FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Message from the U.S. Secretary of Labor............................................................................................. 5

Management's Discussion and Analysis..................................................................................................... 7

Program Performance Overview........................................................................................................... 12

Financial Performance Overview ......................................................................................................... 24

Management Assurances ...................................................................................................................... 30

Financial Section....................................................................................................................................... 31

Independent Auditors' Report ............................................................................................................... 33

Annual Financial Statements ................................................................................................................ 45

Principal Financial Statements and Notes......................................................................................... 47

Required Supplementary Stewardship Information........................................................................ 109

Required Supplementary Information............................................................................................. 117

Other Information ................................................................................................................................... 147

Inspector General's Top Management and Performance Challenges ................................................. 149

Summary of Financial Statement Audit and Management Assurances.............................................. 159

Payment Integrity................................................................................................................................ 160

Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment..................................................................................... 192

Grants Oversight and New Efficiency Act ......................................................................................... 213

Open Government Links..................................................................................................................... 214

Acronyms............................................................................................................................................ 215

This report can be found on the Internet at www.dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/.

If you have questions or comments regarding this report, contact:

Office of the Chief Financial Officer

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room S-4030

Washington, DC 20210

202-693-6800

The photographs in this publication were furnished by numerous individuals. All photographs are proprietary and prior permission from the 

photographer is required for any use or reproduction of the photographs. All references to non-governmental companies or organizations, their 

services, products or resources in this report are offered for informational purposes and should not be construed as an endorsement by the 

Department of Labor of any of the companies or organizations, or their services, products or resources. The U.S. Department of Labor does not 

endorse, takes no responsibility for, and exercises no control over non-governmental organizations’ Websites mentioned in this report, or their 

views or contents; nor does it vouch for the accuracy of the information contained on other organizations’ websites.

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 5

A Message from the U.S. Secretary of Labor

In our resurgent economy under President Trump’s leadership, 

American workers and job seekers are pursuing a brighter future 

through family-sustaining jobs and opportunities. This economy 

has created more than 4 million jobs since the President’s 

election. Under this Administration, the number of open jobs 

outnumbers job seekers, an unprecedented accomplishment. 

Month-after-month, jobless claims have reached lows not seen 

in nearly half a century. 

Whether through expanding apprenticeship opportunities; 

allowing small businesses to access quality, affordable care 

coverage; or strengthening retirement security, the U.S. 

Department of Labor is working to help all Americans secure 

good, safe, family-sustaining jobs.

In the pursuit of our objectives for America’s workforce, we 

have committed ourselves to responsible and efficient 

deployment of resources. In this spirit, I am pleased to present 

the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fiscal Year 2018 Agency 

Financial Report (AFR). In this annual publication to Congress 

and the American people, we take the opportunity to 

demonstrate our operational record and financial stewardship of 

public funds. The report explains how we allocate our $12.2

billion budget, and highlights our key accomplishments and 

plans for the future. I report with great pride that independent 

auditors of our financial statements have issued an unmodified 

“clean” opinion.

I am also pleased to provide an unqualified statement of 

reasonable assurance in the Department’s internal controls, as 

required by the Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act

(FMFIA) of 1982 and Office of Management and Budget 

Circular A‐123. Our assessment of our internal controls, and the 

compliance of our financial management systems, are outlined 

in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis section of this

report. In accordance with federal requirements, our financial 

data and summary performance results are thorough and 

complete.

In addition to transparency tools such as this financial report, we 

continually analyze our programs to measure the return on 

investment. Our robust and ambitious evaluation agenda allows 

us to assess the impact of our programs on the lives of workers 

and their families. By measuring these results, we can 

strengthen the initiatives that work and change the ones that 

don’t. For more about our evaluation work, reference the 

Program Performance Overview part of the Management 

Discussion and Analysis section of this AFR. For in-depth

performance information, please see the Department’s Annual 

Performance Report and Budget on DOL.gov.

R. Alexander Acosta

U.S. Secretary of Labor

The Department of 

Labor’s 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.”

The Department of 

Labor’s Strategic Goals:

1: Support the Ability of All 

Americans to Find Good 

Jobs

2: Promote Safe Jobs and 

Fair Workplaces for All 

Americans

3: Administer Strong 

Workers’ Compensation and 

Benefits Programs
A Message from the U.S. Secretary of Labor

6 United States Department of Labor

This Administration is working to create more opportunity for the American workforce – the greatest in the 

world. We have already accomplished much, and there is more to come in the years ahead. For more 

information, I encourage you to visit DOL.gov and read our Fiscal Year (FY) 2018—2022 Strategic Plan, 

which provides a five-year outline of specific and measureable outcomes and goals. 

R. ALEXANDER ACOSTA 

U.S. Secretary of Labor

November 15, 2018


(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 9
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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10 United States Department of Labor

U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL or the Department) annual Agency Financial Report (AFR) provides fiscal data 

and summary performance results that enable the President, Congress, and American people to assess the 

Department’s accomplishments for each fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). This report provides an 

overview of programs, accomplishments, challenges, and management’s accountability for the resources entrusted to 

the Department. The AFR is prepared in accordance with the requirements of Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) Circular No. A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements.

Mission Statement and Organizational Structure

DOL’s mission remains as relevant today as at the Department’s founding in 1913:

“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.”

The Department accomplishes this mission through component agencies and offices that administer various statutes 

and programs. These programs are carried out through a network of regional offices and smaller field, district, and 

area offices, as well as through grantees and contractors.

 US Department of Labor Organizational Chart
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 11

U.S. Department of Labor Headquarters: Frances Perkins Building

DOL Headquarters, Frances Perkins Building

Washington, D.C., USA
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12 United States Department of Labor 

Program Performance Overview

The Program Performance Overview discusses the Department’s key performance measures and program 

priorities. This section includes results for measures related to spending as reported in the following Financial 

Section. Performance results for outcome measures reported under the Government Performance and Results Act 

are included in the Annual Performance Report, which will be published by February 5, 2019 with the FY 2020 

Congressional Budget Justification. These reports will be posted at http://www.dol.gov/dol/aboutdol/#budget.

The Program Performance Overview organizes DOL program agencies into three categories that report FY 2018 

performance data. The Department’s mission is also supported by administrative, policy, legal, public affairs, and 

Congressional liaison offices.

Employment and Statistical Programs

Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS)

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

Women’s Bureau (WB)

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Worker Protection Programs

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

Wage and Hour Division (WHD) 

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)

Office of Labor‐Management Standards (OLMS)

Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

Compensation and Benefits Programs

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)

Federal‐State Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program (administered by ETA) 

The following section presents a brief description of the programs administered by each agency, a brief statement 

of forward-looking information, and the most recent results for key performance measures. The Department tracks 

performance through over 400 output and outcome measures. The selected measures below are most 

representative of agency activities.

EMPLOYMENT AND STATISTICAL PROGRAMS

Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

ETA provides employment assistance, labor market information, and job training through the administration of 

programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) for adults, youth, dislocated 

workers, and other populations. Additionally, ETA administers the Job Corps program; the Trade Adjustment 

Assistance program; the Employment Service, authorized under the Wagner-Peyser Act; Foreign Labor 

Certification activities; the Community Service Employment for Older Americans program; and Apprenticeship 

programs. Grants monitoring is a significant grant management function. All ETA grants are monitored to ensure 

accountability and to track performance outcomes. 

Percent of Grants Monitored Annually by Regional Offices – Staff in the six ETA Regional Offices monitor 

grants to ensure compliance with federal statutes and regulations and assess performance progress through 

enhanced desk monitoring reviews and on-site monitoring reviews. WIOA underscores the importance of strategic 

efforts and strong communication with our federal partners. This includes the coordination of technical assistance 

and monitoring activities. ETA monitored approximately 30% of all active grants assigned to the regions in FY 
Program Performance Overview

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 13

2018, exceeding the target of 26%. This outcome includes all monitoring that resulted in a monitoring report, 

whether on-site or Enhanced Desk Monitoring Review.

Looking Forward: As of October 1, 2018, ETA has a total of 2,135 active grants with a total funding portfolio of

$20.7 billion; 1,768 grants are assigned to 215 regional FTE and 367 grants assigned to approximately 16 FTE in 

the national office. ETA will maintain the same grant monitoring target of 26% in FY 2019.

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS)

VETS is committed to meeting the employment and training needs of veterans, transitioning service members, and 

eligible spouses - especially those with significant barriers to employment. VETS also focuses on connecting 

employers across the country with work-ready veterans. VETS’ mission is to prepare America's veterans, service 

members, and their spouses for meaningful careers; provide them with employment resources and expertise;

protect their employment rights; and promote their employment opportunities. 

One aspect of VETS’ service to veterans with significant barriers to employment is the Homeless Veterans’ 

Reintegration Program (HVRP). HVRP addresses the needs of one of the most vulnerable populations of veterans, 

those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. HVRP provides employment and training services to homeless 

veterans, equipping them with the skills to gain meaningful employment. VETS has increased the grant ceiling for 

each HVRP grantee to $500,000 to aid grantees in serving this complex and vulnerable population. VETS will 

analyze the performance data in FY 2019 and FY 2020 to determine the impact of this grant increase on the 

program. The target population of this grant program requires specialized services to include supportive services 

that are costly. In FY 2018 VETS achieved 90% of its target with an HVRP participant job placement rate of 

60.2% while serving nearly 18,000 participants.

VETS is also responsible for administering the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act 

(USERRA) program, which protects civilian job rights and benefits for active duty service members, veterans, and 

members of the National Guard and Reserves. USERRA provides anti-discrimination provisions that prohibit 

employers from taking adverse actions against any current or prospective employee, due in part to those 

individuals’ past, present, or future military service, status, or obligations. To provide prompt resolution for both 

claimants and employers, VETS assesses the percent of closed USERRA cases meeting the agency’s quality 

standard and customer satisfaction of USERRA cases. VETS FY 2018 performance exceeded the established goal

with a result of 96.0%, compared to a 95.0% target. VETS is currently assessing other agencies’ metrics and 

quality assessment procedures in an effort to consider alternative methods to gauge the quality of USERRA 

investigations and referrals. In FY 2018, VETS initiated a single region full-time investigator pilot program and is 

expected to be completed at the end of 2018, with analysis of the results following shortly after. In FY 2018, VETS 

also completed a pilot to improve case Report of Investigations (ROI). This new ROI is intended to remedy 

deficiencies in VETS’ investigative and case review processes, streamline and eliminate redundancies inherent in 

other tools currently in use. This ROI will facilitate improved quality metrics through a more streamlined audit 

process.

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, VETS will continue to measure HVRP success by using the job placement metric 

in conjunction with average hourly wages of those job placements. One key to assisting this population is to 

provide quick job placement into a career path with sustainable wages. Additionally, VETS will create an HVRP 

data dictionary which will assist grantees with clear and concise data collection definitions, as well as ensure that 

all grantee performance outcomes are reported uniformly. VETS will continue to improve the new USERRA case 

ROI and all VETS investigative and case review processes and eliminate redundant and outdated tools. VETS will 

also formalize the VETS Case Review Program.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

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14 United States Department of Labor

Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS)

Measure FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Percent of USERRA Closed Cases Meeting the 

Agency's Quality Standard (Annual) 91.5% 91.7% 95.5% 99.0% 96.0%

Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

ODEP uses data and evidence to promote the adoption and implementation of policy strategies and effective 

practices to increase the number and quality of job opportunities for people with disabilities. Based on research 

and evaluation, ODEP develops or identifies effective policy and practices, conducts outreach to share this critical 

information, and provides technical assistance to all levels of government and employers to aid them in adoption 

and implementation.

In FY 2018 ODEP monitored “Policy Outputs” and “Implementation Tools” as key performance measures using a 

revised definition from previous years. ODEP issued 63 “Policy Outputs,” against a target of 64, which include 

documents recommending or implementing a significant policy change or an interpretation of existing policy 

related to disability employment. ODEP issued 136 “Implementation Tools,” which are technical assistance and 

informational materials developed to aid entities in adopting and implementing proven practices.

ODEP has produced a steady stream of policy outputs, capitalizing on interest by states in implementing effective 

practices that prioritize competitive, integrated employment and an increased interest by employers in hiring 

people with disabilities spurred by new regulations. In FY 2018, the majority of ODEP’s resources were invested 

in developing implementation tools and policy guidance, providing technical assistance, and conducting outreach 

to support the implementation of legislations such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), as 

well as Section 501 and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. ODEP’s implementation tools remain critical to the 

successful adoption and implementation of the referenced legislation and regulations. Additionally, ODEP 

continued working with states to promote the adoption of implementation tools and policies through its State 

Exchange on Employment and Disability initiative.

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, ODEP will implement the Retaining Employment and Talent After Injury/Illness 

Network (RETAIN) Demonstration Projects in eight states to promote Stay-at Work/Return-to-Work 

(SAW/RTW) policies and practices and to begin to build evidence for what works in retaining employees or 

bringing them back to work after a temporary absence due to occupational as well as non-occupational illness 

and/or injury. ODEP plans to work with states that are interested in adopting systemic changes that facilitate 

retention and return-to-work rates after a temporary work disability.

Women’s Bureau (WB)

WB conducts research to formulate practices and policies aimed at increasing equal economic and employment 

opportunity and advancement for working women and their families. WB identifies trends, data gaps, policy and 

programmatic needs, and strategic interventions necessary to safeguard the interest of working women. These 

efforts allow the WB to inform and educate individuals and organizations at the local, state, and national levels 

about the issues facing women in the labor force.

In FY 2018, WB provided $1,403,190 to support four Women in Apprenticeships and Nontraditional Occupations 

(WANTO) grants and $650,000 for a grant to train and employ women workers affected by opioid abuse in 

Maryland. WB also launched an initiative on child care in conjunction with the White House and held one 

national and nine regional listening sessions to discuss the impact of child care on working families and identify 

solutions for expanding access. In collaboration with VETS and the White House, WB launched an interactive 

map to assist military spouses in identifying options for obtaining and transferring professional licenses and 

credentials.
Program Performance Overview

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 15

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, WB plans to continue the WANTO grant program with a new approach focused on 

increasing the impact of the grants in placing women in pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, and nontraditional 

occupations. WB plans to convene a National Symposium on Women in Apprenticeship to bring together WANTO 

grantees and others to discuss the current status of women in apprenticeship, research gaps, and promising 

apprenticeship models, and develop a case-based resource guide for employers and workforce development centers. 

WB also plans to collaborate with the White House and OMB to hold a National Symposium on Childcare, and 

work with HHS to develop a national database that will assist in evaluating how childcare costs affect women’s 

labor force participation. In collaboration with VETS, WB will develop a Transition Assistance Program (TAP) for 

military spouses, which will include a curriculum as well as an in-person and online community for military 

spouses as they pursue their post-service educational, financial and employment goals. In conjunction with the 

White House, CEA, SBA and U.S. Department of Treasury, the WB will continue its development of an 

interagency e-learning platform to connect women business owners with the tools and skills they need to scale their 

businesses. A tentative launch of the platform is set for March 2019.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

BLS is the principal federal statistical agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, 

and price changes in the economy. Its mission is to collect, analyze, and disseminate some of the nation’s most 

sensitive and important economic data to support public and private decision-making. Like all federal statistical 

agencies, BLS executes its statistical mission with independence. BLS serves the general public, the U.S. 

Congress, DOL and other federal agencies, state and local governments, and business and labor by providing data 

products that are accurate, objective, relevant, timely, and accessible, as well as technical assistance and consulting 

services. Policies and decisions based on BLS data affect virtually all Americans, and the wide range of BLS data 

products is necessary to fulfill the diverse needs of a broad customer base.

BLS strives to ensure that its data products are readily accessible to its customers through the internet, most 

commonly through www.bls.gov, and meet users’ needs. BLS uses the average number of website page views to 

track the dissemination of its data. In addition, BLS uses the ForeSee Experience Index (FXI) to measure customer 

feedback with its website. The FXI survey prompts users for feedback while they are on the www.bls.gov website 

regarding the extent to which the website meets their needs. BLS uses these results to improve the website, to 

better serve its stakeholders, and to measure mission achievement.

In FY 2018, BLS reached 100% of the underlying timeliness targets for all of its Principal Federal Economic 

Indicators (PFEIs). BLS reached 85% (17 out of 20 measures) of the underlying accuracy targets and 88% (7 out 

of 8 measures) of the underlying relevance targets for its PFEIs. BLS experienced fewer average website page 

views when compared to FY 2017 averaging approximately 14.9 million page views each month. BLS scored 

slightly higher in the FXI when compared to FY 2017, with a year-end score of 77. Results for the five 

performance measures are shown in the table below.

Looking Forward: BLS will continue to report timeliness, accuracy, and relevance for its PFEIs, track 

dissemination of its website, and measure customer satisfaction with its website. BLS also will continue to 

evaluate its targets in the interest of continuous improvement.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Measure FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Percentage of timeliness targets achieved for the 

Principal Federal Economic Indicators (PFEIs) 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

Percentage of accuracy targets achieved for the PFEIs 95% 100% 100% 100% 85%

Percentage of relevance targets achieved for the PFEIs 100% 100% 100% 100% 88%
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(Unaudited)

16 United States Department of Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

Measure FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Average number of BLS website page views each 

month (Dissemination)1 17,423,845 16,965,254 16,324,885 15,514,973 14,924,242

Customer satisfaction with the BLS website through 

the ForeSee Experience Index (Mission Achievement) 77 75 76 75 77

WORKER PROTECTION PROGRAMS

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA is authorized by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) to assure safe and healthful 

conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, 

education, and technical assistance. OSHA aims to reduce the number of work related illnesses, injuries, and 

fatalities and contributes to the broader goal to promote competitiveness of America’s economy. The most recent 

data for key measures of OSHA’s activity—the number of safety and health inspections—are presented in the 

table below.

Safety inspections conducted in general industry and construction take place in a variety of high-hazard industries. 

Health inspections are conducted in general industry and construction and address chemical, biological, physical, 

and ergonomic hazards.

Preliminary results show there was a slight decrease in Safety Inspections to 26,398 in FY 2018. The preliminary 

number for completed Health Inspections is 5,550, which is below the number of previous years’ inspections. 

OSHA continued to allocate significant enforcement resources to respond to employer-reported incidents in 

accordance with OSHA’s severe injury reporting (SIR) requirements. These requirements stem from the 

Occupational Injury and Illness Recording and Reporting Requirements-NAICS Update and Reporting Revisions 

regulation which took effect January 1, 2015. The SIR increased the number of employer-reported referrals, as 

employers must now report hospitalizations of one employee or more and any fatality to the Agency. OSHA 

addressed these reports through either unprogrammed inspections or non-formal rapid response investigations 

(RRI). This activity reduced the time and resources available for previously programmed inspection activity, 

which prioritized high hazard industries or focused emphasis on program related inspections. Preliminary data 

indicates the RRI activity increased the unprogrammed workload by adding almost 8,400 non-formal 

investigations for FY 2018.

OSHA administers the whistleblower protection provisions of Section 11(c) of the OSH Act. Section 11(c) 

prohibits any person from discharging or in any manner retaliating against any employee because the employee 

has exercised rights under the OSH Act. Also, OSHA protects workers from retaliation through 21 other 

whistleblower protection statutes; this includes reported violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier,

consumer product, environmental, financial, food safety, health care, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation 

agency, railroad, maritime, and securities laws. In FY 2018, according to preliminary data, OSHA completed 

2,922 whistleblower investigations, exceeding the targeted 2,725 investigations, and awarding more than $29

million to complainants including 59 reinstatements.

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, OSHA’s effort to promote Safety and Health Programs (SHP) will unite the 

various programmatic components of the agency in a common, proactive, and positive message addressing the 

agency’s core mission. Companies that adopt an SHP improve both their safety culture and safety performance. In 

addition, OSHA cooperative program participants often reach stakeholders that OSHA may not otherwise interact 

 1 In FY 2015, BLS replaced its dissemination measure due to a change in software. The FY 2014 result is shown for trend 

comparison purposes.
Program Performance Overview

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 17

with through dissemination of safety and health information locally, within their company, or industry. OSHA will 

also continue to focus on reducing the burden on small employers, providing assistance to small employers, and 

trying to reach more small businesses with proactive and helpful information and services. Finally, OSHA will 

continue to refine current enforcement strategies and implement new programs to target inspection resources to the 

most egregious employers and serious hazards.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Measure FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Number of Safety Inspections 29,345 28,904 25,704 26,607[r]2 26,398[e]3

Number of Health Inspections 6,818 6,918 6,244 5,789[r] 5,550[e]

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

MSHA protects the safety and health of the nation’s miners under the provisions of the Federal Mine Safety and 

Health Act of 1977, as amended by the Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response (MINER) Act of 2006. 

MSHA focuses on the prevention of death, disease, and injury from mining and on promoting safe and healthful 

workplaces for America’s miners.

MSHA is required to conduct four inspections annually at active underground mines and two inspections annually 

at active surface mines. The table below shows the number of inspections conducted by mine type. Fluctuations in 

the number of inspections over time reflect variation in the number of mines operating during any given year. In 

FY 2018, MSHA met its target to perform all mandated inspections at coal and metal and nonmetal mines (MNM).

Looking Forward: MSHA will use the following strategies in pursuit of achieving its mission: reducing powered 

haulage injuries, increasing inspection and enforcement effectiveness, strengthening and modernizing training and 

education, strengthening safety and health standards, and enhancing efforts to protect miners from discrimination.

Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

Measure FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Number of regular mandated MNM underground 

inspections 964 862 905 882[r]4 899[e]5

Number of regular mandated coal underground 

inspections 1,657 1,642 1,342 1,212[r] 1,216[e]

Number of regular mandated MNM surface 

inspections 15,289 15,656 15,642 16,373[r] 15,032[e]

Number of regular mandated coal surface inspections 2,519 2,350 1,753 2,320[r] 1,964[e]

Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

WHD is responsible for administering and enforcing laws that establish the minimum standards for wages and 

working conditions. WHD enforces and administers the minimum wage, overtime and child labor provisions of the 

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA); the prevailing wage requirements and wage determination provisions of the 

Davis Bacon Act (DBA) and Related Acts (DBRA), Service Contract Act (SCA), Contract Work Hours and Safety 

Standards Act (CWHSA), Walsh-Healey Act, and Copeland Act; the wages and working conditions under the 

 2 [r] Indicates revised result from the FY 2017 AFR.

3 [e] Indicates estimated preliminary result.

4 [r] Indicates revised result from the FY 2017 AFR.

5 [e] Indicates estimated preliminary result.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(Unaudited)

18 United States Department of Labor

Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker Protection Act (MSPA); the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); 

the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA); and the garnishment provisions of the Consumer Credit 

Protection Act (CCPA). WHD also enforces the field sanitation and temporary labor camp standards in agriculture 

and certain employment standards and worker protections of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 

Collectively, these labor standards cover most private, state, and local government employment. They protect over 

143 million workers in more than 9.8 million establishments throughout the U.S. and itsterritories.

WHD focuses its enforcement and compliance assistance efforts to achieve the greatest impact. Employers and 

employees benefit when businesses manage costs through innovation and efficiencies rather than by violating the 

law. The agency uses data and evidence to identify areas and industries in which serious violations may be 

widespread and often organizes educational and enforcement initiatives in those areas. WHD complements 

enforcement with outreach and education to employers. By partnering with industry and employers to produce 

meaningful compliance assistance, WHD can increase compliance with the laws it enforces. By combining 

enforcement with education, more workers in this country can obtain stable and secure income and responsible 

businesses can succeed. In FY 2018, WHD increased the results for “Percent of Agency-Initiated Investigations,” 

reaching the highest percentage (53% against a 46% target) in recent history. Data show that agency-initiated 

investigations and the strategic use of enforcement resources have achieved positive results for low-wage workers 

and result in a greater deterrent effect.

“Percent of Investigations in Priority Industries” reflects WHD’s commitment to prioritizing enforcement 

resources in those industries with the most serious violations rather than burdening compliant employers with 

investigations that do not uncover compliance problems. The increased level of agency-initiated investigations, as 

well as prioritization of complaints, has increased the agency’s presence in those priority industries that have a 

history of violations. WHD’s performance has led to significant outcomes. In the last 5 years, WHD has helped 

more than 1.3 million workers and recovered more than $1.3 billion dollars in back wages. In FY 2018 alone, 

WHD collected over $300 million in back wages. WHD enforcement actions in FY 2018 found, on average, 

approximately $1,150 for each employee due back wages.

Looking Forward: To protect fair and vigorous competition, WHD addresses compliance issues systemically and 

prevents violations through compliance assistance to reach a broader audience. The combination of compliance 

assistance and enforcement increases compliance with the laws. Moving forward, WHD is increasing its focus on

efficiency and effectiveness. When the agency is more efficient, it is able to dedicate resources to cases that are 

larger, more complex, and more impactful. WHD is also updating its performance measures, including its priority 

industries measure. Going forward, the priority industry measure will focus only on FLSA investigations. It will 

also count investigations in regional priority industries in addition to national priority industries, which WHD is 

identifying using a data-driven approach. To ensure a level playing field for all employers, WHD will conduct its 

business more effectively by assessing existing evidence and generating new knowledge to achieve agency goals. 

Compliance assistance to the employer community is a central component of WHD’s efforts to meet its mission,

and the demand for accessible information about the laws WHD enforces remains high. WHD will continue efforts 

to modernize compliance assistance information and reach and inform a broader audience.
Program Performance Overview

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 19

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

OFCCP ensures that nearly 200,000 Federal contractor facilities and locations provide equal employment 

opportunities leading to a fair and diverse workplace. OFCCP administers and enforces three legal authorities:

Executive Order 11246, as amended; Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; and the Vietnam 

Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) of 1974, as amended. Together, these legal authorities 

ban discrimination and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to take affirmative action to ensure that all 

individuals have an equal opportunity for employment, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual 

orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. Additionally, federal 

contractors and subcontractors are prohibited from, under certain circumstances, taking adverse employment 

actions against applicants and employees for asking about, discussing, or sharing information about their pay or 

the pay of their co-workers.

OFCCP’s compliance evaluations and complaint investigations play a critical role in measuring Federal contractor 

compliance with legal obligations under these authorities. Since 2009, OFCCP has refocused its efforts from 

almost exclusively systemic hiring discrimination on the basis of sex or race in low-wage and entry-level jobs to 

systemic compensation discrimination to ensure workers also receive equal pay without discrimination. This 

includes placement into lower paying jobs due to sex stereotyping. To accomplish this, OFCCP gradually reduced 

its case production to focus on fewer, but more complex high quality cases that span a wide variety of industries 

and job occupations. OFCCP also invested in training front-line compliance officers and managers to carry out this 

mission.

In FY 2016, OFCCP obtained over $10.5 million in financial remedies for these victims, nearly double the $6 

million in financial remedies obtained in FY 2015 with one-third fewer cases—and nearly as much as the $12 

million obtained in FY 2014 with one-half fewer cases. Continuing this trend, in FY 2017 OFCCP closed 1,142 

compliance evaluations that returned financial remedies of $23.9 million. Also in FY 2017 OFCCP completed 79

percent of construction evaluations from high-impact construction projects that have a significant employment and 

economic impact on the community. In FY 2018 OFCCP closed 812 compliance evaluations that returned 

financial remedies of $16.4 million, completed 90% of construction evaluations from high-impact construction 

projects, and achieved 109% of target on a new measure for FY 2018, “Percent of Discrimination Conciliation 

Agreements with Systemic Pay Discrimination Findings.”

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, OFCCP will continue to prioritize this high quality work by continuing to identify, 

investigate, and resolve cases that touch a wide variety of industries, occupations, and employment practices that 

make up today’s complex and fast changing labor market. Compliance assistance that supports contractors selfauditing their employment practices and implementing plans to come into compliance remains a critical 

component of OFCCP’s outreach and education strategy. Compliance assistance is also an important complement 

to the agency’s compliance evaluation strategy in light of the limited number of contractors that are actually 

scheduled to undergo a compliance review each year.

Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB)

ILAB promotes a level global playing field for workers and businesses in the United States and around the world 

by improving labor conditions and advancing U.S. labor priorities in key countries. ILAB’s goal is to ensure that 

countries that fail to enforce their labor laws, or allow exported goods to be produced through exploitative labor 

conditions, do not receive an unfair advantage at the expense of children and slaves.

ILAB supports quality jobs in the United States by ensuring U.S. trade agreements and preference programs are 

fair for American workers; combating international child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking; and 

improving global working conditions. ILAB has four main cross-cutting strategies for achieving this goal: (1) 

monitoring, evaluating, and reporting to strictly enforce countries’ compliance with labor-related trade 

commitments and relevant labor standards; (2) developing, advocating for, and negotiating policy positions that 

advance U.S. interests; (3) overseeing technical assistance and cooperative activities to strengthen implementation 

of labor laws and standards and reduce the exploitation of vulnerable workers and children in key countries; and 

(4) conducting and disseminating research on various international labor, trade, and/or economic issues and 

conditions.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(Unaudited)

20 United States Department of Labor

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, ILAB will continue to ensure that trade partners comply with labor commitments 

and continue to help strengthen labor law enforcement overseas so that U.S. workers and businesses are not placed 

at a competitive disadvantage. ILAB will also engage in negotiating, monitoring, enforcing, reporting, technical 

cooperation, and research and evaluation activities with partners and stakeholders in key countries.

Office of Labor‐Management Standards (OLMS)

OLMS protects the rights of American workers by administering the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure 

Act (LMRDA) and related laws, which safeguard union democracy and financial integrity, and promote financial 

transparency.

OLMS focuses audit resources by using advanced targeting techniques to identify the labor unions most likely to 

be subject to a violation of the law. The success of audit targeting strategies is measured by the Percent of

Targeted Audits that Result in a Criminal Case (Fallout Rate). Since the implementation of this performance 

measure, OLMS has increased the fallout rate from 15.2% on a target of 13% in FY 2011 to 20.0% on a target of 

15.75% in FY 2018. Timely resolution of union election complaints is a paramount goal of the LMRDA, and 

OLMS gauges its progress against this goal through the “Average Number of Days to Resolve Union Officer 

Election Complaints” measure. From an average of 79 days in FY 2011, OLMS has reduced the average number 

of days to resolve complaints to 68.8 days, below the 70-day target for FY 2018.

OLMS is also making it easier for unions, employers, and consultants to file the financial and activity reports 

required under the LMRDA, and it tracks success in these efforts through the “Percent of Disclosure Reports Filed 

Electronically” measure. OLMS continues to use existing outreach tools (e.g., seminars, compliance assistance 

incidental to an audit, and its Voluntary Compliance Partnership program) to introduce and encourage union 

leaders and other filers to use web-based forms. In FY 2018, OLMS achieved an e-filing rate of 76% on a target of 

60%.

Looking Forward: These results measure progress in the three OLMS high priority programs. In the future, 

OLMS will focus its efforts on continued improvements. For the fallout measure, OLMS will continue to refine 

the targeting techniques in an effort to continue saving resources directed at audits and redirecting these saved 

resources to high priority programs. OLMS continues to enhance efforts to coordinate work between the National 

Office, SOL, and field staff by identifying new means of communications and extending existing channels to more 

efficiently process election cases. In the past, these efforts have expedited processing and OLMS believes that by 

enhancing this coordination and looking for additional areas of increased efficiency, the number of elapsed days 

can be further reduced. Finally, in FY 2015, OLMS allocated greater resources to its Voluntary Compliance 

Partnership (VCP) program, a cooperative effort with 41 international and national unions designed to provide 

targeted outreach to their affiliates, with one goal being fostering greater use of the electronic filing capabilities of 

the OLMS web site. In FY 2016, OLMS published a regulation requiring filers of LM-3 and LM-4 reports to do so 

electronically. Once fully implemented (by FY 2019), over 80% of reports will be required to be filed 

electronically and electronic filing will be available for 85 percent of the full volume of reports expected to be 

filed.

Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)

EBSA is charged with protecting more than 150 million workers, retirees and their families who are covered by 

nearly 649,000 private retirement plans, 2.2 million health plans, and similar numbers of other welfare benefit 

plans. Together, these plans hold estimated assets of $9.8 trillion. EBSA’s proactive enforcement, outreach and 

education programs protect the most vulnerable populations while ensuring broad compliance with the Employee 

Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) and related laws. EBSA assists plan fiduciaries and others in 

understanding their obligations under ERISA by providing interpretive guidance and making related materials 

available through its website and publications, training programs, and more. EBSA is also committed to helping 

workers and retirees understand their benefits and receive the benefits they have earned. The primary objectives of 

EBSA’s enforcement program are to improve ERISA compliance by recovering losses and unjust profits 

stemming from misconduct by plan fiduciaries and service providers and to increase the deterrent impact of the 

agency’s enforcement efforts on employee benefit plans, participants and beneficiaries.
Program Performance Overview

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 21

EBSA’s enforcement program, within the context of its integrated approach to compliance assistance, seeks to 

detect and correct violations that result in monetary recoveries for employee benefit plans, participants and 

beneficiaries or secure other corrective remedies including, but not limited to, significant broad-based reforms for 

large plans or common service providers. In FY 2014, EBSA developed measures designed to increase the 

effectiveness of its enforcement program while avoiding reliance on raw case numbers. As a result, EBSA 

replaced its cases closed measures in FY 2015 with three measures that track investigation timeliness. EBSA’s FY 

2018 results exceeded the FY 2018 targets for these measures. In FY 2018, EBSA also implemented two new 

performance measures that evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of the Major Case priority by its results. 

EBSA focused its FY 2018 enforcement resources on National Enforcement Projects and the Major Case 

Enforcement Priority. The Major Case Enforcement Priority concentrates a significant portion of the agency’s 

enforcement resources on those cases likely to have the greatest impact on the protection of plan assets and 

participants’ benefits.

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, EBSA will continue to assist individuals in understanding their rights and 

responsibilities under ERISA. In particular, the agency’s compliance and participant assistance, outreach and 

education programs will focus on disseminating information related to health (Association Health Plans, etc.) and 

retirement benefit protections and retirement savings education. EBSA will also continue to implement 

performance measurement changes designed to increase the effectiveness of its enforcement program. The 

following overlapping and related attributes will be emphasized: effective targeting and data analysis, prompt 

detection and pursuit of violations; the successful pursuit of monetary recoveries; non-monetary results that 

promote compliance with ERISA; and the aggressive and timely pursuit of participant tips and complaints.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS PROGRAM

Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)

OWCP provides workers’ compensation benefits through four programs: the Federal Employees' Compensation 

Act (FECA) Program provides wage-loss compensation, payment for medical treatment, and return-to-work 

assistance for federal employees who are injured or ill on the job; the Longshore and Harbor Workers' 

Compensation Act (Longshore) Program oversees the delivery of benefits by private sector employers and 

insurance carriers to injured workers in certain maritime and related employment, and to federal government 

contractors working overseas; the Black Lung Benefits Act (Black Lung) Program oversees or provides 

compensation and medical benefits to coal miners who are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis arising out of 

coal mine employment, and compensation to survivors of coal miners whose death is attributable to the disease; 

and the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (Energy Program) provides 

compensation and medical benefits to employees or survivors of employees of the Department of Energy (DOE) 

and contractors or subcontractors of DOE, who worked on the nuclear weapons program and became ill due to 

exposure to radiation or toxic substances.

OWCP faces the challenge of the nationwide opioid drug epidemic and works to ensure that initial encounters with 

prescription opioids are limited in supply and duration to only what is appropriate and necessary. The FECA 

program identified the implementation of policies to control the overuse of opioid medications as an Agency 

Priority Goal for FY 2018-FY 2019. Preliminary results indicate that the new policies led to a reduction in initial 

opioid prescriptions and the duration of new opioid prescriptions for federal employees with work-related injuries 

from the FY 2016 baseline to 56% in FY 2018.

A major aspect of the Longshore program focuses on ensuring that employer injury reports and first payment of 

benefits are timely. The percentage of first payments of compensation issued for non-Defense Base Act cases 

within 30 days from the date disability begins has increased from 87% in FY 2014 to 88% in FY 2018, which 

exceeded the 87% target.

The Black Lung program experienced a significant increase in the number of claims filed in FY 2010, another 

surge in FY 2014, and claims volumes remained high through FY 2018. As incoming claims continued to climb, 

staffing remained level and the pending claims continued to age. Consequently, the average time to process a 

Black Lung claim rose from 234 days in FY 2014 to 335 days in FY 2018. In FY 2018, the program focused on 
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(Unaudited)

22 United States Department of Labor

maximizing productivity and managing pending claims—with a special emphasis on the cohort of claims pending 

more than 365 days. The program sustained high-level productivity, issued 6,676 Proposed Decisions and Orders, 

and reduced the number of claims pending for more than 365 days by five percent from a high of 20.3% during FY 

2018 and the total pending claims inventory by seven percent. The Black Lung program also continued to pursue 

quality initiatives for issuing accurate decisions.

The Energy program works closely with DOE, the Department of Justice, the Social Security Administration, and 

the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to issue claim decisions. The average number of 

days between filing date and final decision for cases not sent to NIOSH when a hearing was not held was reduced 

from 166 days in FY 2014 to 163 days in FY 2018 (exceeding the FY 2018 target of 170 days); this measure 

accounts for approximately 70% of all claims.

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, OWCP will continue development of the OWCP Workers’ Compensation System 

(OWCS), an integrated claims processing and management system for all four programs. OWCP expects the 

Longshore program to fully implement OWCS in 2019. OWCP will leverage efficiencies gained by centralizing and 

modernizing administrative functions to enable professional staff to increase decision-making productivity on new 

and pending Black Lung claims.

Federal‐State Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program (administered by ETA)

The Federal-State UI Program, authorized under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act and Title III of the Social 

Security Act, provides temporary, partial wage replacement for eligible unemployed workers, providing them with 

income support when suitable work is unavailable. To qualify for benefits, unemployed workers must meet 

eligibility requirements established by state laws that conform to federal law, including that they have worked 

recently, are involuntarily unemployed, are able and available for work, and are actively seeking work. The “Total 

Unemployment Rate” of 4.0 percent in FY 2018 is calculated using Bureau of Labor Statistics data. It is the sum of 

the (not seasonally adjusted) unemployment level for October through September divided by the sum of the (not 

seasonally adjusted) labor force level for October through September.

As of June 30, 2018, one of the key measures for this program, “First Payment Timeliness” (Percent of All 

Intrastate First Payments Made within 21 Days after the Last Day of the First Compensable Week) had a 

preliminary FY 2018 result of 84.0%. This is a slight drop from the previous two years’ results; ETA will continue 

efforts to work with states to improve timeliness.

In FY 2018, using the states’ performance on the first payment timeliness core measure data, ETA worked with all 

states failing to meet the performance standard by requiring corrective action plans to achieve first payment 

timeliness in their State Quality Service Plans. In addition to six states designated “High Priority” in previous 

years, ETA selected three more states in FY 2018 with the poorest overall performance to provide them with 

intensive technical assistance and increased monitoring to support performance improvement. Please refer to UI 

Program Letter No. 17-16 for details on the selection criteria for these “High Priority” states: 

https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/UIPL/UIPL_17-16.pdf.

Looking Forward: In FY 2019, ETA UI staff will work with “High Priority” states to develop comprehensive 

Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) designed to improve performance. Examples of ETA’s customized technical 

assistance strategies to support performance improvement for the poor performing states include:

• Work collaboratively with the state(s) to conduct enhanced analysis of all relevant data (including 

performance data) to inform strategic approaches to performance improvement. The data analysis may 

also involve examining data in similarly situated states.

• Deploy a team of experts composed of ETA and state subject matter experts to conduct a thorough 

review of each High Priority state’s administrative and business processes relevant to the poor 

performance using business process analysis and process mapping tools, resulting in 

recommendations and an action plan the state will implement.

• Engage high-level state officials to bring focus to the egregious performance and promote prioritizing 

state resources to support performance improvement.

• Conduct enhanced monitoring and follow-up that may include additional reporting by the state in 

areas of performance deficiency and on-site visits by ETA or partnering with state staff to assess 

process changes.
Program Performance Overview

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 23

In FY 2018, ETA launched the new UI benefits operations state self-assessment process, which will aid states in 

identifying and addressing operational issues impacting performance. The new process involves a comprehensive 

review of 15 functional and program areas within UI benefits operations. States will have until March 31, 2019, to 

complete the entire sets of questions for all 15 functional and program areas, and results must be submitted to ETA 

by April 15, 2019. The responses to the UI Benefits Operations Self-Assessment questionnaire will be used for 

two purposes: (1) supporting state UI agencies in making improvements to their UI benefits operations; and (2) 

assisting ETA in monitoring state UI benefits program operations and in providing technical assistance to states. 

Please refer to UI Program Letter No. 18-17 for guidance to states on the use of the self-assessment questionnaire 

and reporting of results to ETA: https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/UIPL/UIPL_18-17.pdf

ETA, in collaboration with the National Association of State Workforce Agencies’ Information Technology 

Support Center (ITSC), continues to diligently work with individual states and state consortia to provide 

appropriate technical assistance in support of their information technology modernization efforts. As they 

modernize their systems, states are able to achieve efficiencies that support program performance 

improvement.

Employment and Training Administration - Unemployment Insurance

Measure FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018

Total Unemployment Rate 5.5% 4.8% 4.5% 4.2% 4.0%

First Payment Timeliness (Unemployment Insurance) 79.7%[r] 6 83.3% 84.1% 84.5% 84.0%[e] 7

 6 [r] Indicates revised result from the FY 2017 AFR.

5 [e] The FY 2018 reported result is for the year to date as of June 30, 2018 (current data available).
(Unaudited)

24 United States Department of Labor 

Financial Performance Overview

Sound financial management is an integral part of the Department’s efforts to deliver services and administer 

programs. With the Department's emphasis on internal controls, accurate financial information delivery to key 

decision makers, and transparent and accountable reporting, the Department’s stakeholders can be confident that 

resources are used efficiently and effectively.

DOL implemented the FY 2016 requirements of OMB Circular A-123, Management’s Responsibility for Enterprise 

Risk Management and Internal Control (revised July 15, 2016), and the Government Accountability Office’s 

(GAO’s) Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (revised September 2014). DOL’s internal 

control program and centralized processes for reporting financial data help to ensure the relevance and reliability of 

financial performance data. DOL’s comprehensive internal control program has the objective of providing, on a 

continuing basis, reasonable assurance that all financial, non-financial, performance, statistical records, and related 

reports are reliable. DOL’s internal control program helps ensure that appropriate internal controls are in place for 

financial performance management and that agencies institute sound, effective internal control policies and 

procedures for financial performance measurement and regular evaluation of their processes. Financial performance 

is evaluated during comprehensive ongoing financial management reviews and corrective actions are implemented as 

required to resolve audit findings and increase efficiency. These business processes help to ensure that reported 

financial performance information is relevant and reliable.

