

OPM will generate a “Certificate of Eligibles” for the requesting agency which identifies 

applicants ranked by the score they achieved on the ALJ examination administered by OPM. 

Federal agencies may only hire ALJs from the certificate produced by OPM or individuals who 

are already ALJs with other federal agencies. Federal ALJs constitute the only merit-based 

judicial corps in the Federal government. There are approximately 1,700 ALJs assigned to 26

Federal agencies. The Department of Labor employs 43 ALJs, all within the OALJ, along with 

legal and administrative support staff of 129 FTE. DOL’s OALJ is the third largest employer of 

ALJs in the Federal government, with the Social Security Administration employing over 1440 

ALJs and the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals employing about 75 ALJs.

OALJ’s National Office is located in the TechWorld complex at 800 K Street, NW, in 

Washington, DC. The Executive Judicial Staff at this location consists of a Chief Administrative 

Law Judge, Stephen R. Henley; an Associate Chief Administrative Law Judge for Black Lung, 

William S. Colwell; and a vacant Associate Chief Administrative Law Judge position for 

Immigration and Longshore. The entire agency is supported by the Office of Program 

Operations under Director, P.J. Soto and Deputy Director, Angel Perez and 16 FTE. OALJ has 

eight district offices ranging in size from 12 to 19 FTE managed by a District Chief 
TAB 3: Adjudication Offices

18

Administrative Law Judge. These locations are in Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Cherry Hill, 

NJ; Cincinnati, OH; Covington, LA; Newport News, VA; Pittsburgh, PA; and San Francisco, 

CA. 

OALJ is purely an adjudicatory agency and does not make policy or issue policy statements. 

Administrative Review Board (ARB)

Overview 

The Secretary has delegated to the ARB the authority to issue final agency decisions for the 

Secretary in cases arising under a wide range of worker protection laws, primarily involving 

environmental, transportation, and securities whistleblower protection; H-1B immigration 

provisions; child labor; employment discrimination; job training; seasonal and migrant workers; 

and federal construction and service contracts. https://www.dol.gov/arb/areas.pdf. The Board’s 

cases generally arise upon appeal from decisions of Department of Labor Administrative Law 

Judges or the Administrator of the Department’s Wage and Hour Division. Depending upon the 

statute at issue, the parties may appeal the Board’s decisions to federal district or appellate courts 

and ultimately to the United States Supreme Court. The Board’s mission is to issue legally 

correct, just, and timely decisions. 

Organizational Structure

The Board offices are located in the Frances Perkins Building. The Chair and Administrative 

Appeals Judges are appointed by the Secretary for two-year terms, subject to re-appointment. 

During the last eight years, one Judge resigned and was replaced. 

o Chair and Chief Administrative Appeals Judge - Paul M. Igasaki 

o Administrative Appeals Judge - E. Cooper Brown 

o Administrative Appeals Judge - Joanne Royce 

o Administrative Appeals Judge Luis A. Corchado

o Administrative Appeals Judge Anuj C. Desai 

o General Counsel - Janet R. Dunlop 

Supporting the Board is a staff of seven Attorney-Advisors and two Paralegals. There are no 

vacant Judge or staff positions. https://www.dol.gov/arb/members.htm

Key Initiatives

The Board’s Rules of Practice and Procedure are pending final Department review.

Congressional Issues

Senators Charles Grassley and Ron Wyden and Representative Jackie Speier have filed an amici 

curiae brief in a case before the Board, Palmer v. Canadian National Railway/Illinois Central 

Railroad Co., ARB No. 16-035, ALJ No. 2014-FRS-154, involving issues of proof in 
TAB 3: Adjudication Offices

19

whistleblower cases arising under the Federal Rail Safety Act, 49 U.S.C.A. § 20109 (Thomson 

Reuters Supp. 2015).