In FY 2018 and FY 2017, DOL used managerial cost accounting for costing programs and performance indicator 

results in accordance with the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board’s (FASAB) Statement of Federal 

Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) No. 4, Managerial Cost Accounting Standards and Concepts, as amended 

by SFFAS No. 30, Inter-Entity Cost Implementation. The statements outline the standards for Federal entities to 

provide “reliable and timely information on the full cost of Federal programs, their activities, and outputs.” This 

information can be used to allocate resources and evaluate program performance. Managerial cost accounting 

directly supports the sections of the AFR that address Net Program Cost in the Statements of Net Cost. Total Net 

Cost of DOL activities was $46.8 billion for FY 2018 and $49.7 billion for FY 2017.

Analysis of Financial Statements and Stewardship Information

The principal financial statements summarize the Department’s financial position, net cost of operations, and 

changes in net position, and provide information on budgetary resources and social insurance.
Financial Performance Overview

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 25

Figure 1: Summary of Selected Financial Data for FY 2018 and FY 2017

(Dollars in billions) 2018 2017 Amount Percent

Financial position

Total assets $ 95.1 $ 82.3 $ 12.8 15.6%

 Funds with U.S. Treasury 13.2 12.1 1.1 9.1%

Investments 73.0 61.1 11.9 19.5%

Total liabilities $ 35.2 $ 33.4 $ 1.8 5.4%

Debt 6.0 8.4 (2.4) (28.6)%

Future workers' 2.5 2.6 (0.1) (3.8)%

 Compensation benefits

Energy employees 24.0 19.7 4.3 21.8%

 occupational illness

 compensation benefits

Net cost of operations

Net cost of operations $ 46.8 $ 49.7 $ (2.9) (5.8)%

Income maintenance 38.2 41.0 (2.8) (6.8)%

Employment and training 6.2 6.1 0.1 1.6%

Budgetary resources

Total budgetary resources $ 54.7 $ 56.7 $ (2.0) (3.5)%

Appropriations (discretionary 43.5 45.3 (1.8) (4.0)%

 and mandatory)

Agency outlays, net 42.3 44.8 (2.5) (5.6)%

 (discretionary and mandatory)

Summary of Selected Financial Data

Change

Financial Position

The Department’s Balance Sheet presents DOL’s financial position through the identification of agency assets, 

liabilities, and net position, as shown below. The Department’s total assets increased from $82.3 billion at the end of 

FY 2017 to $95.1 billion at the end of FY 2018, an increase of 15.6%, primarily due to an increase in investments.

Investments increased primarily due to net inflows in the Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF) in excess of immediate 

program needs for benefit payments and administrative costs. (See Figure 2 on next page for reported Assets by 

Type for FY 2018 and FY 2017.) 
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(Unaudited)

26 United States Department of Labor

Figure 2: Assets by Type for FY 2018 and FY 2017

Liabilities increased from $33.4 billion at the end of FY 2017 to $35.2 billion at the end of FY 2018, an increase of 

$1.8 billion [5.4%]. This increase was due to a combination of factors, including an increase in Energy employees 

occupational illness compensation benefits of $4.3 billion [21.8%], primarily due to the net effect of the assumptions 

for increases in cases approved, higher costs per claimant, and lower medical inflation rates; offset by a decrease in 

intra-governmental debt of $2.4 billion [(28.6)%], due to UTF repayments of borrowings from the General Fund of 

the Treasury as tax collections by the states exceeded the benefits payments.

Figure 3: Liabilities by Type for FY 2018 and FY 2017

* OIC = Occupational Illness Compensation.
Financial Performance Overview

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 27

Net Cost of Operations 

The Department’s net cost of operations for the year ended September 30, 2018, was $46.8 billion, a decrease of $2.9

billion [(5.8)%] from FY 2017. This decrease was attributable to decreases in program costs discussed below:

Figure 4: Net Cost of Operations by Program for FY 2018 and FY 2017

1 The Department’s Net Cost of Programs include costs not assigned to specific programs, which were $18.7 million and 

$15.2 million for FY 2018 and FY 2017, respectively.

**Represents Labor, Employment, and Pension Standards. 

Income Maintenance programs continue to comprise the major portion of departmental costs. These programs 

include unemployment benefits paid to covered individuals who are out of work and seeking employment, as well as 

payments to individuals who qualify for disability benefits due to injury or illness suffered on the job, and the costs 

to administer these programs. Income maintenance net costs were $38.2 billion in FY 2018, a decrease of 6.8% from 

FY 2017. This decrease is primarily due to a significant reduction in unemployment insurance benefits costs and 

associated lower debt interest costs, offset by increases in Energy employees occupational illness compensation 

benefits primarily due to the net effect of the assumptions for increases in cases approved, higher costs per claimant, 

and lower medical inflation rates.

Employment and Training programs comprise DOL’s second largest cost. These programs are designed to help 

individuals deal with the loss of a job, identify new occupational opportunities, find training to acquire different 

skills, start a new job, and make long-term career plans, as well as connect employers to workers with the skills they 

need. Employment and training costs were $6.2 billion in FY 2018, an increase of 1.6% from FY 2017.

Budgetary Resources

The Statements of Budgetary Resources report the budgetary resources available to DOL to effectively carry out the 

activities of the Department during FY 2018 and FY 2017, as well as the status of these resources at the end of each 

fiscal year. During FY 2018, total budgetary resources decreased $2.0 billion or (3.5)% from $56.7 billion to $54.7

billion, primarily due to the decrease in appropriations of $1.8 billion or (4.0)%. Agency outlays, net decreased by 

$2.5 billion or (5.6)% primarily due to lower outlays, gross as a result of lower outlays for unemployment benefits.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis

(Unaudited)

28 United States Department of Labor

Social Insurance and the Black Lung Disability Benefit Program

FASAB has classified the Black Lung Disability Benefit Program as a social insurance program that is required to 

report a Statement of Social Insurance (SOSI) and a Statement of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (SCSIA) for 

the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF); these are sustainability statements. 

The SOSI reports for the projection period (which begins on the September 30 valuation date of the reporting year) 

for current and new participants (the open group), the open group measure, which is the present value of estimated 

future coal excise tax income, less the present value of estimated future administrative costs and the actuarial present 

value of future benefit payments. The SOSI also reports the closed group measure, which is measured in a similar 

manner, for the current participants only (the closed group). The difference between the open group measure and the 

closed group measure is the inclusion of new participants that will be added to the rolls after the valuation date; new 

participants include participants for whom the BLDTF has an adjudicated liability as of September 30 (due to, among 

other things, bankruptcy of the responsible mine operator), but had not yet been added to the rolls. For the SOSI as of 

September 30, 2014, 2015, and 2016, the projection period had a fixed terminus of September 30, 2040. In FY 2017, 

DOL revised the projection period from the fixed terminus to a rolling 25-year projection period that begins on the 

September 30 valuation date; the revised projection period became effective for the September 30, 2017 valuation 

date with a rolling 25-year projection period through September 30, 2042. For the September 30, 2018 valuation 

date, the rolling 25-year projection period ends September 30, 2043.

For the five years presented in the SOSI, the open group measure has decreased significantly from $4.5 billion as of 

September 30, 2014 to $(1,028.7) million as of September 30, 2018. The decrease in the open group measure is 

primarily due to the decrease in the present value of estimated future coal excise tax income, which depends on, 

among other things, the business and regulatory environment of the coal industry. Assumptions that, among other 

things, lead to favorable conditions for energy sources that compete with coal will reduce coal’s market share; lower 

demand for coal will lead to lower collections of excise taxes.

Figure 5: Black Lung Disability Benefit Program - Table of Key Measures for FY 2018 and FY 2017

The increase in the total assets of $215.0 million [148.6%] was due to a higher Funds with Treasury balance as of 

September 30, 2018. The improvement in the net cost of operations for the year ended September 30, 2018 of $19.5 

million [5.3%] from FY 2017 was primarily due to a decrease in benefit payments to claimants. FY 2018 total 

financing sources decreased $(44.5) million [(12.2)%] from FY 2017 mainly due to a decrease in tax collections. The 

(Dollars in millions) 2018 2017 Amount Percent 

 Total assets $ 359.7 $ 144.7 $ 215.0 148.6% 

 Less: total liabilities (6,001.6) (5,755.4) (246.2) 4.3% 

 Net position (assets net of liabilities) $ (5,641.9) $ (5,610.7) $ (31.2) (0.6)%

 Net cost of operations $ (351.1) $ (370.6) $ 19.5 5.3% 

 Total financing sources 319.9 364.4 (44.5) (12.2)%

 Net change of cumulative results of operations $ (31.2) $ (6.2) $ (25.0) (403.2)%

 Open group measure, beginning of year $ 31.0 $ 890.0 $ (859.0) (96.5)%

 Open group measure, end of year $ (1,028.7) $ 31.0 $ (1,059.7) (3,418.4)%

Social insurance

Black Lung Disability Benefit Prorgam - Table of Key Measures

 Change 

Financial position 

Costs and changes in net position
Financial Performance Overview

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 29

resulting net change of cumulative results of operations for FY 2018 was $(31.2) million, a decrease of $(25.0) 

million [(403.2)%] from FY 2017.

Liabilities increased $246.2 million [4.3%] at the end of FY 2018 due to an increase in debt. The increase in debt is 

important because it demonstrates that although the BLDTF repaid debt of $1.7 billion, the debt balance increased 

due to additional borrowing of $1.9 billion and accrued interest of $17.5 million as of September 30, 2018. In FY 

2018, the open group measure decreased by $(1,059.7) million primarily due to projected lower coal excise tax 

revenues. In FY 2017, the open group measure decreased by $(859.0) million primarily due to projected lower coal 

excise tax revenues and projected higher costs of beneficiaries as a result of, among other things, projected higher 

costs for new participants.

The total of open group measure plus fund assets as of September 30 represents a projected net positive cash flow 

that may be used to liquidate the liabilities of the BLDTF. As of September 30, 2017, the open group measure plus 

fund assets was $175.7 million; for the BLDTF debt, the principal and interest maturing on September 30, 2018 was 

$1.86 billion and the carrying value as of September 30, 2017 was $5.74 billion; and the fund deficit was $(5.61) 

billion. As of September 30, 2018, the open group measure plus fund assets is $(669.0) million, a decline in the 

condition of the fund of $(844.6) million; for the BLDTF debt, the principal and interest that will mature on 

September 30, 2019 will be $2.13 billion, which will contribute to increasing debt and the decline in the financial 

condition of the fund; the carrying value of the debt as of September 30, 2018 is $6.0 billion, an increase in debt of 

$246.6 million which contributed to the decline in the financial condition of the fund; and the fund deficit was 

$(5.64) billion, a decline in the financial condition of the fund of $31.2 million. Together, the excess of BLDTF debt 

over the open group measure plus fund assets, the fund deficit, and the trends in the declining financial condition of 

the fund represent risks and conditions with unfavorable effects on the long-term sustainability of the BLDTF.

Refer to Notes 1-W, 1-Y, and 21, and Required Supplementary Information (RSI) for additional information on the 

SOSI, including the summary section; SCSIA; the Black Lung Disability Benefit Program; its reported activity and 

balances; and projections and sensitivity analysis in constant dollars through 2043.

Limitations on the Principal Financial Statements

As required by the Government Management Reform Act of 1994 (31 U.S.C. 3515(b)), the principal financial 

statements report the Department’s financial position and results of operations. While the statements have been 

prepared from the Department’s books and records in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting

Principles (GAAP) for Federal entities and the formats prescribed by OMB, the statements are in addition to the 

financial reports used to monitor and control budgetary resources, which are prepared from the same books and 

records. The statements should be read with the realization that they are a component of the U.S. Government, a 

sovereign entity, and that liabilities reported in the financial statements cannot be liquidated without legislation 

providing resources to do so.

Financial Management Systems and Strategy 

The Department maintains and enhances financial management systems, processes, and controls that ensure financial 

accountability, transparency, and provides information to DOL’s decision makers that complies with Federal laws, 

regulations, and policy. As part of these responsibilities, the Department maintains the New Core Financial 

Management System (NCFMS), the system of record for the Department’s financial activities.

In FY 2018, the Department upgraded NCFMS to a current software release, and made other necessary changes to 

maintain support for the application. As a result of this work, NCFMS now operates in an upgraded version of 

Oracle Federal Financials. Additional activities are being undertaken to define the FY 2019 and out year 

maintenance activities to ensure NCFMS continues to provide vendor-supported functionality in compliance with 

Treasury guidance. 

In FY 2019, NCFMS will be used to support DOL’s finance and accounting activities. The Department will continue 

working with the Department of Treasury and Office of Management and Budget on implementing a governmentwide Software as a Service (SaaS) solution for financial management.
(Unaudited)

30 United States Department of Labor 

Management Assurances 

Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 1982 (FMFIA)

FMFIA requires that agencies establish internal controls and financial systems that provide reasonable 

assurance that the integrity of Federal programs and operations is protected. It requires that the head of the 

agency provide an annual assurance statement whether the agency has met this requirement.

OMB Circular A-123 provides specific requirements for conducting management’s assessment of internal 

control over reporting, and requires the agency head to provide an assurance statement on the effectiveness 

of internal controls over reporting.

Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA)

FFMIA requires that agencies implement and maintain financial management systems that comply 

substantially with the Federal financial management system requirements, applicable Federal accounting 

standards, and the United States Government Standard General Ledger at the transaction level. The agency 

head is to make an annual determination whether the financial systems substantially comply with FFMIA.


KPMG LLP is a Delaware limited liability partnership and the U.S. member

firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with 

KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. 

KPMG LLP

Suite 12000

1801 K Street, NW

Washington, DC 20006

Independent Auditors’ Report

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 33 

Independent Auditors’ Report

Secretary and Inspector General

U.S. Department of Labor

Report on the Financial Statements

The accompanying financial statements of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) comprise the 

consolidated financial statements and the sustainability financial statements. We have audited the 

consolidated financial statements, which comprise the consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 

2018 and 2017, and the related consolidated statements of net cost, and changes in net position, and 

combined statements of budgetary resources for the years then ended, and the related notes to the 

consolidated financial statements.

We have audited the 2018 sustainability financial statements, which comprise the statements of social 

insurance as of September 30, 2018, 2017, 2015, and 2014; the statement of changes in social insurance 

amounts for the year ended September 30, 2018; and the related notes to the 2018 sustainability 

financial statements.

Further, we were engaged to audit the statement of social insurance as of September 30, 2016, and the 

related notes to this financial statement. We were also engaged to audit the statement of changes in 

social insurance amounts for the year ended September 30, 2017, and the related notes to this financial 

statement.

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these financial statements in 

accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles; this includes the design, implementation, 

and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial 

statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

Auditors’ Responsibility

Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements based on our audits. We 

conducted our audits of the consolidated financial statements and the 2018 sustainability financial 

statements in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America, in 

accordance with the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing 

Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, and in accordance with Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) Bulletin No. 19-01, Audit Requirements for Federal Financial 

Statements. Those standards and OMB Bulletin No. 19-01 require that we plan and perform the audits 
Financial Section

34 United States Department of Labor

to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements and the 2018 

sustainability financial statements are free from material misstatement.

An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in 

the financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditors’ judgment, including the 

assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or 

error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s 

preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in order to design audit procedures that 

are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the 

effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also 

includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of 

significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of 

the financial statements.

We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for 

our audit opinions on the consolidated financial statements and the 2018 sustainability financial 

statements.

Because of the matter described in the Basis for Disclaimer of Opinion paragraph, however, we have not

been able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit opinion on the 

statement of social insurance as of September 30, 2016 or the statement of changes in social insurance 

amounts for the year ended September 30, 2017.

Basis for Disclaimer of Opinion on the Statement of Social Insurance as of September 30, 2016 and the 

Statement of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts for the Year Ended September 30, 2017

As described in Note 1.W.2, DOL refined its methodology for estimating future excise tax income in fiscal 

year 2016. DOL was unable to provide sufficient analyses or other documentation to evidence that its 

methodology and certain underlying assumptions used in the determination of the present value of 

estimated future excise tax income for the current and new participants in the statement of social 

insurance as of September 30, 2016 were prepared and fairly presented in accordance with U.S. 

generally accepted accounting principles. Therefore, we have not been able to obtain sufficient

appropriate audit evidence for the present value of estimated future excise tax income for the current 

and new participants.

Since the present value of estimated future excise tax income for current and new participants as of 

September 30, 2016 enters into the determination of the changes in social insurance amounts, we were 

unable to determine whether any adjustment might have been necessary in respect to the changes in 

assumptions about excise tax revenues and the changes in assumptions about interest rates amounts 

reported in the statement of changes in social insurance amounts for the year ended September 30, 

2017.

Disclaimer of Opinion on the Statement of Social Insurance as of September 30, 2016 and the Statement 

of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts for the Year Ended September 30, 2017

Because of the significance of the matter described in the Basis for Disclaimer of Opinion paragraph, we 

have not been able to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence to provide a basis for an audit 
Independent Auditors’ Report

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 35 

opinion on the U.S. Department of Labor’s social insurance information as of September 30, 2016, and 

the changes in social insurance amounts for the year ended September 30, 2017. Accordingly, we do not 

express an opinion on the statement of social insurance as of September 30, 2016, and the statement of 

changes in social insurance amounts for the year ended September 30, 2017.

Opinions on the Financial Statements

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material 

respects, the financial position of the U.S. Department of Labor as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, and 

its net costs, changes in net position, and budgetary resources for the years then ended in accordance 

with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Also, in our opinion, the 2018 sustainability financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all 

material respects, the U.S. Department of Labor’s social insurance information as of September 30, 

2018, 2017, 2015, and 2014; and its changes in social insurance amounts for the year ended September 

30, 2018; in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Emphasis of a Matter

As discussed in Notes 1-W and 1-Y to the financial statements, the sustainability financial statements are 

based on management’s assumptions. These sustainability financial statements present the actuarial 

present value of DOL’s future expenditures to be paid to or on behalf of participants, the present value 

of estimated future income to be received from excise taxes, and the present value of estimated future 

expenditures for administrative costs during a projection period sufficient to illustrate long-term 

sustainability. The sustainability financial statements are intended to aid users in assessing whether 

future resources will likely be sufficient to sustain public services and to meet obligations as they come 

due. The statements of social insurance and changes in social insurance amounts are based on income 

and benefit formulas in current law and assume that scheduled benefits will continue after the related 

trust fund is exhausted. The sustainability financial statements are not forecasts or predictions. The 

sustainability financial statements are not intended to imply that current policy or law is sustainable. In 

preparing the sustainability financial statements, management considers and selects assumptions and 

data that it believes provide a reasonable basis to illustrate whether current law or policy is sustainable. 

Assumptions underlying such sustainability information do not consider changes in policy or all potential 

future events that could affect future income, future expenditures, and sustainability. Because of the 

large number of factors that affect the sustainability financial statements and the fact that future events 

and circumstances cannot be estimated with certainty, even if current policy is continued, there will be 

differences between the estimates in the sustainability financial statements and the actual results, and 

those differences may be material. Our opinion on the 2018 sustainability financial statements is not 

modified with respect to this matter.

Other Matters

Interactive Data

Management has elected to reference to information on websites or other forms of interactive data 

outside the Agency Financial Report to provide additional information for the users of its financial 

statements. Such information is not a required part of the basic financial statements or supplementary 

information required by the Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board. The information on these 
Financial Section

36 United States Department of Labor

websites or the other interactive data has not been subjected to any of our auditing procedures, and 

accordingly we do not express an opinion or provide any assurance on it.

Required Supplementary Information

U.S. generally accepted accounting principles require that the information in the Management’s 

Discussion and Analysis, Required Supplementary Information, and Required Supplementary 

Stewardship Information sections be presented to supplement the basic financial statements. Such 

information, although not a part of the basic financial statements, is required by the Federal Accounting 

Standards Advisory Board who considers it to be an essential part of financial reporting for placing the 

basic financial statements in an appropriate operational, economic, or historical context. We have 

applied certain limited procedures to the required supplementary information in accordance with 

auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America, which consisted of inquiries of 

management about the methods of preparing the information and comparing the information for 

consistency with management’s responses to our inquiries, the basic financial statements, and other 

knowledge we obtained during our audits of the basic financial statements. We do not express an 

opinion or provide any assurance on the information because the limited procedures do not provide us 

with sufficient evidence to express an opinion or provide any assurance.

Other Information

Our audits were conducted for the purpose of forming an opinion on the basic financial statements as a 

whole. The information in the Message from the U.S. Secretary of Labor and Other Information sections 

is presented for purposes of additional analysis and is not a required part of the basic financial 

statements. Such information has not been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audits of 

the basic financial statements, and accordingly, we do not express an opinion or provide any assurance 

on it.

Other Reporting Required by Government Auditing Standards

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In planning and performing our audits of the financial statements as of and for the year ended 

September 30, 2018, we considered DOL’s internal control over financial reporting (internal control) to 

determine the audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances for the purpose of expressing 

our opinions on the financial statements, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the 

effectiveness of DOL’s internal control. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness 

of DOL’s internal control. We did not test all internal controls relevant to operating objectives as broadly 

defined by the Federal Managers’ Financial Integrity Act of 1982. 

A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow 

management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent, or 

detect and correct, misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a 

combination of deficiencies, in internal control, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material 

misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected, on a 

timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control 

that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those charged 

with governance.
Independent Auditors’ Report

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 37 

Our consideration of internal control was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph of this 

section and was not designed to identify all deficiencies in internal control that might be material 

weaknesses or significant deficiencies and therefore, material weaknesses or significant deficiencies may 

exist that have not been identified. Given these limitations, during our audit we did not identify any 

deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses. We did identify certain 

deficiencies in internal control, described in Exhibit I, that we consider to be a significant deficiency. 

Compliance and Other Matters

As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether DOL’s financial statements are free from 

material misstatement, we performed tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, 

regulations, contracts, and grant agreements, noncompliance with which could have a direct and 

material effect on the determination of financial statement amounts. However, providing an opinion on 

compliance with those provisions was not an objective of our audit, and accordingly, we do not express 

such an opinion. The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that 

are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards or OMB Bulletin No. 19-01.

We also performed tests of its compliance with certain provisions referred to in Section 803(a) of the 

Federal Financial Management Improvement Act of 1996 (FFMIA). Providing an opinion on compliance 

with FFMIA was not an objective of our audit, and accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. The 

results of our tests disclosed no instances in which DOL’s financial management systems did not 

substantially comply with the (1) Federal financial management systems requirements, (2) applicable 

Federal accounting standards, and (3) the United States Government Standard General Ledger at the 

transaction level.

DOL’s Response to the Finding

DOL’s response to the finding identified in our audit is described in Exhibit II. DOL’s response was not 

subjected to the auditing procedures applied in the audit of the financial statements and, accordingly, 

we express no opinion on the response.

Purpose of the Other Reporting Required by Government Auditing Standards

The purpose of the communication described in the Other Reporting Required by Government Auditing 

Standards section is solely to describe the scope of our testing of internal control and compliance and 

the results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of DOL’s internal control 

or compliance. Accordingly, this communication is not suitable for any other purpose.

November 15, 2018
Financial Section

Significant Deficiency

Exhibit I

38 United States Department of Labor

1. Lack of Sufficient Information Technology General Controls over Key Financial Feeder Systems

In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) continued to make progress in

developing and implementing corrective action to address certain control deficiencies that were

previously identified, and continued to ensure the performance of information technology (IT)

controls that functioned previously did not deteriorate. During our testing of DOL’s general IT

controls, we noted that DOL agencies developed and implemented appropriate corrective action

that resulted in the remediation of 18 previously-reported deficiencies.

While DOL continued to make improvements, we still noted certain control deficiencies in DOL’s IT

control environment during our FY 2018 testing. Specifically, we identified 4 new control

deficiencies and 21 previously-reported control deficiencies that were not corrected or not

corrected timely across key DOL financial and support systems in four DOL agencies.

DOL’s IT control environment included general and application controls and system-generated

reports (information produced by the entity) that support the completeness, accuracy, and validity

of financial information. We classified the control deficiencies identified into the following

categories: account management, configuration management, system audit log configuration and

reviews, and patch management.

Account Management

Control deficiencies related to account management and system access settings increase the risk

that current employees, separated employees, and/or contractors may conduct unauthorized

activities and/or obtain inappropriate disclosures of sensitive data. System access setting control

deficiencies may be exploited, in either a singular fashion or in combination, by a malicious user,

which may affect the confidentiality, integrity, and/or availability of DOL systems and data. The

specific FY 2018 deficiencies identified in this category were as follows:

• Certain application user accounts were not timely removed for separated user;

• Certain network user accounts were not timely removed for separated users and their accounts

were accessed after their separation dates;

• Contractor separation dates were not consistently maintained or monitored within departmentwide Federal Human Resources listings or other consolidated listings for the timely removal of

accounts of separated system users; and

• Account management controls were not consistently performed, as evidenced by roles that were

improperly authorized and provisioned in conflict with separation of duties principles and

insufficient access re-certifications.

Configuration Management

Controls related to configuration management are designed to provide reasonable assurance that 

changes to information system resources are authorized and systems are configured and operated 

securely and as intended. Although DOL had designed controls to establish accountability and 

responsibility for configuration management, including monitoring and tracking of changes, we 
Independent Auditors’ Report

Significant Deficiency

Exhibit I

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 39

identified that account management controls were not consistently performed over change 

migrators and developers with access to perform configuration management controls, during our 

testing. Failure to perform access re-certifications for change migrators and developers may allow 

for unauthorized or inappropriate changes to be applied and remain undetected by management, 

resulting in lower assurance that the information system will operate as intended and that the 

financial data is reliable, valid, and complete. 

System Audit Log Configuration and Reviews

The system audit log configuration and reviews category represents controls designed to detect 

unauthorized access to IT systems. Although DOL had certain detective controls in place to partially 

mitigate the aforementioned account management and system access settings risks, we determined 

through our audit procedures that certain audit logs were not monitored, reviewed timely, or 

independently reviewed. Additionally, evidence of audit log reviews were not consistently 

maintained or was insufficient. The lack of effective and timely system audit log configuration and 

reviews may allow for unauthorized or inappropriate activities to remain undetected by 

management for lengthy periods of time.

Patch Management

Controls related to patch management are designed to prevent weaknesses in IT systems from being 

exploited. Such controls include proactively and timely patching of related security issues, and 

configuring IT systems in compliance with baseline security requirements. During our FY 2018 audit 

procedures, we noted that certain database and operating system infrastructures were configured 

on unsupported or outdated versions instead of the latest supported versions from the vendors. 

Not upgrading to a vendor-supported database or operating system increases susceptibility to 

threats and vulnerabilities developing after the databases or operating systems end of support date, 

which ultimately increases the risk of a compromise of the confidentiality, integrity, and availability 

of the data residing on the information system. Patches that are not upgraded in a timely manner or 

where evidence is not maintained or completed out of order may result in information leaks or 

system threats, which may also disrupt normal system processes, allow inappropriate access, 

prevent updates from being implemented, and jeopardize the integrity of financial information. 

Collectively, the aforementioned IT control deficiencies pose a risk to the integrity of DOL’s data, 

which could ultimately impact DOL’s ability to accurately and timely perform its financial reporting 

duties. The specific nature of these deficiencies, their specific causes, and the system impacted by 

them, have been communicated separately to management. These deficiencies were the result of 

issues in the monitoring or operation of departmental procedures and controls. DOL has not yet 

completed all of its current corrective actions and continues to invest the necessary level of effort 

and resources to address issues previously reported. 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-53, Revision 4, Security 

and Privacy Controls for Federal Information Systems and Organizations, the Government 

Accountability Office’s Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government (GAO-14-704G), 
Financial Section

Significant Deficiency

Exhibit I

40 United States Department of Labor

and the DOL Computer Security Handbook (CSH) define the criteria for the controls in which the 

deficiencies were identified.

To address the deficiencies noted above, we recommend the Chief Information Officer continue to:

a) Coordinate efforts among the DOL agencies to design and implement procedures and controls 

to address account management, configuration management, system audit log configuration 

and reviews, and patching management control deficiencies in key financial feeder systems; 

and

b) Monitor the agencies’ progress to ensure that established procedures and controls are 

operating effectively and maintained.

Management’s Response: 

See Exhibit II for management’s response

Auditors’ Response: 

We will conduct follow-up procedures in FY 2019 to determine whether corrective actions have 

been developed and implemented
Independent Auditors’ Report

Management’s Response

Exhibit II

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 41
Financial Section

Management’s Response

Exhibit II

42 United States Department of Labor
Independent Auditors’ Report

Management’s Response

Exhibit II

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 43
Financial Section

Management’s Response

Exhibit II

44 United States Department of Labor
Annual Financial Statements

Principal Financial Statements and Notes
Annual Financial Statements (Unaudited)

PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

48 United States Department of Labor 

Principal Financial Statements Included in This Report

The principal financial statements included in this report have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of 

the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-576), the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, and 

OMB Circular No. A-136, Financial Reporting Requirements. The responsibility for the integrity of the financial 

information included in these statements rests with management of the Department. The audit of DOL’s principal 

financial statements was performed by KPMG LLP. The auditors’ report accompanies the principal financial 

statements.

The Department’s principal financial statements for FY 2018 and FY 2017 consist of the following: 

• The Consolidated Balance Sheets, which present as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, those resources owned or 

managed by DOL that are available to provide future economic benefits (assets); amounts owed by DOL that 

will require payments from those resources or future resources (liabilities); and residual amounts retained by 

DOL, comprising the difference (net position).

• The Consolidated Statements of Net Cost, which present the net cost of DOL operations for the years ended 

September 30, 2018 and 2017. DOL’s net cost of operations includes the gross costs incurred by DOL less any 

exchange revenue earned from DOL activities. The classification of gross cost and exchange revenue by 

program and program agency is presented in Note 15 to the consolidated financial statements.

• The Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position, which present the change in DOL’s net position 

resulting from the net cost of DOL operations, budgetary financing sources other than exchange revenue, and 

other financing sources for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017.

• The Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources, which present the budgetary resources available to DOL 

and net outlays of budgetary resources for FYs 2018 and 2017; and the status of these resources as of September 

30, 2018 and 2017, respectively.

• The Statements of Social Insurance, which present the net present values of projected cash inflows and 

outflows for the current participants (closed group), new participants, and current participants and new 

participants (open group) of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF) as of September 30, 2018, 2017, 

2016, 2015, and 2014.

• The Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts, which present the net change in the open group 

measure of the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF) for the years ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, 

and provide information about the change.
Financial Section

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

As of September 30, 2018 and 2017

(Dollars in Thousands)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 49

2018 2017

ASSETS

Intra-governmental

Funds with U.S. Treasury (Note 1-C and 2) $ 13,192,180 $ 12,121,697

Investments (Note 1-D and 3) 73,011,101 61,067,309

Accounts receivable (Note 1-E and 4) 5,150,125 5,396,238

Advances (Note 1-G and 6) 4,922 6,389

Total intra-governmental 91,358,328 78,591,633

Accounts receivable, net of allowance (Note 1-E and 4) 1,329,058 1,352,217

General property, plant and equipment, net (Note 1-F and 5) 1,175,572 1,210,868

Advances (Note 1-G and 6) 1,223,134 1,130,773

Total assets $ 95,086,092 $ 82,285,491

LIABILITIES AND NET POSITION

Liabilities (Note 1-I and 12)

Intra-governmental

Accounts payable $ 12,398 $ 21,022

Debt (Note 1-J and 8) 5,993,214 8,368,258

Other liabilities (Note 9) 277,607 276,653

Total intra-governmental 6,283,219 8,665,933

Accounts payable 234,200 246,691

Accrued benefits (Note 1-K and 10) 1,161,613 1,302,857

Future workers' compensation benefits (Note 1-L and 11) 2,537,871 2,622,296

Energy employees occupational illness compensation benefits (Note 1-M) 24,024,463 19,722,715

Accrued leave (Note 1-N) 125,656 126,959

Other liabilities (Note 9) 818,042 747,294

Total liabilities 35,185,064 33,434,745

Contingencies (Note 13)

Net position (Note 1-R)

Funds from dedicated collections

Cumulative results of operations (Note 21) 68,820,773 53,763,672

All other funds

Unexpended appropriations 8,423,410 7,911,467

Cumulative results of operations (17,343,155) (12,824,393)

Total net position - all other funds (8,919,745) (4,912,926)

Total net position 59,901,028 48,850,746

Total liabilities and net position $ 95,086,092 $ 82,285,491

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
Annual Financial Statements

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF NET COST

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

(Dollars in Thousands)

50 United States Department of Labor 

2018 2017

NET COST OF OPERATIONS (Note 1-S and 15)

CROSSCUTTING PROGRAMS

Income maintenance

Gross cost $ 41,477,518 $ 44,305,656

 Less earned revenue (3,312,979) (3,261,780)

 Net program cost 38,164,539 41,043,876

Employment and training

Gross cost 6,156,677 6,126,985

 Less earned revenue (1,050) (3,320)

 Net program cost 6,155,627 6,123,665

Labor, employment and pension standards

Gross cost 844,003 883,981

 Less earned revenue (8,613) (11,547)

 Net program cost 835,390 872,434

Worker safety and health

Gross cost 998,266 1,039,028

 Less earned revenue (3,112) (3,331)

 Net program cost 995,154 1,035,697

OTHER PROGRAMS

Statistics

Gross cost 662,059 659,662

 Less earned revenue (28,803) (29,127)

 Net program cost 633,256 630,535

COSTS NOT ASSIGNED TO PROGRAMS

Gross cost 23,717 48,285

 Less earned revenue not attributed to programs (4,986) (33,069)

 Net cost not assigned to programs 18,731 15,216

Net cost of operations $ 46,802,697 $ 49,721,423

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
Financial Section

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET POSITION

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

(Dollars in Thousands)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 51

Funds from Funds from 

Dedicated All Other Dedicated All Other

Collections Funds Total Collections Funds Total

Unexpended Appropriations:

Beginning Balance $ - $ 7,911,467 $ 7,911,467 $ - $ 7,919,543 $ 7,919,543

Budgetary financing sources (Note 1-T)

Appropriations received (Note 18-F) - 11,307,139 11,307,139 - 10,869,138 10,869,138

Appropriations transferred - (175) (175) - 6,478 6,478

Other adjustments - (639,652) (639,652) - (583,193) (583,193)

Appropriations used - (10,155,369) (10,155,369) - (10,300,499) (10,300,499)

Total budgetary financing sources - 511,943 511,943 - (8,076) (8,076)

Total Unexpended Appropriations - 8,423,410 8,423,410 - 7,911,467 7,911,467

Cumulative Results from Operations:

Beginning Balance $ 53,763,672 $ (12,824,393) $ 40,939,279 $ 40,442,362 $ (7,769,509) $ 32,672,853

Budgetary financing sources (Note 1-T)

Other adjustments - 922 922 - - -

Appropriations used - 10,155,369 10,155,369 - 10,300,499 10,300,499

Non-exchange revenue (Note 16)

Employer taxes 43,613,046 - 43,613,046 44,484,373 - 44,484,373

Interest 1,509,634 4 1,509,638 1,307,018 3 1,307,021

Reimbursement of 

 unemployment benefits and other 1,701,900 - 1,701,900 1,605,373 3,581 1,608,954

Total non-exchange revenue 46,824,580 4 46,824,584 47,396,764 3,584 47,400,348

Transfers without reimbursement (Note 17) (3,493,444) 3,757,891 264,447 (3,647,697) 3,841,568 193,871

Other Financing Sources (Nonexchange) (Note 1-U):

Transfers without reimbursement (Note 17) - 706 706 - 1,595 1,595

Imputed financing from 

 costs absorbed by others 2,181 106,232 108,413 2,152 90,788 92,940

Other 1 (13,406) (13,405) - (1,404) (1,404)

Total financing sources 43,333,318 14,007,718 57,341,036 43,751,219 14,236,630 57,987,849

Net cost of operations (28,276,217) (18,526,480) (46,802,697) (30,429,909) (19,291,514) (49,721,423)

Net change 15,057,101 (4,518,762) 10,538,339 13,321,310 (5,054,884) 8,266,426

Cumulative results of operations 68,820,773 (17,343,155) 51,477,618 53,763,672 (12,824,393) 40,939,279

Net position $ 68,820,773 $ (8,919,745) $ 59,901,028 $ 53,763,672 $ (4,912,926) $ 48,850,746

2018 Consolidated 2017 Consolidated

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
Annual Financial Statements

COMBINED STATEMENTS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

(Dollars in Thousands)

52 United States Department of Labor 

2018 2017

BUDGETARY RESOURCES (Note 18)

Unobligated balance from prior year budget authority, net (discretionary and mandatory) $ 3,905,776 $ 3,998,729

Appropriations (discretionary and mandatory) 43,520,833 45,286,228

Borrowing authority (discretionary and mandatory) 29,942 -

Spending authority from offsetting collections (discretionary and mandatory) 7,217,028 7,378,389

Total budgetary resources $ 54,673,579 $ 56,663,346

STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

New obligations and upward adjustments (total) $ 50,290,907 $ 52,732,162

Unobligated balance, end of year

 Apportioned, unexpired accounts 3,696,831 3,140,440

 Exempt from apportionment, unexpired accounts 29,354 33,211

 Unapportioned, unexpired accounts 90,122 87,891

 Unexpired unobligated balance, end of year 3,816,307 3,261,542

 Expired unobligated balance, end of year 566,365 669,642

Unobligated balance, end of year (total) 4,382,672 3,931,184

Total budgetary resources $ 54,673,579 $ 56,663,346

OUTLAYS, NET

Outlays, net (total) (discretionary and mandatory) 42,767,502 45,331,981

Distributed offsetting receipts (459,791) (559,128)

Agency outlays, net (discretionary and mandatory) $ 42,307,711 $ 44,772,853

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
Financial Section

STATEMENTS OF SOCIAL INSURANCE

As of September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 2014

(Dollars in Thousands)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 53

Unaudited

2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

BLACK LUNG DISABILITY BENEFIT PROGRAM (Note 1-W and 1-Y)

Current participants (closed group)

Present value of estimated future excise tax

 income during the projection period $ 1,385,560 $ 2,011,565 $ 2,906,046 $ 4,738,572 $ 7,301,416

Less the present value of estimated future administrative

 costs during the projection period 675,099 713,472 953,474 1,242,920 942,107

Less the actuarial present value of future benefit

 payments to disabled coal miners and dependent

 survivors during the projection period 1,270,504 1,280,920 1,359,109 1,898,939 1,876,522

Excess of present value of estimated future excise tax

 income over present value of estimated future

 administrative costs and actuarial present value of

 future benefit payments during the projection period

 (closed group measure) (560,043) 17,173 593,463 1,596,713 4,482,787

New participants

Present value of estimated future excise tax

 income during the projection period 1,133,640 1,616,686 1,452,086 - -

Less the present value of estimated future administrative

 costs during the projection period 552,354 573,414 476,429 - -

Less the actuarial present value of future benefit

 payments to disabled coal miners and dependent

 survivors during the projection period 1,049,906 1,029,469 679,116 - -

Excess of present value of estimated future excise tax

 income over present value of estimated future

 administrative costs and actuarial present value of

 future benefit payments during the projection period (468,620) 13,803 296,541 - -

Current and new participants (open group)

Present value of estimated future excise tax

 income during the projection period 2,519,200 3,628,251 4,358,132 4,738,572 7,301,416

Less the present value of estimated future administrative

 costs during the projection period 1,227,453 1,286,886 1,429,903 1,242,920 942,107

Less the actuarial present value of future benefit

 payments to disabled coal miners and dependent

 survivors during the projection period 2,320,410 2,310,389 2,038,225 1,898,939 1,876,522

Excess of present value of estimated future excise tax

 income over present value of estimated future

 administrative costs and actuarial present value of

 future benefit payments during the projection period

 (open group measure) $ (1,028,663) $ 30,976 $ 890,004 $ 1,596,713 $ 4,482,787

Trust fund net position deficit at start 

 of projection period (Note 1-W and 21) $(5,641,907) $(5,610,709) $ (5,604,460) $ (5,644,208) $ (5,755,352)

Summary Section

Closed group measure $ (560,043) $ 17,173 $ 593,463 $ 1,596,713 $ 4,482,787

Add: Funds with U.S. Treasury and receivables from

 benefit overpayments (Note 21) 359,710 144,697 113,856 54,859 129,376

Total of closed group measure plus fund assets (Note 1-W) $ (200,333) $ 161,870 $ 707,319 $ 1,651,572 $ 4,612,163

Open group measure $ (1,028,663) $ 30,976 $ 890,004 $ 1,596,713 $ 4,482,787

Add: Funds with U.S. Treasury and receivables from

 benefit overpayments (Note 21) 359,710 144,697 113,856 54,859 129,376

Total of open group measure plus fund assets (Note 1-W) $ (668,953) $ 175,673 $ 1,003,860 $ 1,651,572 $ 4,612,163

As of September 30,

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
Annual Financial Statements

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SOCIAL INSURANCE AMOUNTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

(Dollars in Thousands)

54 United States Department of Labor 

BLACK LUNG DISABILITY BENEFIT PROGRAM (Note 1-W and 1-Y)

Open Group Measure

(Dollars in Thousands) Unaudited

2018 2017

The excess of present value of estimated future excise tax income

 over present value of estimated future administrative costs and

 actuarial present value of future benefit payments to disabled coal

 miners and dependent survivors in the open group during the

 projection period (open group measure), beginning of year $ 30,976 $ 890,004 

 Changes in the assumptions about beneficiaries, including

 costs, number, type, age and life expectancy (182,365) (387,457)

 Changes in assumptions about coal excise tax revenues (904,522) (481,019)

 Changes in assumptions about Federal civilian pay raises for income benefits (7,844) 12,764

 Changes in assumptions about medical cost inflation for medical benefits (6,390) (26,784)

 Changes in assumptions about administrative costs (22,516) 54,230

 Changes in assumptions about interest rates 63,998 (30,762)

Net change in open group measure (1,059,639) (859,028)

Open group measure, end of year $ (1,028,663) $ 30,976 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 55

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

A. Reporting Entity

DOL, a cabinet level agency of the Executive Branch of the United States Government, was established in 1913, to 

promote the welfare of the wage earners of the United States. Today the Department’s mission remains the same: 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. 