Benefits Review Board (BRB)

Overview

DOL’s BRB was created by Congress in 1972 to review appeals of administrative law judges’ 

decisions arising under the Black Lung Benefits Act, Title IV of the Coal Mine Health and 

Safety Act, 30 U.S.C. §901 et seq., and the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, 

33 U.S.C. §901 et seq., and its extensions, including the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, 43 

U.S.C. §1331 et seq., the Defense Base Act, 42 U.S.C. §1651 et seq., and the Nonappropriated 

Fund Instrumentalities Act, 5 U.S.C. §8171 et seq. The Board has authority to resolve appeals 

under these statutes, filed by any party-in-interest, which raise a substantial question of law or 

fact, and it reviews the decisions of administrative law judges in order to determine whether the 

findings are supported by substantial evidence and are in accordance with law. The Board’s 

decisions may be appealed to the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the circuit where the injury arose, 

and from there to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Board, by statute, consists of five Members 

appointed by the Secretary of Labor, one of whom is designated as Chairman and Chief 

Administrative Appeals Judge. Consistent with its statutory mandate, the Board’s mission is to 

issue decisions on the appeals pending before it with expediency, consistency and impartiality. 

Organizational Structure

BRB consists of 61 FTEs, and includes the Clerk’s Office which services all three of the 

Adjudicatory Boards. All FTEs are located at the Frances Perkins Building as the Board has no 

regional presence. The Benefits Review Board has no key vacancies, and has undergone no 

major organizational changes over the past eight years. Key leadership roles filled by career 

staff, and are as follows:

o Chairman and Chief Administrative Appeals Judge - Betty Jean Hall

o Vice-Chairman and Administrative Appeals Judge - Ryan C. Gilligan

o Administrative Appeals Judge - Judith S. Boggs 

o Administrative Appeals Judge - Greg J. Buzzard

o Administrative Appeals Judge - Jonathan Rolfe 

o General Counsel - Loretta Santacroce 

o Clerk of the Boards - Thomas O. Shepherd 

Initiatives

Along with other internal IT enhancements, the Benefits Review Board began a pilot in FY 2016 

leveraging the OWCP Imaging System (OIS) to receive appeals in completely digital format. 

The Board looks to continue this pilot in FY 2017 to further leverage technology to enhance case 

processing, and work toward the creation of a comprehensive case tracking system to enable data 

sharing and improved public access to case information.
TAB 3: Adjudication Offices

20

Employees' Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB)

Overview

The Board's mission is to hear and decide cases on appeal from decisions of the Office of 

Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) in an impartial and expeditious manner. The 

decisions of the Board are made in accordance with its statutory mandate, based on a thorough 

review of the case record as compiled by OWCP and shared through the iFECS application. 

Injured federal workers have the opportunity for a full evidentiary hearing with OWCP's Branch 

of Hearings and Review prior to review of the record by the Board.

Authorizing Legislation

ECAB, http://www.dol.gov/ecab/welcome.html, was created in 1946 by statute to hear appeals 

taken from determinations and awards under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act1 with 

respect to claims of federal employees injured in the course of their employment. The Board has 

final authority to determine the liability of the Federal government with respect to the disability 

or death of employees. The Board hears appeals from decisions and orders of the Department of 

Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)2. There is no further 

administrative or judicial appeal of ECAB decisions. The Board and its staff, consisting of 34 

individuals at present, are located in the national Headquarters office on the northwest section of 

the Fifth floor.

Organizational Structure

The Board3, by statute, consists of three permanent judges (members) who are appointed by the 

Secretary and are SL-level employees. One judge is designated as Chairman of the Board, Chief 

Judge, and administrative manager. To address the increasing number of FECA claims being 

filed and ECAB’s backlog, alternate members were created to increase ECAB’s capacity. 

Alternate members are GS 15-level employees and generally perform the same duties as 

permanent judges. Due to the reassignment of an alternate member, there is one GS 15 vacancy 

on the Board.

o Chairman is Chief Judge - Christopher James Godfrey

o Vice Judge and Judge - Patricia Howard Fitzgerald 

o Judge - Colleen D. Kiko

o Alternate member - Judge Alec J. Koromilas 

o Alternate member - Judge Valerie Evans-Harrell 

ECAB also consists of three attorney supervisors who report to the Vice Chair. The attorney 

supervisors are responsible for supervision of 19 staff attorneys who prepare draft decisions and 

orders for the Board. There is a docket preparation unit consisting of one supervisor, who 

reports to the Vice Chair, and four staff who are responsible for preparation and publication of 