DOL accomplishes this mission through the execution of its congressionally approved budget, operating under four 

major budget functions: (i) education, training, employment, and social services; (ii) health (protecting workers in 

their place of employment); (iii) income security; and (iv) veterans benefits and services (veterans employment and 

training). DOL is organized into program agencies, which administer the various statutes and programs for which 

the Department is responsible. DOL’s program agencies are shown below.

1. Program Agencies

• Employment and Training Administration (ETA)

- Office of Job Corps

• Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP)

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)

• Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)

• Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) 

• Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS)

• Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Other Program Agencies

• Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP)

• Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS)

• Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

• Departmental Management

- Office of the Secretary - Office of the Deputy Secretary

- Office of the Assistant Secretary for - Office of Inspector General

Administration and Management - Office of the Solicitor

- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy - Office of Public Affairs

- Office of Congressional and - Office of the Chief Financial Officer

Intergovernmental Affairs - Women’s Bureau

- Bureau of International Labor Affairs

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), wholly owned by the Federal government and whose Board of 

Directors is chaired by the Secretary of Labor, has been designated as a separate reporting entity for financial 

statement purposes in compliance with Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) Statement of 

Federal Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) 47, “Reporting Entity,” and related Treasury and OMB 

implementation guidance and has been excluded from these financial statements.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

56 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

A. Reporting Entity - Continued

2. The major programs are

• Income maintenance

• Employment and training

• Labor, employment and pension standards 

• Worker safety and health

• Statistics 

3. Fund accounting structure

DOL’s financial activities are accounted for by Federal account symbol, using individual funds and fund 

accounts within distinct fund types to report to the Treasury’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service and to OMB. For 

financial statement purposes, DOL funds are further classified as funds from dedicated collections, fiduciary 

funds, and all other funds, and are discussed below:

 

Funds from dedicated collections

Funds from dedicated collections are financed by specifically identified revenues, which can be 

supplemented by other financing sources, both of which remain available over time. These revenues and 

financing sources are required by statute to be used for designated purposes and must be accounted for 

separately from the Government’s general revenues. DOL’s funds from dedicated collections are disclosed 

in Note 21 and are discussed below:

Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF) was established under the authority of Section 904 of the Social Security 

Act of 1935, as amended, to receive, hold, invest, and disburse monies collected under the Federal 

Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), as well as state unemployment taxes collected by the states and transferred 

to the Fund, and unemployment taxes collected by the Railroad Retirement Board and transferred to the 

Fund. The Federal Additional Unemployment Compensation (FAUC) fund is a component of the UTF, 

funded by the General Fund of the Treasury and provided a $25 weekly supplement to the unemployment 

compensation of eligible claimants. 

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund (BLDTF) was established under Part C of the Black Lung Benefits Act, to 

provide compensation and medical benefits to coal miners who suffer total disability due to pneumoconiosis 

(Black Lung disease), and compensation benefits to their dependent survivors for claims filed subsequent to 

June 30, 1973. Claims filed from the origination of the program until June 30, 1973, are paid by the Special 

Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners fund. (See Note 1.A.3 – All other funds.) 

Gifts and Bequests Fund uses miscellaneous funds received by gift or bequest to support various activities of 

the Secretary of Labor. 

Panama Canal Commission Compensation Fund was established to provide for the accumulation of funds 

provided by the Commission to pay its workers compensation obligations under the Federal Employees’ 

Compensation Act (FECA).
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 57

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

A. Reporting Entity - Continued

3. Fund accounting structure - continued

Funds from dedicated collections - continued

H-1B Funds provide demonstration grants to regional and local entities to provide technical skills training to 

unemployed and incumbent workers. As authorized by the American Competitiveness and Workforce 

Improvement Act of 1998, the funds are supported by fees paid by employers petitioning the U.S Department 

of Homeland Security for visas for foreign workers under the H-1B program.

Fiduciary funds

Fiduciary funds are used to account for DOL’s fiduciary activities, which involve the collection or receipt 

and subsequent disposition of cash or other assets in which non-Federal entities have an ownership interest 

that the Department must uphold. Fiduciary assets are not assets of DOL or the Federal Government, and 

accordingly, are not recognized on the Department’s balance sheet. The fiduciary assets held by DOL and 

the fiduciary activities related to these assets are disclosed in Note 22 to these financial statements. DOL’s 

fiduciary funds are discussed below.

Wage and Hour and Public Contracts Restitution Fund, a deposit fund established by the Fair Labor 

Standards Amendments of 1949, receives deposits from employers assessed by the Department for unpaid 

minimum wages or unpaid overtime compensation owed to employees as a result of labor law violations, and 

pays these wages directly to the affected employees. 

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act Trust Fund, established under the authority of the 

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, provides medical benefits, compensation for lost wages, 

and rehabilitation services for job‐related injuries and diseases or death to private sector workers engaged in 

certain maritime and other employment covered by extensions such as the Defense Base Act. The Act 

authorizes the Department to assess insurance carriers on behalf of these beneficiaries.

District of Columbia Worker’s Compensation Act Trust Fund, established under the authority of the District 

of Columbia Worker’s Compensation Act, provides compensation and medical payments to the District of 

Columbia employees for work-related injuries or death which occurred prior to July 26, 1982. The Act 

authorizes the Department to assess insurance carriers on behalf of these beneficiaries.

Davis-Bacon Act Trust Fund established under the Davis-Bacon Act, provides payment for claims relating to 

violations of the Davis-Bacon Act and Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act. The Department 

investigates violation allegations to determine if federal contractors owe additional wages to covered 

employees. If the Department concludes that a violation has occurred, the Department collects the amount 

owed from the contracting federal agency, deposits the funds into an account with the U.S. Treasury, and 

remits payment to the claimant. 

All other funds 

Salaries and Expenses include appropriated funds which are used to carry out the missions and functions of 

the Department, except where specifically provided for from other departmental funds.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

58 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

A. Reporting Entity - Continued

3. Fund accounting structure - continued

All other funds - continued 

Training and Employment Services provides for a flexible, decentralized system of Federal and local training 

programs and other services for the economically disadvantaged and others, designed to lead to permanent 

gains in employment, through grants to states and Federal programs, authorized by the Workforce 

Investment Act (WIA) and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). 

Office of Job Corps supports the administration and management of the Job Corps program, which helps atrisk youth who need and can benefit from intensive education and training services to become more 

employable, responsible, and productive citizens. 

State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations (SUIESO) includes grants to states for 

administering the Unemployment Compensation (UC) and Employment Service (ES) programs. UC 

Programs provide administrative grants to state agencies which pay unemployment benefits to eligible 

individuals and collect state unemployment taxes from employers. The ES Program is a nationwide system 

providing no-fee ES to individuals seeking employment and to employers seeking workers. ES funding 

allotments for state activities are determined upon a demographically based funding formula established 

under the Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended.

Advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund and Other Funds provides advances to other accounts within the 

UTF to pay UC whenever the balances in these accounts prove insufficient or whenever reimbursements to 

certain accounts, as allowed by law, are to be made. This account also makes advances to the Federal 

Unemployment Benefits and Allowances account to pay the cost of benefits and services under the Trade 

Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers program; and provides loans to the BLDTF to make disability 

payments whenever the fund balance proves insufficient.

Federal Unemployment Benefits and Allowances provides for payment of benefits, training, job search, 

relocation allowances, and employment and case management services (and state administrative expenses for 

all benefits other than Trade Readjustment Allowances, Reemployment TAA, and Alternative TAA) as 

authorized by the Trade Act of 1974 and subsequent amendments. 

Community Service Employment for Older Americans (CSEOA) provides part-time work experience in 

community service activities to unemployed, low income persons aged 55 and over.

Federal Employees’ Compensation Act Special Benefit Fund provides wage replacement benefits and 

payment for medical services to covered Federal civilian employees injured on the job, Federal employees 

and certain other workers who have incurred a work‐related illness or injury, and survivors of employees 

whose death is attributable to a job‐related injury. The Fund also provides for vocational rehabilitation of 

injured employees to facilitate their return to work. Under extensions of FECA, benefits are also paid to 

certain groups related to War Hazards, non-Federal law enforcement officers, Job Corps enrollees, and 

certain Federally-supported volunteers. Section 10(h) of the amended Longshore and Harbor Workers’ 

Compensation Act and the District of Columbia Worker’s Compensation Act authorized payments from the 

Special Benefit fund for 50% of the annual increase in benefits for compensation and certain related benefits.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 59

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

A. Reporting Entity - Continued

3. Fund accounting structure - continued

All other funds - continued

Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund was established to adjudicate, administer, and 

pay claims for benefits under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act 

(EEOICPA) of 2000. The Act authorizes compensation payments and the reimbursement of medical 

expenses to employees of the Department of Energy (DOE) or of private companies under contract with 

DOE, who suffer from specified diseases as a result of their work in the nuclear weapons industry. The Act 

also authorizes compensation to the survivors of these employees under certain circumstances. The Act was 

amended by the Ronald Reagan National Defense Authorization Act of 2005 to provide coverage to 

additional claimants. 

Special Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners was established under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act to 

pay benefits to coal miners disabled from pneumoconiosis and to their widows and certain other dependents. 

Part B of the Act assigned processing of claims filed from the origination of the program until June 30, 1973, 

to the Social Security Administration (SSA), after which time DOL began processing new claims under Part 

C. SSA continued to administer Part B claims until DOL permanently assumed responsibility effective 

October 1, 2003. 

Working Capital Fund (WCF) maintains and operates a program of centralized services in the national office 

and the field. The WCF is paid in advance by the agencies, bureaus, and offices for which centralized 

services are provided at rates which cover the full cost of operations.

General fund receipt accounts hold non-entity receipts and accounts receivable from DOL activities which by 

law cannot be deposited into funds under DOL control. The Treasury automatically transfers all fund 

balances in these receipt accounts to the General Fund of the Treasury at the end of each fiscal year. 

Deposit funds account for monies held by DOL as an agent for others or monies held temporarily by DOL 

until ownership is determined. 

4. Inter-departmental relationships

DOL and Treasury are jointly responsible for the operations of the UTF and the BLDTF. DOL is responsible 

for the administrative oversight and policy direction of the programs financed by these trust funds. Treasury 

acts as custodian over monies deposited into the funds and also invests amounts in excess of disbursing 

requirements in Treasury securities on behalf of DOL. DOL consolidates the financial results of the UTF 

and the BLDTF into these financial statements.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

60 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

B. Basis of Accounting and Presentation

In FY 2018, DOL implemented FASAB SFFAS 47, “Reporting Entity,” with related guidance from the Treasury 

Financial Manual (TFM), Volume I, Part 2, Chapter 4700, “Agency Reporting Requirements for the Financial Report 

of the United States Government,” and OMB Circular No. A-136. 

SFFAS 47 and the related guidance required, among other things, that the Department of Labor 

(1) be defined as a component reporting entity within the larger governmentwide reporting entity of the U.S. Federal 

Government;

(2) consolidate into its financial statements (as consolidation entities) those entities defined according to (a) SFFAS 

47 requirements for administrative assignment based on budgetary and accountability criteria and (b) Treasury 

determinations;

(3) report as disclosure entities in its financial statements those entities defined according to (a) SFFAS 47 

requirements for entities with greater autonomy (than consolidated entities) and (b) Treasury determinations; and

(4) report as related parties in its financial statements those entities defined according to (a) SFFAS 47 requirements 

for entities with whom DOL has a relationship with significant influence and (b) Treasury determinations.

Based on the requirements of SFFAS 47 and related guidance, DOL determined that there were no additional entities 

to include in or entities to exclude from the FY 2018 presentations of the consolidated Balance Sheet, Statement of 

Changes in Net Costs, and Statement of Changes in Net Position; combined Statement of Budgetary Resources; and 

related notes.

These financial statements present the financial position, net cost of operations, changes in net position and 

budgetary resources of DOL, and estimated and actuarial projections, and changes therein, for the Department’s 

Black Lung social insurance program, in accordance with U.S. GAAP and the form and content requirements of 

OMB Circular No. A-136. To ensure that the Department’s financial statements are meaningful, other liabilities as 

defined by OMB Circular No. A-136 have been disaggregated on the balance sheet. These include Energy employees 

occupational illness compensation benefits, accrued leave, and other liabilities. Except as described in the following 

paragraphs, the financial statements have been prepared from the books and records of DOL, and include the 

accounts of all funds of the DOL reporting entity. All inter-fund balances and transactions were eliminated, except in 

the Statements of Budgetary Resources, which are presented on a combined basis, as required by OMB Circular No. 

A-136. 

DOL is a party to allocation transfers with other Federal agencies as both a transferring (parent) entity and a 

receiving (child) entity. Allocation transfers are delegations by one department of its authority to obligate budget 

authority and outlay funds to another agency as prescribed by law. OMB Circular No. A-136 requires the parent to 

report all budgetary and proprietary activity in its financial statements. DOL (parent entity) allocates appropriations 

to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of the Interior (child entities) to provide funds for 

youth training programs. Accordingly, all activity for these allocation accounts is included in the DOL financial 

statements. DOL (child entity) receives allocated appropriations from the U.S. Department of State to support 

international HIV/AIDS relief efforts (parent entity). Accordingly, activity for this allocation account is excluded 

from the DOL financial statements.

U.S. GAAP encompasses both accrual and budgetary transactions. Under accrual accounting, revenues are 

recognized when earned and expenses are recognized when incurred. Budgetary accounting facilitates compliance 

with legal constraints on, and controls over, the use of Federal funds. These financial statements are different from 

the financial reports, also prepared by DOL pursuant to OMB directives, used to monitor DOL’s use of budgetary 

resources.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 61

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

B. Basis of Accounting and Presentation - Continued

Throughout these financial statements, assets, liabilities, earned revenue, and costs have been classified according to 

the type of entity with whom the transactions were made. Intra-governmental assets and liabilities are those from or 

to other Federal entities. Intra-governmental earned revenue represents collections or accruals of revenue from other 

Federal entities, and intra-governmental costs are payments or accruals of costs to other Federal entities. 

C. Funds with U.S. Treasury 

DOL’s cash receipts and disbursements are processed by the U.S. Treasury. Funds with U.S. Treasury represent 

obligated and unobligated balances available to finance allowable expenditures, and restricted balances, including 

amounts related to expired authority and amounts not available for use by DOL. (See Note 2)

D. Investments 

Funds from Dedicated Collections 

The Federal Government does not set aside assets to pay future benefits or other expenditures associated with DOL’s 

funds from dedicated collections. The cash receipts collected from the public for funds from dedicated collections 

are deposited in the U.S. Treasury, which uses the cash for general government purposes. Interest earning Treasury 

securities are issued to DOL’s funds from dedicated collections as evidence of the receipts. These Treasury 

securities are assets to DOL and liabilities to the U.S. Treasury. Because DOL and the U.S. Treasury are each 

component reporting entities of the U.S. Government, these assets and liabilities offset each other from the standpoint 

of the government as a whole. For this reason, they do not represent an asset or a liability in the U.S. Governmentwide financial statements. Treasury securities provide DOL with authority to draw upon the U.S. Treasury to make 

future benefit payments or other expenditures. When DOL requires redemption of these securities to make 

expenditures, the government finances those expenditures out of accumulated cash balances, by raising taxes or other

receipts, by borrowing from the public or repaying less debt, or by curtailing other expenditures, just as the 

government finances all other expenditures.

Balances held in the UTF are invested in non-marketable, special issue Treasury securities (certificates of 

indebtedness and bonds) available for purchase exclusively by Federal government agencies and trust funds. Special 

issues are purchased and redeemed at face value (cost), which is equivalent to their net carrying value on the 

Consolidated Balance Sheets. Interest rates and maturity dates vary. The UTF special issue Treasury bonds may be 

redeemed, in whole or in part, prior to their maturity date and continue to accrue interest until fully redeemed.

Balances held in the Panama Canal Commission Compensation Fund are invested in marketable Treasury securities. 

These investments are stated at amortized costs that equal their net carrying value on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. 

Discounts and premiums are amortized using the effective interest method. Interest rates and maturity dates vary. 

Management expects to hold these marketable securities until maturity; therefore, no provision is made in the 

financial statements for unrealized gains or losses. (See Note 3)

All Other Funds

Balances held in the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund are invested in non-marketable 

Treasury one-day certificates. (See Note 3).
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

62 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

E. Accounts Receivable, Net of Allowance

Accounts receivable consists of intra-governmental amounts due to DOL, as well as amounts due from the public. 

(See Note 4)

1. Intra-governmental accounts receivable

The Federal Employees Compensation (FEC) account within the UTF provides unemployment compensation 

to eligible Federal employees (UCFE) and ex-service members (UCX). DOL recognizes as accounts 

receivable amounts due from other Federal agencies for unreimbursed UCFE and UCX benefits. DOL’s 

FECA Special Benefit Fund provides workers’ compensation benefits to eligible Federal workers on behalf 

of other Federal agencies. DOL recognizes as accounts receivable amounts due from other Federal agencies 

to the Special Benefit Fund for unreimbursed FECA benefits. 

DOL also has receivables from other Federal agencies for work performed on their behalf under various 

reimbursable agreements.

2. Accounts receivable due from the public

DOL recognizes as accounts receivable state unemployment taxes due from covered employers and 

reimbursements of benefits paid on behalf of other employers. Also recognized as accounts receivable are 

benefit overpayments made to individuals not entitled to receive the benefit.

DOL recognizes as accounts receivable amounts due from the public for fines and penalties levied against 

employers by OSHA, MSHA, WHD, and EBSA and for amounts due from grantees and contractors for grant 

and contract costs disallowed by ETA and other agencies. 

3. Allowance for uncollectible accounts

Accounts receivable due from the public are stated net of an allowance for uncollectible accounts. The 

allowance is estimated based on an aging of account balances, past collection experience, and/or an analysis 

of outstanding accounts at year-end. In compliance with Treasury policy, no allowance for loss on 

intragovernmental receivables is recognized in DOL’s accounting records or financial statements.

F. General Property, Plant and Equipment, Net

The majority of DOL’s general property, plant and equipment (PP&E) is general purpose PP&E held by Job Corps 

centers owned and operated by DOL through a network of contractors. Internal use software is considered general 

purpose PP&E. 

DOL’s capitalization thresholds for assets with a useful life of 2 years or longer and the related depreciable lives are 

displayed in the following table.

Capitalization Threshold Years

Structures, facilities and improvements $500,000 20 - 50

Furniture and equipment $50,000 2 - 36

Internal use software

Software in development

$500,000

$500,000 

2 - 15

- 15

Construction-in-progress $500,000 -1

Land $500,000 -1
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 63

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

F. General Property, Plant and Equipment, Net - Continued

Internal use software development costs are capitalized as software in development until the development stage has 

been completed and successfully tested. Upon completion and testing, they are reclassified as internal use software 

and amortized over their estimated useful lives. 

PP&E purchases and additions are stated at cost. Normal repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as 

incurred. PP&E are depreciated or amortized over their estimated useful lives using the straight-line method. 

Job Corps center construction costs are capitalized as construction-in-progress until completed. Upon completion 

they are reclassified as structures, facilities, and improvements and depreciated over their estimated useful lives.

Structures, facilities, and improvements also include a capital lease for a Job Corps facility. Leasehold improvements 

made at Job Corps centers and DOL facilities leased from the General Services Administration (GSA) are capitalized 

as construction-in-progress until completed. Upon completion, they are reclassified as improvements to leased 

facilities, and amortized over the remaining life of the lease or the useful life of the improvements, whichever is 

shorter, using the straight-line method of amortization. DOL operating leases have one-year terms with multiple 

option years. The leases are cancelable by the government upon appropriate notice as specified in the lease 

agreements. Historically, these leases have not been canceled and DOL has no intention to cancel these leases in the 

near term. (See Note 5)

G. Advances

DOL advances consist primarily of payments made to State Employment Security Agencies (SESA) and to grantees 

and contractors to provide for future DOL program expenditures. These advance payments are recorded by DOL as 

an asset, which is reduced when actual expenditures or the accrual of estimated expenditures are recorded by DOL. 

(See Note 6)

H. Non-entity Assets

Assets held by DOL which are not available to DOL for obligation are considered non-entity assets. DOL holds nonentity assets for the Railroad Retirement Board and for transfer to the U.S. Treasury. (See Note 7)

I. Liabilities

Liabilities represent probable amounts to be paid by DOL as a result of past transactions and are recognized when 

incurred, regardless of whether there are budgetary resources available to pay them. However, the liquidation of 

these liabilities will consume budgetary resources and cannot be made until available resources have been obligated. 

For financial reporting purposes, DOL’s liabilities are classified as covered by budgetary resources, not covered by 

budgetary resources, or not requiring budgetary resources. 

Liabilities are classified as covered by budgetary resources if budgetary resources are available to pay them. 

Liabilities are also considered covered by budgetary resources if they are to be funded by permanent indefinite 

appropriations, which have been enacted and signed into law and are available for use as of the balance sheet date, 

provided that the resources may be apportioned by OMB without further action by the Congress and without a 

contingency having to be met first. Liabilities are classified as not covered by budgetary resources if budgetary 

resources are not available. Liabilities are classified as not requiring budgetary resources if the liabilities have not in 

the past required and will not in the future require the use of budgetary resources. (See Note 12)
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

64 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

J. Debt

DOL’s debt consisted of the following:

1. Unemployment Trust Fund advances from U.S. Treasury

UTF advances from U.S. Treasury outstanding as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, represent borrowing 

authority used from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury pursuant to the authority of Sections 905(d) and 

1203 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1323). All advances were repaid in FY 2018. Although no draws 

were made on borrowing authority during FY 2018 and FY 2017, these advances were appropriated in FY 

2018 through five continuing resolutions, the last one being P.L. 115-123, which was amended by P.L. 115-

124, and an appropriations act P.L. 115-141 and in FY 2017 through three continuing resolutions with P.L. 

114-223, P.L. 114-254, and P.L. 115-30 and an appropriations act P.L. 115-31. These repayable advances 

bear interest rates of 2.375% and 2.500%, which are equal to the average rate of interest, computed as of the 

end of the calendar month next preceding the date of such advance, borne by all interest bearing obligations 

of the United States then forming part of the public debt; except that in cases in which such average rate is 

not a multiple of one-eighth of 1 percent, the rate of interest shall be the multiple of one-eighth of 1 percent 

next lower than such average rate in accordance with Section 905(d) and Section 1203 of the Social Security 

Act. Interest on the repayable advances is due on September 30th of each year or upon the repayment of an 

advance and is subject to sequestration. Advances are repaid by transfers from the UTF to the General Fund 

of the U.S. Treasury when the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, has 

determined that the balances in the UTF allow repayment. (See Note 8)

2. Black Lung Disability Trust Fund borrowings from U.S. Treasury

The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-343, section 113), enacted October 3, 2008, 

authorized restructuring of the BLDTF debt by the repayment at market value the fund’s outstanding 

repayable Advances from U.S. Treasury, using the proceeds from borrowings from Treasury’s Bureau of the 

Fiscal Service and a one‐time appropriation. Pursuant to this authority, in FY 2009, the BLDTF borrowed 

from Treasury $6.496 billion which was structured into 32 discounted instruments with sequential annual 

September 30th maturities over the 32-year period 2009 through 2040, bearing interest rates ranging from 

1.412% to 4.556%. Interest on each instrument accrues until its September 30th maturity date or the 

instrument’s prepayment, whichever occurs first. These debt payments are to be made from the excise taxes 

assessed on domestic sales of coal mined in the United States. In the event that the BLDTF cannot repay a 

discounted instrument when it matures, or make benefit payments or other authorized expenditures, the Act 

authorizes the issuance of one-year discounted instruments to finance these activities. The BLDTF issued 

additional debt on September 30, 2017 (due September 30, 2018) bearing an interest rate of 1.311% and on 

September 30, 2018 (due September 30, 2019) bearing an interest rate of 2.604%. (See Note 8)

K. Accrued Benefits

The financial statements include a liability for unemployment, workers’ compensation, and disability benefits due 

and payable from various DOL funds, as discussed below. (See Note 10)
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 65

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

K. Accrued Benefits - Continued

1. Unemployment benefits payable

The UTF provides benefits to unemployed workers who meet state and Federal eligibility requirements. 

Regular and extended unemployment benefits are paid from state accounts within the UTF, financed 

primarily by a state unemployment tax on employer payrolls. Fifty percent of the cost of extended 

unemployment benefits is paid from the Extended Unemployment Compensation Account (EUCA) within 

the UTF, financed by a Federal unemployment tax on employer payrolls. The Recovery Act provided for a 

100% Federal funding of Extended Benefits (EB) through December 2009. This 100% Federal funding 

provision, which was extended several times, phased out on January 1, 2014. Although the vast majority of 

EB activity has ceased, states are still reporting residual transactions related to the program on monthly 

reports.

The Recovery Act also provided for FAUC, a $25 weekly supplement entirely funded from Treasury General 

Fund revenues, payable through December 2009, to individuals who were entitled under state law to 

otherwise receive any type of UC. FAUC benefits were extended several times, with phase-out of benefit 

eligibility by December 2010. Although the vast majority of FAUC activity has ceased, states are still 

reporting residual transactions related to the program on monthly reports.

EUC benefits, also paid from EUCA, were first authorized by the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2008. 

These benefits were extended by the Recovery Act and other authorizing legislation through January 1, 2014, 

and were funded entirely from General Fund appropriations. Although the vast majority of EUC activity has 

ceased, states are still reporting residual transactions related to the program on monthly reports.

Unemployment benefits to unemployed Federal workers are paid from the FEC account within the UTF, 

which is then reimbursed by the responsible Federal agency. 

A liability is recognized for unpaid unemployment benefits applicable to the current period and for benefits 

paid by states that have not been reimbursed by the fund. DOL also recognizes a liability for Federal 

employees’ unpaid unemployment benefits for existing claims filed during the current period, payable in the 

subsequent period, to the extent reimbursable by other Federal entities. 

2. Federal employees disability and 10(h) benefits payable

The FECA Special Benefit Fund provides income and medical cost protection to covered Federal civilian 

employees injured on the job, employees who have incurred a work-related occupational disease and 

beneficiaries of employees whose death is attributable to a job-related injury or occupational disease. The 

fund is reimbursed by other Federal agencies for the FECA benefit payments made on behalf of their 

workers. The fund assumes the liability for unreimbursed (non-chargeable) FECA benefits. The fund also 

provides 50% of the annual cost-of-living adjustments for pre-1972 compensation cases under the authority 

of Section 10(h) of the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act and the District of Columbia 

Worker’s Compensation Act. A liability for FECA benefits payable by the Special Benefit Fund to the 

employees of DOL and other Federal agencies and for Section 10(h) benefits is accrued to the extent of 

unpaid benefits applicable to the current period.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

66 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

K. Accrued Benefits - Continued

3. Black lung disability benefits payable

The BLDTF and Special Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners fund provide compensation and medical benefits 

for eligible coal miners who are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis (black lung disease). DOL 

recognizes a liability for disability benefits to the extent of unpaid benefits applicable to the current period.

4. Energy employees occupational illness compensation benefits payable

The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund provides benefits to eligible current or 

former employees of the DOE and its contractors suffering from designated illnesses incurred as a result of 

their work with DOE. Benefits are also paid to certain survivors of those employees and contractors, as well 

as to certain beneficiaries of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). DOL recognizes a liability

for disability benefits to the extent of unpaid benefits applicable to the current period. 

L. Future Workers’ Compensation Benefits

The financial statements include an actuarial liability for future workers’ compensation benefits payable by DOL to 

its employees, to employees of the Panama Canal Commission and to enrollees of the Job Corps, as well as benefits 

not chargeable to other Federal agencies, which must be paid by DOL’s FECA Special Benefit Fund. The liability 

includes the expected payments for death, disability, medical, and miscellaneous costs for approved compensation 

cases, as well as a component for incurred but not reported claims. The liability is determined using historical 

benefit payment patterns related to injury years to predict the future payments.

The actuarial methodology provides for the effects of inflation and adjusts historical payments to constant dollars 

by applying wage inflation factors (cost‐of‐living adjustments or COLA) and medical inflation factors (consumer 

price index‐medical or CPIM) to the calculation of projected benefits.

DOL selects the COLA factors, CPIM factors, and discount rates by averaging the COLA rates, CPIM rates, and 

interest rates for the current and prior four years. Using averaging renders estimates that reflect historical trends 

over five years instead of conditions that exist in one year.

The COLAs and CPIMs used in the projections for FY 2018 and FY 2017 were as follows:

COLA CPIM

_FY_ 2018 2017 2018 2017

2018 N/A 1.22 % N/A 3.20 %

2019 1.31 % 1.35 % 3.21 % 3.52 %

2020 1.51 % 1.59 % 3.48 % 3.80 %

2021 1.89 % 1.99 % 3.68 % 3.99 %

2022 2.16 % 2.26 % 3.71 % 3.91 %

2023+ 2.21 % 2.26 % 4.09 % 3.91 %
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 67

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

L. Future Workers’ Compensation Benefits – Continued 

DOL selected the interest rate assumptions whereby projected annual payments were discounted to present value 

based on interest rate assumptions on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Yield Curve for Treasury Nominal 

Coupon Issues (the TNC Yield Curve) to reflect the average duration of income payments and medical payments. 

The average durations for income payments and medical payments were 14.7 and 9.6 years in FY 2018 and 14.7 

and 9.5 years in FY 2017, respectively. Based on averaging the TNC Yield Curves for the current year and the prior 

four years, the interest rate assumptions for income payments and medical payments were 2.716% and 2.379% in 

FY 2018 and 2.683% and 2.218% in FY 2017, respectively.

The actuarial liability consists of a portion for the projected benefits of Federal agencies (including DOL and the 

Panama Canal Compensation Fund) that reimburse the fund for their employees’ costs as billable costs; the other 

portion is for projected benefits for non-billable and unreimbursed costs, which are primarily for projected benefits 

under the War Hazards Compensation Act (WHCA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). (See Note 11)

In FY 2018, refinements to the methodology for non-billable projected benefits were: (1) moving projected 

benefits for cases of a classified nature from the billable portion and (2) using, among other things, the U.S. 

Department of Defense Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) budget as a relative measure of hazard exposure 

to project future benefits under the WHCA; in prior years, the WHCA claims log was used, among other things, to 

project future benefits. DOL applied a loss development triangle approach that accommodates the recurring and 

lump‐sum nature of the WHCA claims. In FY 2018, for WHCA income payments and medical payments, the 

interest rate assumptions were 2.716 % and 2.379%, respectively. In FY 2017, for both WHCA income payments 

and medical payments, the interest rate assumption was 2.683%.

M. Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Benefits 

The Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund, established under the authority of the EEOICPA, 

provides benefits to eligible current or former employees of DOE and its contractors, or to certain survivors of those 

employees and contractors, as well as benefits to certain beneficiaries of RECA. DOL is responsible for adjudicating 

and administering claims filed under the EEOICPA. Effective July 31, 2001, compensation of $150,000 and payment 

of medical expenses from the date a claim is filed are available to covered individuals suffering from designated 

illnesses incurred as a result of their work with DOE.

The Ronald Reagan National Defense Authorization Act of 2005 amended EEOICPA to include Subtitle E –

Contractor Employee Compensation. The amended program grants compensation benefits to covered employees and 

their families for illness and death arising from exposure to toxic substances at a DOE facility. The amendment also 

makes it possible for uranium workers as defined under Section 5 of RECA to receive compensation under Part E for 

illnesses due to toxic substance exposure at a uranium mine or mill covered under that Act.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

68 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

M. Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Benefits - Continued

The table below presents assumptions and liabilities as of September 30, 2018 and 2017.

Assumptions and Liabilities 2018 2017

Compensation Liabilities as of September 30

Average duration 11.5 years 11.1 years

Interest rate used in discounting 2.531% 2.395%

Undiscounted liability $8.2 billion $7.4 billion

Discounted liability $6.4 billion $5.8 billion

Medical Liabilities as of September 30

Average duration 18.4 years 19.6 years

Interest rate used in discounting 2.875% 2.933%

Medical inflation in future years 1 and 2 4.3% 6.0%

Medical inflation in future years 3 and 4 2.6% 6.0%

Medical inflation in future year 5 2.5% 6.0%

Medical inflation in future years 6+ 3.9% 5.0%

Society of Actuaries Retirement Plans (RP) Mortality Table RP-2014 RP-2014

Undiscounted liability $27.7 billion $23.2 billion

Discounted liability $17.6 billion $13.9 billion

Compensation and Medical Total Liabilities‡ as of September 30

Undiscounted $35.9 billion $30.5 billion

Discounted $24.0 billion $19.7 billion

Period used in discounting 60 years 59 years

 ‡Totals may differ slightly due to rounding.

DOL selects interest rate assumptions by averaging interest rates on the TNC Yield Curves for the current and prior 

four years. Using averaging renders estimates that reflect historical trends over five years instead of conditions that 

exist in one year. DOL selected the interest rate assumptions whereby projected payments were discounted to present 

value based on interest rate assumptions on the TNC Yield Curve to reflect the average duration of compensation 

payments and medical payments.

The estimated liability includes the estimated compensation and medical payments for approved cases and filed cases 

pending approval, as well as claims incurred but not yet filed. The actuarial projection methodology provided an 

estimate of the ultimate number of reported cases as a result of estimating future reported claims from the historical 

patterns of reported claims and subsequent claim approval rates. Medical payments were derived by estimating an 

average benefit award per living employee claimant and by applying the Society of Actuaries Retirement Plans (RP) 

2014 mortality tables.

The increases in undiscounted and discounted total liabilities as of September 30, 2018 were primarily due to the net 

effect of the assumptions for increases in cases approved, higher costs per claimant, and lower medical inflation 

rates.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 69

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

N. Accrued Leave

A liability for annual and compensatory leave is accrued as leave is earned and paid when leave is taken. The 

balance of leave earned but not taken will be paid from future funding sources. Sick leave and other types of nonvested leave are expensed as taken.

O. Employee Health and Life Insurance Benefits

DOL employees are eligible to participate in the contributory Federal Employees Health Benefit Program (FEHBP) 

and the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program (FEGLIP). DOL matches the employee contributions to 

each program to pay for current benefits. During FY 2018, DOL’s contributions to the FEHBP and FEGLIP were 

$121.0 million and $2.5 million, respectively. During FY 2017, DOL’s contributions to the FEHBP and FEGLIP 

were $123.2 million and $2.5 million, respectively. These contributions are recognized as current operating expenses.

P. Other Retirement Benefits

DOL employees eligible to participate in the FEHBP and the FEGLIP may continue to participate in these programs 

after their retirement. DOL recognizes a current operating expense for the future cost of these other retirement 

benefits (ORB) at the time the employee’s services are rendered. This ORB expense must be financed by the U.S. 

Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Using cost factors supplied by OPM, DOL recorded ORB imputed costs 

and imputed financing sources of $86.6 million in FY 2018 and $69.4 million in FY 2017.

Q. Employee Pension Benefits

DOL employees participate in either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees 

Retirement System (FERS). For employees participating in CSRS, 7.0% of their gross earnings is withheld and 

transferred to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. DOL contributes an additional 7.0% of the 

employee gross earnings to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. P.L. 112-96, Section 5001, the 

“Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012,” changed the employee and employer contributions for new 

employees participating in FERS. Employees designated by OPM as FERS Revised Annuity Employees (RAEs) 

were, in general, new employees hired on or after January 1, 2013. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, section 401, 

further changed the employee and employer contributions for new employees participating in FERS. Employees 

designated by OPM as FERS Further Revised Annuity Employees (FRAEs) were, in general, hired on or after 

January 1, 2014. The percentages of employee contribution/withholding and DOL contribution under FERS, FERS 

RAE, and FERS FRAE in FY 2018 and FY 2017 are presented in the table below.

Percentage of Gross Earnings

FY 2018 FERS FERS RAE FERS FRAE

Employee contribution/withholding 0.8% 3.1% 4.4%

DOL contribution 13.7 % 11.9% 11.9%

FY 2017 FERS FERS RAE FERS FRAE

Employee contribution/withholding 0.8% 3.1% 4.4%

DOL contribution 13.7% 11.9% 11.9%
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

70 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

Q. Employee Pension Benefits - Continued

These totals are transferred to the Federal Employees’ Retirement Fund. The CSRS and FERS retirement funds are 

administered by OPM. DOL contributions to the CSRS and FERS are recognized as current operating expenses. 

FERS participants are also covered under the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) and are subject to 

withholdings. DOL makes matching FICA contributions, recognized as current operating expenses. DOL’s matching 

contributions were $127.1 million during FY 2018 and $127.4 million during FY 2017. 

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a defined contribution retirement savings and investment plan for employees 

covered by either CSRS or FERS. CSRS participants may contribute up to $18,500 and $18,000 per year of their 

gross pay to the TSP during calendar years 2018 and 2017, respectively, but there is no departmental matching 

contribution. FERS participants may contribute up to $18,500 and $18,000 per year of their gross pay to the TSP 

during calendar years 2018 and 2017, respectively. CSRS and FERS participants aged 50 years or older may also 

contribute an additional $6,000 per year in “catch-up” contributions during calendar years 2018 and 2017, but there is 

no departmental matching on “catch-up” contributions. For employees covered under FERS, DOL contributes 1% of 

the employees’ gross pay to the TSP. DOL also matches employees’ contributions dollar-for-dollar on the first 3% of 

pay contributed each pay period and 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2% of pay contributed. DOL contributions to 

the TSP are recognized as current operating expenses. Employee and employer contributions to the TSP are 

transferred to the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. (See Note 14) 

DOL recognizes the full cost of providing future CSRS and FERS pension benefits to covered employees at the time 

the employees’ services are rendered. The pension expense recognized in the financial statements equals the service 

cost for covered DOL employees, less amounts contributed by these employees. Service cost represents the actuarial 

present value of benefits attributed to services rendered by covered employees during the accounting period. 

The measurement of service cost requires the use of actuarial cost methods to determine the percentage of the 

employees’ basic compensation sufficient to fund their projected pension benefit. These percentages (cost factors) 

are provided by OPM, and applied by DOL to the basic annual compensation of covered employees to arrive at the 

amount of total pension expense to be recognized in DOL’s financial statements.

The excess of total pension expense over the amount contributed by the Department and by DOL’s employees 

represents the amount of pension expense which must be financed directly by OPM. DOL recognized an imputed 

cost and an imputed financing source equal to the excess amount. DOL does not recognize in its financial statements 

FERS or CSRS assets, accumulated plan benefits or unfunded liabilities, if any, applicable to its employees. (See 

Note 14)

R. Net Position

DOL’s net position consists of the following:

1. Unexpended appropriations

Unexpended appropriations include the unobligated balances and undelivered orders of DOL’s appropriated 

funds. Unobligated balances associated with appropriations that expire at the end of the fiscal year remain 

available for obligation adjustments, but not new obligations, until those appropriations are cancelled, five 

years after the appropriations expire. Unexpired multi-year and no-year appropriations remain available to 

DOL for obligation in future periods. 
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 71

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

R. Net Position - Continued

2. Cumulative results of operations

Cumulative results of operations include the accumulated historical difference between expenses consuming 

budgetary resources and financing sources providing budgetary resources in DOL’s trust, revolving, and 

special funds; liabilities not consuming budgetary resources net of assets not providing budgetary resources; 

and DOL’s net investment in capitalized assets.

S. Net Cost of Operations

1. Operating costs 

Full operating costs are comprised of all direct costs consumed by programs and those indirect costs which 

can be reasonably assigned or allocated to programs. Full costs are reduced by exchange (earned) revenues 

to arrive at net program cost. The full and net operating costs of DOL’s major programs are presented in the 

Consolidated Statements of Net Cost, and are also reported by program agency and major program. (See 

Note 15)

2. Earned revenues

Earned revenues arise from exchange transactions which occur through the provision of goods and services 

for a price, and are deducted from the full cost of DOL’s major programs to arrive at net program cost. 

Earned revenues are recognized by DOL to the extent reimbursements are payable from other Federal 

agencies and from the public, as a result of costs incurred or services performed on their behalf. Major 

sources of DOL’s earned revenue include reimbursements to the FECA Special Benefit Fund from Federal 

agencies for the costs of disability compensation and medical care provided to or accrued on behalf of their 

employees and reimbursements to the UTF from Federal agencies for the cost of unemployment benefits 

provided to or accrued on behalf of their former employees. (See Note 15)

T. Budgetary Financing Sources

Budgetary financing sources other than earned revenues provide funding for the Department’s net cost of operations 

and are reported on the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position. These financing sources include 

appropriations received, less appropriations transferred and not available, non-exchange revenue, and transfers 

without reimbursement, as discussed below:

1. Appropriations received, appropriations used, appropriations transferred, and adjustments

DOL receives financing sources through congressional appropriations to support its operations. A financing 

source is recognized for these appropriated funds received, less appropriations transferred, or adjusted due to 

rescission, cancellation, sequestration, or return of permanent indefinite authority. Appropriations are 

considered used as a financing source when goods and services are received or benefits are provided. 
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

72 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

T. Budgetary Financing Sources - Continued

2. Non-exchange revenues

Non-exchange revenues arise primarily from the Federal government’s power to demand payments from the 

public. Non-exchange revenues are recognized by DOL on the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net 

Position and are discussed below. (See Note 16)

Employer taxes 

Employer tax revenues are recognized on a modified cash basis, to the extent of cash transferred by the 

collecting entity to DOL, plus the change in inter-entity balances between the collecting entity and DOL. 

Inter-entity balances represent revenue received by the collecting entity, net of amounts due to the collecting 

entity and adjustments made to previous transactions by the collecting entity which have not been transferred 

to DOL. 

Federal and state unemployment taxes represent non-exchange revenues collected from employers based on 

wages paid to employees in covered employment. Federal unemployment taxes are collected by the Internal 

Revenue Service and transferred to designated accounts within the UTF. State unemployment taxes are 

collected by each state and deposited in separate state accounts within the UTF. Among other things, Federal 

unemployment taxes are used to pay the Federal share of extended unemployment benefits and to provide for 

Federal and state administrative expenses related to the operation of the UI program, employment services 

including veterans’ ES, and foreign labor certifications (FLC). Additional Federal collections from states 

with advances from the fund that have been outstanding for more than two years are used to reduce states’ 

outstanding advance balances. State unemployment taxes are restricted in their use to the payment of 

unemployment benefits.

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund excise tax

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund excise tax revenues are recognized on a modified cash basis, to the extent 

of warrants posted by Government-Wide Accounting and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service Funds into the 

BLDTF. These taxes are imposed on coal sold by producers from mines located in United States. The 

BLDTF excise taxes are used to pay BLDTF benefits, administrative costs, and debt as mentioned in Note 

1.J.2. The BLDTF excise taxes are restricted to these uses. (See Note 1.W)

Interest

The UTF, the Panama Canal Commission Compensation Fund, and the Energy Employees Occupational 

Illness Compensation Fund receive interest on fund investments. The UTF receives interest from states that 

had accounts with loans payable to the Federal Unemployment Account (FUA) at the end of the prior fiscal 

year. Interest is also earned on Federal funds in the possession of non-Federal entities. Interest is recognized 

as non-exchange revenue when earned. 