 1 https://www.dol.gov/owcp/dfec/regs/compliance/fecafact.htm

2 https://www.dol.gov/owcp/

3 https://www.dol.gov/ecab/members.htm
TAB 3: Adjudication Offices

21

final decisions and orders from the Board. The Chairman supervises the work of the 

Administrative Officer and Budget Analyst of the Adjudicatory Boards. The Chairman has one 

confidential assistant. ECAB utilizes a consolidated Docket, under the Clerk of the Appellate 

Boards, which is supervised by the Benefits Review Board (BRB). All decisions and orders of 

the Board are published for public review following necessary redaction.4 

 4 https://www.dol.gov/ecab/decisions.htm
TAB 4: Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program

22

TAB 4: ENERGY EMPLOYEES OCCUPATIONAL ILLNESS 

COMPENSATION PROGRAM

Overview 

Congress created the Office of the Ombudsman in October 2004 to provide information and to 

address the concerns of claimants and potential claimants relating to benefits available under the 

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). As designed 

by Congress, the Office has three primary responsibilities: (1) to provide information to 

claimants and potential claimants, and other interested parties on the benefits available under 

procedures applicable to the provision of these benefits; (2) to make recommendations to the 

Secretary of Labor on where to locate resource centers for the acceptance and development of 

claims; and (3) to submit an Annual Report to Congress by July 30th of each year, setting forth 

the numbers and types of complaints, grievances, and requests for assistance received by the 

Ombudsman, and to provide an assessment of the most common difficulties encountered by 

claimants and potential claimants during the year. Pursuant to EEOICPA, the Office is 

scheduled to sunset on October 28, 2019. However, it is expected, given the need, for the Office 

to continue past that date; previously, a Secretary’s Order continued the Office beyond a prior 

sunset date. 

Key Personnel 

o Ombudsman – Malcolm Nelson (career)

Budget

The Office of the Ombudsman is funded from the same appropriation as DOL’s Office of 

Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP). Although, the Office is on the same 

apportionment, organizationally it is fully independent of OWCP and its finances are managed

by the budget team that manages OSEC’s finances.
TAB 5: Budget

23

TAB 5: BUDGET

Office of the Secretary (OSEC)

OSEC BUDGET AUTHORITY AND FTE SUMMARY

(Dollars in millions)

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016

Enacted

FY 2017

Request

Budget Authority $31.0 $31.0 $31.0 $31.0 $37.4

FTE 120 122 136 130 161

At-A-Glance

• The Program Direction and Support (PDS) activity is a component of the Departmental 

Management (DM) appropriation and receives General Funds. The activity includes the 

following offices: 

o The Office of the Secretary of Labor; 

o The Office of the Deputy Secretary of Labor; 

o The Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs; 

o The Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships; and 

o The Office of Public Engagement.

• ExecSec is funded out of the Working Capital Fund. 

• Budget information for Adjudication provided with the Adjudication materials below. 

Budget and FTE Trends

• From FY 2009 to FY 2010, PDS’s budget increased from $25.8 million to $33.2 million. 

The FY 2010 President’s Budget requested additional resources for the Office of Recovery 

for Auto Communities and Workers (ORACW) and to support implementation of the 

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). In FY 2011 and FY 2012, resources 

were shifted from PDS to other DM activities to address deficits. 

• Actual FTE use increased along with the increased budget authority. Actual FTE use was 

109 in FY 2009 and 121 in FY 2016.

• PDS’s budget authority was reduced by a total of $1.7 million in FY 2013 due to 

sequestration and a small rescission.