Reimbursement of unemployment benefits and other

The UTF receives reimbursements from state and local government entities and non-profit organizations for 

the cost of unemployment benefits provided to or accrued on behalf of their employees. These 

reimbursements are recognized as non-exchange revenue when earned. 
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 73

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

T. Budgetary Financing Sources - Continued

3. Transfers without reimbursement

Transfers recognized as budgetary financing sources by DOL include transfers from the Department of 

Homeland Security H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Account to H-1B Funds in ETA and WHD. There are 

also transfers between DOL entities, primarily for the administration of the UI program. (See Note 17)

U. Other Financing Sources

Other financing sources include items that do not represent budgetary resources. 

1. Imputed financing from costs absorbed by others

Financing sources are imputed and recognized by DOL, to provide for pension and other retirement benefit 

expenses financed by OPM and cybersecurity expenses financed by the Department of Homeland Security. 

(See Notes 1-P, 1-Q, and 14) 

2. Transfers without reimbursement

Transfers recognized as other financing sources by DOL include the transfers of property from the GSA. 

(See Note 17)

V. Custodial Activity

DOL collects and transfers to the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury custodial non-exchange revenues for penalties 

levied against employers by OSHA, MSHA, WHD, and EBSA for regulatory violations; and for FECA 

administrative costs assessed against government corporations in excess of amounts reserved to finance capital 

improvements in the FECA Special Benefit Fund; and for ETA collections and administrative charges and restitution 

payments. These collections are not available to the agencies for obligation or expenditure. Penalties and other 

assessments are recognized as custodial non-exchange revenues when collected or subject to collection. (See Note 

20)

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited)

1. Program Background

The Black Lung Disability Benefit Program provides for compensation, medical, and survivor benefits for 

eligible coal miners who are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) arising out of their 

coal mine employment and the BLDTF provides benefit payments when no responsible mine operator 

(RMO) can be assigned the liability or when the liability is adjudicated to the BLDTF, which may occur as 

a result of, among other things, bankruptcy of the RMO. The OWCP administers the program.

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act sets Black Lung benefits at 37.5% of the base salary of a 

Federal employee at level GS-2, Step 1. Black lung disability benefit payments are funded by excise taxes 

from coal mine operators based on the domestic sale of coal, as are the fund’s administrative costs. These 

taxes are collected by the Internal Revenue Service and transferred to the BLDTF, which was established 

under the authority of the Black Lung Benefits Revenue Act, and administered by the U.S. Department of 

the Treasury.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

74 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

1. Program Background - continued

P.L. 110-343, Division B-Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, enacted on October 3, 2008, 

among other things, restructured the BLDTF debt by refinancing the outstanding high interest rate repayable 

advances with low interest rate discounted debt instruments similar in form to zero-coupon bonds, plus a 

one-time appropriation. This Act also allowed that any subsequent debt issued by the BLDTF may be used 

to make benefit payments, other authorized expenditures, or to repay debt and interest from the initial 

refinancing. (See Notes 1-J and 8)

2. Significant Assumptions

The significant assumptions used in the projections for the Statements of Social Insurance (SOSI) are the 

coal excise tax revenue estimates, the tax rate structure, the number of beneficiaries, life expectancy, 

Federal civilian pay raises, medical cost inflation, and the interest rates used to discount future cash flows. 

These assumptions affect the amounts reported on the SOSI, summary section, and the Statements of 

Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (SCSIA). The valuation date is September 30 for each year of 

information presented in the SOSI, including the summary section, and the SCSIA.

Estimated future excise tax income

The black lung coal excise tax rates were $1.10 per ton of underground-mined coal and $0.55 per ton of 

surface-mined coal sold, with a cap of 4.4% of sales price; these rates continue until December 31, 2018. 

At that time, the tax rates will revert to $0.50 per ton of underground-mined coal and $0.25 per ton of 

surface-mined coal sold, with a limit of 2.0% of sales price.

FYs 2014 through 2016

For FYs 2014 through 2016, DOL estimated future excise tax income using two approaches: one approach 

was used for the first ten years in the projection period and another approach was used for the remaining 

years in the projection period. For FYs 2014 and 2015, DOL’s projections were based on the estimates 

provided by Treasury’s Office of Tax Analysis (OTA) which provided estimates of future excise tax income 

of the black lung excise tax for the first ten years in the projection period. OTA’s estimates are based on 

projections of future coal production prepared by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. 

Department of Energy and coal sale prices prepared by OMB. In FYs 2015 and 2016, OTA used EIA 

projections of future coal production that reflected, among other things, regulation pursuant to the Clean 

Power Plan (CPP). In FY 2016, DOL refined the approach to enhance alignment with recent experience; 

projections were based on estimates provided by OTA (by averaging estimates provided in FYs 2015 and 

2016 to reflect regulation pursuant to the CPP), DOL’s actual excise tax collections, and actual coal 

production as reported by EIA.

For the remaining years in the projection period, DOL applied a growth rate to the projection for the tenth 

year and grew the estimates of future excise tax income year-by-year. In FY 2016, DOL further refined the 

approach for selecting the growth rate to enhance consistency of future tax receipts over the projection
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 75

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

2. Significant Assumptions - continued

Estimated future excise tax income - continued

FYs 2014 through 2016 - continued

period. In FY 2016, the growth rate was based on the average EIA growth rates for future coal production 

that reflected, among other things, regulation pursuant to the CPP, adjustments to exclude coal exports and 

lignite (coal exports and lignite are not subject to black lung excise tax), and inflation. In FY 2015, the 

growth rate was based on the average EIA growth rates for future coal production that reflected, among 

other things, regulation pursuant to the CPP. In FY 2014, for the remaining years, estimates of future excise 

tax income used a growth rate based on both historical tax receipts and the Treasury’s estimated tax 

receipts.

In February 2016 the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) stayed implementation of regulation pursuant to the 

CPP due to litigation pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals (USCA); as of September 30, 2016, the stay 

remained in effect. DOL did not change its sources or approaches for estimating future excise tax income 

for the valuation date as of September 30, 2016 because of the SCOTUS stay. 

FYs 2017 and 2018

In FY 2017, DOL developed a model for estimating future excise tax income for all years in the projection 

period. Among other things, the DOL‐developed model was based on historical Treasury excise tax 

collections and EIA projections of future coal production and coal prices. Historical values for EIA coal 

production and Internal Revenue Service excise tax collections provide the initial coal production and sales 

price data to which growth rates are applied. The growth rates are derived from EIA projections of coal 

production (which are adjusted to exclude coal exports, lignite, and inventory) and average coal prices. The 

growth rates are applied to the initial production and sales price data to project the estimated future excise 

tax income. Other assumptions include that, in the long term, ratios for surface- and underground-mined 

coal, taxed on tonnage or sales price, remain consistent. 

In order to be consistent with Executive Branch policy on regulations pursuant to the CPP, DOL’s estimates 

of future excise tax income were based on, among other things, EIA projections that do not reflect CPP 

regulation. On August 8, 2017, the USCA ordered that the CPP litigation be held in abeyance for 60 days 

and subsequent orders continued the abeyance. As of September 30, 2018, the USCA June 26, 2018 

abeyance had expired and the February 2016 SCOTUS stay of CPP regulation remained in effect.

Estimated future administrative costs

For the first ten years in the projection period, estimates for future administrative costs are supplied by 

DOL’s Budget Office, based on current year enacted amounts. For the remaining years in the projection 

period, estimates for future administrative costs are based on the number of projected beneficiaries. 
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

76 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

2. Significant Assumptions - continued

Actuarial future benefit payments to disabled coal miners and dependent survivors

The beneficiary population data is updated from information supplied by the program. The closed group 

population consists of those who are already participants as of September 30 (the beginning of the projection 

period); the open group population consists of participants in the closed group, plus new participants who will 

join during the projection period. New participants include, among others, estimates for participants for 

whom the BLDTF has an adjudicated liability as of September 30 (due to, among other things, bankruptcy of 

the RMO), but had not yet been added to the rolls. 

In FYs 2014 through 2015, the beneficiary population was assumed to be a nearly closed universe in which 

attrition by death exceeded new entrants by a ratio of more than ten to one; projections for new participants 

were included in the overall projections and were considered immaterial. Therefore, in FYs 2014 through 

2015, the difference between the closed group population and the open group population due to new 

participants was immaterial and the SOSI presents the same values for the closed group and open group, 

including the closed group measure and open group measure. 

During FY 2016, the number of participants who joined the rolls increased due to, among other things, 

adjudicated liability as a result of RMO bankruptcy; projections for the number of new participants increased 

for similar reasons and the BLDTF management determined that the difference between the size of the closed 

group population and the open group population merited separate reporting for new participants. Effective for 

FY 2016 reporting and subsequent years, the SOSI presents values for the closed group, new participants, and 

open group. For FYs 2017 and 2018, projections for the number of new participants also increased.

In FYs 2014 through 2015, U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) life tables were used to project the life 

expectancies of the beneficiary population, whereas in FYs 2016 through 2018, a blend of SSA tables and 

historical program data was used. OMB supplies assumptions for future monthly benefit rate increases based 

on increases in the Federal pay scale and future medical cost inflation based on increases in the CPIM, which 

are used to calculate future benefit costs.

In FY 2018, refinements to the model for actuarial future benefit payments included creating a separate 

beneficiary group for dependent children, increasing the assumed age difference between miner and spouse 

from three years to eight years, and determining separately the average age assumptions for new entrants. 

During the current projection period, the future benefit rate (annualized for the fiscal year) increases 1.8% in 

2019 and 2.1% per year for 2020 and each year thereafter and medical cost increases 4.3% in 2019, 3.6% in

2020, between 6.9% and 7.9% in years 2021 through 2024, and 6.2% in 2025 and each year thereafter. 
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 77

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

2. Significant Assumptions - continued

Other significant assumptions

Estimated future excise tax income and estimated future administrative costs were allocated to the closed 

group and new participant populations based on the ratio of each population’s future benefit payments to the 

sum of future benefit payments for both populations.

For the SOSI with valuation dates as of September 30, 2014, 2015, and 2016, the projection period had a fixed 

terminus of September 30, 2040, the date when the BLDTF’s last debt instrument matured. A projection 

period ending at September 30, 2040 illustrated the future long-term condition and sustainability of the fund 

because it presented the value for open group measure plus fund assets (Funds with U.S. Treasury and 

receivables from benefit overpayments) available to service the BLDTF debt and interest until the last debt 

instrument matured.

In FY 2017, DOL revised the projection period from a fixed terminus of September 30, 2040 to a rolling 25-

year projection period that begins on the September 30 valuation date each year; using a 25-year projection 

period enhanced comparability of social insurance information and continues to illustrate the fund’s long-term 

condition and sustainability. The revised projection period became effective for the September 30, 2017 

valuation date and continued for FY 2018.

In FYs 2014 through 2018, DOL’s approach for selecting the interest rate assumptions used to discount 

projected annual cash flows enhanced matching between the timing of cash flows and interest rates and 

increased comparability; the approach had been refined in FY 2014. The approach discounts projected annual 

cash flows to present value based on Treasury rates that reflect the average duration of cash flows. The table 

below presents the average duration in years and discount rates that were used in FYs 2014 through 2018.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

78 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

2. Significant Assumptions - continued

Other significant assumptions - continued

Projected Annual

Cash Flows

Used for the Closed Group,

New Participant, and Open Group Populations

FY 2018 Average Duration Discount Rate

Coal excise tax income 11.5 years 3.00%

Administrative costs 11.2 years 2.88%

Income benefit payments 10.6 years 2.88%

Medical benefit payments 12.3 years 3.00%

FY 2017 Average Duration Discount Rate

Coal excise tax income 11.4 years 2.25%

Administrative costs 11.2 years 2.25%

Income benefit payments 9.8 years 2.13%

Medical benefit payments 11.4 years 2.25%

FY 2016 Average Duration Discount Rate

Coal excise tax income 10.6 years 1.63%

Administrative costs 11.0 years 1.63%

Income benefit payments 9.8 years 1.63%

Medical benefit payments 10.8 years 1.63%

FY 2015 Average Duration Discount Rate

Coal excise tax income 10.6 years 2.25%

Administrative costs 11.2 years 2.25%

Income benefit payments 10.3 years 2.25%

Medical benefit payments 11.2 years 2.25%

FY 2014 Average Duration Discount Rate

Coal excise tax income 12.2 years 2.63%

Administrative costs 11.2 years 2.63%

Income benefit payments 10.4 years 2.50%

Medical benefit payments 11.3 years 2.63%

3. Disclosures for the social insurance financial statements

As presented in the SOSI, the accumulated deficit of all past disbursements over past cash receipts, including 

interest on investments, is $(5.64) billion, the amount of the trust fund net position deficit at the start of the 

projection period, September 30, 2018.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 79

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

3. Disclosures for the social insurance financial statements - continued

As presented in the SOSI, the closed group measure is calculated by subtracting the closed group outflows for 

the: 

(a) present value of estimated future administrative costs and 

(b) actuarial present value of future benefit payments to disabled coal miners and dependent survivors who are 

current participants (closed group)

from the closed group inflows for the: 

(c) present value of estimated future excise tax income during the projection period. 

As presented in the SCSIA, as a result of changes in the assumptions above: 

o In FY 2018, the open group measure decreased by $(1.0) billion primarily due to projected lower coal 

excise tax revenues; and 

o In FY 2017, the open group measure decreased by $(859.0) million primarily due to projected lower 

coal excise tax revenues and projected higher costs of beneficiaries as a result of, among other things, 

projected higher costs for new participants

The SOSI as of September 30, 2015 and 2014 were reclassified to conform to the presentation of the SOSI as 

of September 30, 2018, 2017 and 2016. There were no changes in the values reported for the

o closed group, including the closed group measure,

o open group, including the open group measure,

o trust fund net position deficit,

o funds with U.S. Treasury and receivables from benefits overpayments,

o total of closed group measure plus fund assets, or

o total of open group measure plus fund assets

as of September 30, 2015 and 2014.

The projection period illustrates the future long-term condition and sustainability of the fund because it 

presents the value for open group measure plus fund assets (Funds with U.S. Treasury plus receivables from 

benefit overpayments) available to service the fund’s debt and interest. As of September 30, 2018, the open 

group measure plus fund assets is $(669.0) million whereas the BLDTF debt and interest maturing on 

September 30, 2019 is $2.13 billion and the carrying value of all BDLTF debt as of September 30, 2018 is 

$6.0 billion. 
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

80 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 1 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES - Continued

W. Significant Assumptions Used in the Statements of Social Insurance (FY 2016 Information is 

Unaudited) and Statements of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts (FY 2017 Information is 

Unaudited) - Continued

3. Disclosures for the social insurance financial statements - continued

Subsequent Events. As of November 15, 2018, the 

• USCA has not issued another abeyance order and

• February 2016 SCOTUS stay of CPP regulation remained in effect.

For FY 2018 reporting, DOL’s assumptions did not include regulation pursuant to the CPP. As of November 

15, 2018, these assumptions remained consistent with Executive Branch policy on regulation pursuant to the 

CPP.

X. Tax Exempt Status

As an agency of the Federal government, the Department is exempt from all taxes imposed by any governing body 

whether it is a Federal, state, commonwealth, local, or foreign government. 

Y. Application of Critical Accounting Estimates

The financial statements are based on the selection of accounting policies and the application of significant 

accounting estimates, some of which require management to make significant assumptions. 

Estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the reported amounts of revenues 

and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Estimates and assumptions also affect the amounts reported on the SOSI and the SCSIA. Further, the estimates are 

based on current conditions that may change in the future. Actual results could differ materially from the estimated 

amounts. The financial statements include information to assist in understanding the effect of changes in assumptions 

to the related information.

Z. Reclassifications

The FY 2017 financial statements and notes were reclassified to conform to the FY 2018 financial statement 

presentation requirements of OMB Circular No. A‐136 and include, among other things, changes in the presentations 

of the Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources and disclosures for the Consolidating Statements of Net Cost by 

Program Agency. The reclassifications had no effect on combined total budgetary resources and consolidating net 

cost of operations by program agency as previously reported. 

The FY 2017 Combining Statements of Budgetary Resources in the required supplementary information were 

reclassified to conform to the FY 2018 presentation requirements for the Combined Statements of Budgetary 

Resources. The reclassifications had no effect on the combining total budgetary resources as previously reported.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 81

NOTE 2 - FUNDS WITH U.S. TREASURY

Funds with U.S. Treasury as of September 30, 2018, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) Revolving Funds Trust Funds Special Funds General Funds Other Total

Unobligated Balance Available $ 21,793 $ 145 $ 279,104 $ 3,396,396 $ - $ 3,697,438

Unobligated Balance Unavailable 7,181 - 75,347 573,959 - 656,487

Obligated Balance Not Yet Disbursed 167,204 11,086 424,620 7,408,047 - 8,010,957

Non-Budgetary Fund Balance with Treasury - 822,042 76 - 4,532 826,650

Total Entity Assets 196,178 833,273 779,147 11,378,402 4,532 13,191,532

Non-entity Assets - (50) - - 698 648

Fund Balance with Treasury $ 196,178 $ 833,223 $ 779,147 $ 11,378,402 $ 5,230 $13,192,180

Funds with U.S. Treasury as of September 30, 2017, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) Revolving Funds Trust Funds Special Funds General Funds Other Total

Unobligated Balance Available $ 219 $ 146 $ 104,146 $ 3,035,948 $ - $ 3,140,459

Unobligated Balance Unavailable 7,116 - 63,948 686,469 - 757,533

Obligated Balance Not Yet Disbursed 204,620 11,432 613,657 6,881,611 - 7,711,320

Non-Budgetary Fund Balance with Treasury - 507,359 127 66 4,293 511,845

Total Entity Assets 211,955 518,937 781,878 10,604,094 4,293 12,121,157

Non-entity Assets - (172) - - 712 540

Fund Balance with Treasury $ 211,955 $ 518,765 $ 781,878 $ 10,604,094 $ 5,005 $12,121,697

Obligated and unobligated balances differ from the amounts reported on the Combined Statements of Budgetary 

Resources because budgetary balances are supported by amounts other than Fund Balance with Treasury, such as 

investments. Non-Budgetary Fund Balance with Treasury consists of amounts included in Fund Balance with 

Treasury but excluded from the Department’s budgetary resources, such as sequestered budget authority.

The negative fund balance reported as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, relates to the UTF and is the result of the 

timing of processing the investments and redemptions of UTF. The investments and redemptions relating to the last 

business day of the month are not processed until the first day of the next month. This results in a negative cash 

position for the preceding business day when the disbursements are greater than the receipts to the fund.

Annual and multi-year budget authority expires at the end of its period of availability. During the first through the 

fifth expired years, the unobligated balance is unavailable and may be used to adjust obligations and disbursements 

that were recorded before the budgetary authority expired or to meet a legitimate or bona fide need arising in the 

fiscal year for which the appropriation was made. The unobligated balance for no-year budget authority may be used 

to incur obligations indefinitely for the purpose specified by the appropriation act. No-year budget authority 

unobligated balances, except those specifically exempt, are subject to the annual apportionment and allotment 

process.