Program Direction and Support Funding, FY 2016

(Dollars in millions)

Office of the Secretary $5.1

Office of the Deputy Secretary of Labor $1.3

Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs $4.2

Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships $1.0

Office of Public Engagement $0.9
TAB 5: Budget

24

Upcoming Issues

• The FY 2017 Budget request also included resources under PDS for the implementation of 

the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order. In FY 2016, Congressional report 

language stated that the Department was not to use resources for the creation of an office to 

implement this executive order, so the FY 2017 request was modified to clarify that no new 

office would be created. 
TAB 5: Budget

25

FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017

PB

Authorized 133 152 123 118 121 127 136 136 161

Actuals 109 127 123 121 120 122 136 130

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

PDS

Authorized FTE vs. Actuals, FY 2009-2017
TAB 5: Budget

26

Adjudication

Budget Authority and FTE Summary

(Dollars in millions)

FY 2013

Enacted

FY 2014

Enacted

FY 2015

Enacted

FY 2016

Enacted

FY 2017

Request

Budget Authority $44.5 $45.7 $50.3 $52.7 $58.8

FTE 243 241 254 257 292

At-A-Glance

• The Adjudication budget activity is funded in the Departmental Management (DM) 

appropriation. The activity is made up of the Office of Administrative Law Judges (OALJ) 

and the Adjudicatory Boards (the Boards), which are the Benefits Review Board (BRB), the 

Employees’ Compensation Appeals Board (ECAB), and the Administrative Review Board 

(ARB). 

• Adjudication is funded by both general funds and the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund 

(BLDTF). The BLDTF supports staff and expenses in OALJ and the BRB to adjudicate 

cases related to black lung benefits.

• The head tables and subsequent graphs include both general fund and BLDTF resources. In 

FY 2016, Adjudication was appropriated $32.0 million in general funds and $20.7 million 

from the BLDTF. 

• As a mandatory appropriation, BLDTF has been subject to sequestration since FY 2013. 

The FY 2016 sequestration percentage was 6.8 percent.

Budget and FTE Trends

• From FY 2009 to FY 2016, Adjudication’s overall budget authority increased from $45.6 

million in FY 2009 to $52.7 million in FY 2016, with a reduction to $4.5 million in FY 

2013 due to sequestration. 

• The majority of the net change in budget authority was the result of an increase in BLDTF 

authority in FY 2015 for OALJ. Beginning in FY 2014, the appropriations committees put 

significant attention on the backlog of black lung cases before OALJ. An additional $4.6 

million above the FY 2015 enacted level was provided in the BLDTF to reduce this backlog 

in black lung cases. The funding was used to hire additional administrative law judges and 

support staff, as well as make IT investments to improve efficiency.

• In addition, the activity was appropriated an additional $2.6 million in general funds in FY 

2016. The report language did not specify where this increase should be directed, although 

there were two program increases in the FY 2016 President’s Request for OALJ ($3.0 

million to adjudicate immigration cases and $2.0 million to provide resources for 

productivity increases). 

• Due to the combination of cost increases (primarily for shared services and personnel) and 

flat appropriations, the Boards have run deficits in FY 2015 and FY 2016. While the 

Department has requested resources for these inflationary increases, they have not been 

included in the enacted appropriations at sufficient levels. The Department has managed 

these deficits by reducing spending in OALJ and in other DM activities. 
TAB 5: Budget

27

FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017

PB

Request 47.4 46.6 47.9 48.0 47.0 47.854 49.618 58.081 $58.8

Enacted $45.6 $46.6 $47.0 $46.9 $44.5 $45.7 $50.3 $52.7

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

$70

Adjudication

Request vs. Enacted, FY 2009-FY 2016

(Dollars in millions)

FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016

Enacted $45.6 $46.6 $47.0 $46.9 $44.5 $45.7 $50.3 $52.7

Inflation Adjusted $45.6 $46.3 $47.8 $48.8 $49.5 $50.3 $50.4 $50.4

$40

$42

$44

$46

$48

$50

$52

$54

Adjudication

FY 2009 Inflation Adjusted BA vs. FY 2009-FY 2016 

Enacted BA

(Dollars in millions)
TAB 5: Budget

28 

• To meet the reduced funding in sequestration in FY 2013, all offices in the Adjudication 

activity had to furlough staff. Performance targets were adjusted downward for all activities. 

Upcoming Issues

•

 

FY 2009 FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017

PB

Authorized 250 250 245 248 243 241 254 271 292

Actuals 247 248 238 243 241 232 240 257

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

Adjudication

Authorized FTE vs. Actuals, FY 2009-2017 

(b) (5)