Unobligated Balance Available as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, includes $490.0 million and $464.5 million, 

respectively, of funds apportioned for use in the subsequent period.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

82 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 3 - INVESTMENTS

Investments as of September 30, 2018, consisted of the following:

Face Premium Interest Net Market

(Dollars in thousands) Value (Discount) Receivable Value Value

Unemployment Trust Fund

Non-marketable

Special issue U.S. Treasury Bonds

 2.375% maturing June 30, 2020 $ 41,362,985 $ - $ 245,593 $ 41,608,578 $ 41,362,985

 2.250% maturing June 30, 2019 23,022,085 - 129,499 23,151,584 23,022,085

Special Issue Certificate of Indebtedness

 2.375% maturing June 30, 2019 8,190,630 - 31,158 8,221,788 8,190,630

$ 72,575,700 $ - $ 406,250 $ 72,981,950 $ 72,575,700

Panama Canal Commission

 Compensation Fund

Marketable

U.S. Treasury Notes

 3.750% maturing November 15, 2018 28,672 76 403 29,151 28,672

$ 72,604,372 $ 76 $ 406,653 $ 73,011,101 $ 72,604,372

Entity investments $ 72,517,579 $ 76 $ 406,167 $ 72,923,822 $ 72,517,579

Non-entity investments 86,793 - 486 87,279 86,793

$ 72,604,372 $ 76 $ 406,653 $ 73,011,101 $ 72,604,372
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 83

NOTE 3 - INVESTMENTS - Continued

Investments as of September 30, 2017, consisted of the following:

Face Premium Interest Net Market

(Dollars in thousands) Value (Discount) Receivable Value Value

Unemployment Trust Fund

Non-marketable

Special issue U.S. Treasury Bonds

 2.250% maturing June 30, 2019 $ 31,494,485 $ - $ 177,156 $ 31,671,641 $ 31,494,485

 2.250% maturing June 30, 2018 20,222,053 - 113,749 20,335,802 20,222,053

Special issue Certificate of Indebtedness

 2.250% maturing June 30, 2018 8,994,316 - 31,832 9,026,148 8,994,316

$ 60,710,854 $ - $ 322,737 $ 61,033,591 $ 60,710,854

Panama Canal Commission

 Compensation Fund

Marketable

U.S. Treasury Notes

 4.250% maturing November 15, 2017 33,064 127 527 33,718 33,064

$ 60,743,918 $ 127 $ 323,264 $ 61,067,309 $ 60,743,918

Entity investments $ 60,667,972 $ 127 $ 322,860 $ 60,990,959 $ 60,667,972

Non-entity investments 75,946 - 404 76,350 75,946

$ 60,743,918 $ 127 $ 323,264 $ 61,067,309 $ 60,743,918
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

84 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 4 - ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET OF ALLOWANCE

Accounts receivable, net as of September 30, 2018, consisted of the following:

Gross Net

(Dollars in thousands) Receivables Allowance Receivables

Entity intra-governmental assets

Due for UCFE and UCX benefits $ 148,457 $ - $ 148,457

Due for workers' compensation benefits 5,001,574 - 5,001,574

Other 94 - 94

 5,150,125 - 5,150,125

Entity assets

State unemployment taxes 998,415 (702,373) 296,042

Due from reimbursable employers 508,562 (41,211) 467,351

Benefit overpayments 2,094,813 (1,700,711) 394,102

Other 5,783 (1,681) 4,102

 3,607,573 (2,445,976) 1,161,597

Non-entity assets

Fines and penalties 210,191 (42,730) 167,461

Total accounts receivable with public 3,817,764 (2,488,706) 1,329,058

$ 8,967,889 $ (2,488,706) $ 6,479,183

Accounts receivable, net as of September 30, 2017, consisted of the following:

Gross Net

(Dollars in thousands) Receivables Allowance Receivables

Entity intra-governmental assets

Due for UCFE and UCX benefits $ 174,436 $ - $ 174,436

Due for workers' compensation benefits 5,215,870 - 5,215,870

Other 5,932 - 5,932

 5,396,238 - 5,396,238

Entity assets

State unemployment taxes 979,021 (688,746) 290,275

Due from reimbursable employers 508,816 (62,582) 446,234

Benefit overpayments 2,454,345 (2,024,907) 429,438

Other 11,005 (1,681) 9,324

 3,953,187 (2,777,916) 1,175,271

Non-entity assets

Fines and penalties 215,937 (38,991) 176,946

Total accounts receivable with public 4,169,124 (2,816,907) 1,352,217

$ 9,565,362 $ (2,816,907) $ 6,748,455

As of September 30, 2018, accounts receivable includes $3.0 million related to criminal restitution orders monitored 

by the Department, of which $2.0 million is the estimate of net realizable value determined to be collectible.

As of September 30, 2018 and 2017 intra-governmental balances due for workers’ compensation benefits includes 

$1.38 billion and $1.51 billion in receivables, respectively, from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Subsequently, USPS 

paid all outstanding balances that were billed; the 2018 balance billed in August 2018 was fully paid in October 

2018. In general, OWCP considers all intragovernmental receivables to be fully collectible. Specific statutory 

provisions require agencies to reimburse the FECA Special Benefit Fund. 
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 85

NOTE 5 - GENERAL PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET

General property, plant and equipment, net as of September 30, 2018, consisted of the following:

Accumulated

Depreciation/ Net Book

(Dollars in thousands) Cost Amortization Value

Structures, facilities and improvements

Structures and facilities $ 1,606,502 $ (806,130) $ 800,372

Improvements to leased facilities 396,239 (323,747) 72,492

 2,002,741 (1,129,877) 872,864

Furniture and equipment

Equipment held by contractors 94,862 (94,862) -

Furniture and equipment 64,747 (46,317) 18,430

 159,609 (141,179) 18,430

Internal use software and software in development 292,776 (182,835) 109,941

Construction-in-progress 74,821 - 74,821

Land 99,516 - 99,516

$ 2,629,463 $ (1,453,891) $ 1,175,572

2018

General property, plant and equipment, net as of September 30, 2017, consisted of the following:

Accumulated

Depreciation/ Net Book

(Dollars in thousands) Cost Amortization Value

Structures, facilities and improvements

Structures and facilities $ 1,596,640 $ (767,283) $ 829,357

Improvements to leased facilities 397,862 (317,119) 80,743

 1,994,502 (1,084,402) 910,100

Furniture and equipment

Equipment held by contractors 95,128 (95,128) -

Furniture and equipment 70,250 (45,469) 24,781

 165,378 (140,597) 24,781

Internal use software and software in development 272,150 (165,644) 106,506

Construction-in-progress 69,966 - 69,966

Land 99,515 - 99,515

$ 2,601,511 $ (1,390,643) $ 1,210,868

2017
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

86 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 6 - ADVANCES

Advances as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Intra-governmental

Advances $ 4,922 $ 6,389

Advances to states for UI benefit payments 1,206,115 1,119,362

Other 17,019 11,411

 1,223,134 1,130,773

$ 1,228,056 $ 1,137,162

NOTE 7 - NON-ENTITY ASSETS

Non-entity assets as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Intra-governmental

Funds with U.S. Treasury $ 648 $ 540

Investments 87,279 76,350

 87,927 76,890

Accounts receivable, net of allowance 167,461 176,946

Total non-entity assets 255,388 253,836

Total entity assets 94,830,704 82,031,655

$ 95,086,092 $ 82,285,491

NOTE 8 - DEBT

Debt during FY 2018 consisted of the following:

Balance at Balance at

September 30, Additional Repayment of Interest September 30,

(Dollars in thousands) 2017 Borrowing Debt Change 2018

Intra-governmental debt to Treasury

Unemployment Trust Fund

 Advances from U.S. Treasury $ 2,624,281 $ - $ (2,614,452) $ (7,147) $ 2,682

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund

 Borrowing from U.S. Treasury 5,743,977 1,900,000 (1,670,968) 17,523 5,990,532

$ 8,368,258 $ 1,900,000 $ (4,285,420) $ 10,376 $ 5,993,214

Debt during FY 2017 consisted of the following:

Balance at Balance at

September 30, Additional Repayment of Interest September 30,

(Dollars in thousands) 2016 Borrowing Debt Change 2017

Intra-governmental debt to Treasury

Unemployment Trust Fund

 Advances from U.S. Treasury $ 8,558,484 $ - $ (5,922,657) $ (11,546) $ 2,624,281

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund

 Borrowing from U.S. Treasury 5,706,431 1,285,000 (1,303,126) 55,672 5,743,977

$ 14,264,915 $ 1,285,000 $ (7,225,783) $ 44,126 $ 8,368,258
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 87

NOTE 8 - DEBT - Continued

For the year ended September 30, 2018, interest expense for the UTF was $40.7 million, of which $38.0 million was 

paid, along with an additional interest payment of $9.8 million for interest accrued through September 30, 2017. For 

the year ended September 30, 2017, interest expense for the UTF was $142.5 million, of which $132.6 million was 

paid, along with an additional interest payment of $21.4 million for interest accrued through September 30, 2016.

For the year ended September 30, 2018, interest expense for the BLDTF was $209.1 million, of which $17.5 million 

was capitalized interest and $191.6 million was paid. For the year ended September 30, 2017, interest expense for the 

BLDTF was $208.4 million, of which $55.6 million was capitalized interest and $152.8 million was paid.

NOTE 9 - OTHER LIABILITIES

Other liabilities as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Intra-governmental

Non-entity receivables due to U.S. Treasury $ 167,461 $ 176,946

Amounts held for the Railroad Retirement Board 87,229 76,177

Accrued payroll and other liabilities 22,917 23,530

Total intra-governmental 277,607 276,653

Grant accruals 659,015 581,198

Capital lease liability 33,929 35,708

Environmental and disposal liability 34,537 34,972

Accrued payroll and other liabilities 90,561 95,416

Total other liabilities with the public 818,042 747,294

$ 1,095,649 $ 1,023,947

The amounts above are current liabilities, except for the capital lease and environmental and disposal liabilities. 

NOTE 10 - ACCRUED BENEFITS

Accrued benefits as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

State regular and extended unemployment benefits payable $ 540,434 $ 689,184

Federal extended unemployment benefits payable 83,172 82,722

Federal emergency unemployment benefits payable 163,627 173,579

Federal employees' unemployment benefits payable 96,512 106,379

Federal additional unemployment benefits payable 24,879 24,756

Total unemployment benefits payable 908,624 1,076,620

Black lung disability benefits payable 16,980 18,094

Federal employees' disability and 10(h) benefits payable 206,122 182,347

Energy employees occupational illness compensation benefits payable 29,887 25,796

$ 1,161,613 $ 1,302,857
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

88 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 11 - FUTURE WORKERS' COMPENSATION BENEFITS

DOL’s liability for future workers’ compensation benefits as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, consisted of the 

following: 

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Projected gross liability of the Federal government

 for future FECA benefits $ 37,575,800 $ 37,730,695

Less liabilities attributed to other agencies:

U.S. Postal Service (16,548,700) (16,556,554)

Department of Homeland Security (2,963,318) (2,881,906)

Department of Veterans Affairs (2,399,242) (2,396,057)

Department of the Navy (2,108,691) (2,144,430)

Department of the Army (1,750,309) (1,774,529)

Department of Justice (1,835,943) (1,785,920)

Department of the Air Force (1,220,779) (1,230,531)

Department of Agriculture (891,519) (900,586)

Department of Transportation (874,091) (886,192)

Department of Defense, Other (778,241) (786,479)

Department of the Interior (759,629) (756,731)

Department of the Treasury (583,212) (593,169)

Tennessee Valley Authority (331,756) (356,583)

Social Security Administration (314,463) (319,429)

Department of Health and Human Services (275,574) (278,422)

Department of Commerce (187,092) (200,336)

General Services Administration (111,735) (113,261)

Department of Energy (95,132) (95,746)

Department of State (93,081) (94,687)

Department of Housing and Urban Development (62,585) (64,880)

Environmental Protection Agency (43,679) (45,244)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (38,289) (37,856)

Small Business Administration (34,854) (34,889)

Office of Personnel Management (24,939) (25,000)

Agency for International Development (23,405) (26,938)

Department of Education (13,015) (13,763)

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (5,259) (5,370)

National Science Foundation (1,265) (1,249)

Other (668,132) (701,662)

 (35,037,929) (35,108,399)

$ 2,537,871 $ 2,622,296

Projected liability of the Department of Labor for future FECA benefits

FECA benefits not chargeable to other Federal agencies payable by

 DOL's Federal Employees' Compensation Act Special Benefit Fund $ 2,287,949 $ 2,369,528

FECA benefits due to eligible workers of DOL and Job Corps enrollees 219,825 220,323

FECA benefits due to eligible workers of the Panama Canal Commission 30,097 32,445

$ 2,537,871 $ 2,622,296
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 89

NOTE 12 - LIABILITIES NOT COVERED BY BUDGETARY RESOURCES

Liabilities not covered by budgetary resources as of September 30, 2018 and 2017, consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Intra-governmental

Debt $ 5,993,214 $ 8,368,258

Future workers' compensation benefits 1,010,185 1,060,654

Accrued annual leave 118,395 119,899

Other liabilities 60,149 64,051

 1,188,729 1,244,604

Total liabilities not covered by budgetary resources 7,181,943 9,612,862

Total liabilities not requiring budgetary resources 173,132 182,800

Total liabilities covered by budgetary resources 27,829,989 23,639,083

$ 35,185,064 $ 33,434,745

NOTE 13 - CONTINGENCIES

The Department is involved in various lawsuits incidental to its operations. In the opinion of management, the 

ultimate resolution of pending litigation will not have a material effect on the Department’s financial position.

NOTE 14 - PENSION EXPENSE 

Pension expense in FY 2018 consisted of the following:

Total

Employer Costs Imputed Pension

(Dollars in thousands) Contributions by OPM Expense

Civil Service Retirement System $ 5,125 $ 14,333 $ 19,458

Federal Employees' Retirement System 185,320 6,434 191,754

Thrift Savings Plan 60,788 - 60,788

$ 251,233 $ 20,767 $ 272,000

Pension expense in FY 2017 consisted of the following:

Total

Employer Costs Imputed Pension

(Dollars in thousands) Contributions by OPM Expense

Civil Service Retirement System $ 5,967 $ 17,002 $ 22,969

Federal Employees' Retirement System 187,274 5,611 192,885

Thrift Savings Plan 60,899 - 60,899

$ 254,140 $ 22,613 $ 276,753
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

90 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 15 - NET COST OF OPERATIONS

Note 15 A and B present detailed cost and revenue information by program and program agency (responsibility 

segment) in support of the summary information presented in the Consolidated Statements of Net Cost for the year 

ended September 30, 2018 and 2017, respectively. Note 15 C presents a further breakdown of this cost and revenue 

information for DOL’s two largest program agencies, ETA and the OWCP. (See Note 1-A.1 and 1-S)
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 91

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Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

92 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 15 - NET COST OF OPERATIONS - Continued

A. Consolidating Statements of Net Cost by Program Agency

Net cost of operations by program agency for the year ended September 30, 2018, consisted of the following:

Employment Office of Workers' Office Occupational

and Training Compensation of Safety and Health

(Dollars in thousands) Administration Programs Job Corps Administration

CROSSCUTTING PROGRAMS

 Income maintenance

 Gross cost $ 31,993,122 $ 9,487,342 $ - $ -

 Less earned revenue (448,012) (2,868,995) - -

Net program cost 31,545,110 6,618,347 - -

 Employment and training

 Gross cost 4,301,249 - 1,574,868 -

 Less earned revenue (1,050) - - -

Net program cost 4,300,199 - 1,574,868 -

 Labor, employment and pension

 standards

 Gross cost - - - -

 Less earned revenue - - - -

Net program cost - - - -

 Worker safety and health

 Gross cost - - - 584,317

 Less earned revenue - - - (1,685)

Net program cost - - - 582,632

OTHER PROGRAMS

 Statistics

 Gross cost - - - -

 Less earned revenue - - - -

Net program cost - - - -

COSTS NOT ASSIGNED TO PROGRAMS

 Gross cost - - - -

 Less earned revenue not attributed to programs - - - -

Net cost not assigned to programs - - - -

Net cost of operations $ 35,845,309 $ 6,618,347 $ 1,574,868 $ 582,632
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 93

Bureau of Mine Safety Employee Benefits Veterans' Wage and Other

Labor and Health Security Employment Hour Program 

Statistics Administration Administration and Training Division Agencies Total

$ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ (2,946) $ 41,477,518

 - - - - - 4,028 (3,312,979)

 - - - - - 1,082 38,164,539

 - - - 278,621 - 1,939 6,156,677

 - - - - - - (1,050)

 - - - 278,621 - 1,939 6,155,627

 - 301 204,114 11,519 315,649 312,420 844,003

 - - (5,826) - (2,787) - (8,613)

 - 301 198,288 11,519 312,862 312,420 835,390

 - 413,363 - - - 586 998,266

 - (1,427) - - - - (3,112)

 - 411,936 - - - 586 995,154

 661,918 - - - - 141 662,059

 (28,803) - - - - - (28,803)

 633,115 - - - - 141 633,256

 - - - - - 23,717 23,717

 - - - - - (4,986) (4,986)

 - - - - - 18,731 18,731

$ 633,115 $ 412,237 $ 198,288 $ 290,140 $ 312,862 $ 334,899 $ 46,802,697
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

94 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 15 - NET COST OF OPERATIONS - Continued

B. Consolidating Statements of Net Cost by Program Agency 

Net cost of operations by program agency for the year ended September 30, 2017, consisted of the following:

Employment Office of Workers' Office Occupational

and Training Compensation of Safety and Health

(Dollars in thousands) Administration Programs Job Corps Administration

CROSSCUTTING PROGRAMS

 Income maintenance

 Gross cost $ 34,242,496 $ 10,061,288 $ - $ -

 Less earned revenue (474,443) (2,787,337) - -

Net program cost 33,768,053 7,273,951 - -

 Employment and training

 Gross cost 4,337,428 - 1,594,722 -

 Less earned revenue (1,662) - - -

Net program cost 4,335,766 - 1,594,722 -

 Labor, employment and pension

 standards

 Gross cost - - - -

 Less earned revenue - - - -

Net program cost - - - -

 Worker safety and health

 Gross cost - - - 614,895

 Less earned revenue - - - (1,979)

Net program cost - - - 612,916

OTHER PROGRAMS

 Statistics

 Gross cost - - - -

 Less earned revenue - - - -

Net program cost - - - -

COSTS NOT ASSIGNED TO PROGRAMS

 Gross cost - - - -

 Less earned revenue not attributed to programs - - - -

Net cost not assigned to programs - - - -

Net cost of operations $ 38,103,819 $ 7,273,951 $ 1,594,722 $ 612,916
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 95

Bureau of Mine Safety Employee Benefits Veterans' Wage and Other

Labor and Health Security Employment Hour Program 

Statistics Administration Administration and Training Division Agencies Total

$ - $ - $ 640 $ - $ - $ 1,232 $ 44,305,656

 - - - - - - (3,261,780)

 - - 640 - - 1,232 41,043,876

 - - - 189,410 3,871 1,554 6,126,985

 - - - (1,658) - - (3,320)

 - - - 187,752 3,871 1,554 6,123,665

 - 300 228,730 7,835 330,999 316,117 883,981

 - - (7,468) (69) (4,006) (4) (11,547)

 - 300 221,262 7,766 326,993 316,113 872,434

 - 422,861 - - - 1,272 1,039,028

 - (1,352) - - - - (3,331)

 - 421,509 - - - 1,272 1,035,697

 658,301 - - - - 1,361 659,662

 (29,127) - - - - - (29,127)

 629,174 - - - - 1,361 630,535

 - - - - - 48,285 48,285

 - - - - - (33,069) (33,069)

 - - - - - 15,216 15,216

$ 629,174 $ 421,809 $ 221,902 $ 195,518 $ 330,864 $ 336,748 $ 49,721,423
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

96 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 15 - NET COST OF OPERATIONS – Continued

C. Statements of Net Cost - Employment and Training Administration and Office of Workers’ Compensation 

Programs

Net cost of operations for the year ended September 30, 2018, consisted of the following:

Employment Office of Workers'

and Training Compensation

(Dollars in thousands) Administration Programs

CROSSCUTTING PROGRAMS

 Income maintenance

Benefits $ 27,429,930 $ 8,862,951

Grants 3,771,455 -

Interest 44,698 209,049

Administrative and other 747,039 415,342

 Gross cost 31,993,122 9,487,342

Less earned revenue (448,012) (2,868,995)

Net program cost 31,545,110 6,618,347

 Employment and training

Grants 3,919,562 -

Administrative and other 381,687 -

 Gross cost 4,301,249 -

Less earned revenue (1,050) -

Net program cost 4,300,199 -

Net cost of operations $ 35,845,309 $ 6,618,347

Net cost of operations for the year ended September 30, 2017, consisted of the following:

Employment Office of Workers'

and Training Compensation

(Dollars in thousands) Administration Programs

CROSSCUTTING PROGRAMS

 Income maintenance

Benefits $ 29,361,055 $ 9,438,758

Grants 3,789,097 -

Interest 145,733 208,431

Administrative and other 946,611 414,099

 Gross cost 34,242,496 10,061,288

Less earned revenue (474,443) (2,787,337)

Net program cost 33,768,053 7,273,951

 Employment and training

Grants 4,042,072 -

Administrative and other 295,356 -

 Gross cost 4,337,428 -

Less earned revenue (1,662) -

Net program cost 4,335,766 -

Net cost of operations $ 38,103,819 $ 7,273,951
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 97

NOTE 16 - NON-EXCHANGE REVENUE

Non-exchange revenues reported on the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position in FY 2018 and in FY 

2017 consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Employer taxes

Unemployment Trust Fund

State unemployment taxes $ 34,546,864 $ 35,931,506

Federal unemployment taxes 8,681,807 8,124,155

 43,228,671 44,055,661

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund excise taxes 384,375 428,712

 43,613,046 44,484,373

Interest

Unemployment Trust Fund 1,507,788 1,305,370

Other 1,850 1,651

 1,509,638 1,307,021

Reimbursement of unemployment benefits and other 1,701,900 1,608,954

$ 46,824,584 $ 47,400,348

NOTE 17 - TRANSFERS WITHOUT REIMBURSEMENT

Transfers from other Federal agencies in FY 2018 and in FY 2017 consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Budgetary financing sources

From H-1B Nonimmigrant Petitioner Account, Department of Homeland Security and other $ 264,447 $ 193,871

Other financing sources

From General Services Administration 706 1,595

$ 265,153 $ 195,466

The balances of $264.4 million and $193.9 million in budgetary financing sources for FY 2018 and FY 2017 reflect 

the elimination of intra-DOL transfers of $(3.5) billion and $(3.6) billion, respectively.
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

98 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 18 - STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

A. Apportionment Categories of New Obligations and Upward Adjustments

New obligations and upward adjustments reported on the Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources in FY 2018 

and FY 2017 consisted of the following:

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Direct obligations

Category A $ 4,217,198 $ 4,437,596

Category B 9,035,058 9,324,971

Exempt from apportionment 33,551,697 35,671,429

Total direct obligations 46,803,953 49,433,996

Reimbursable obligations

Category A 259,179 257,139

Category B 3,227,775 3,041,027

Total reimbursable obligations 3,486,954 3,298,166

$ 50,290,907 $ 52,732,162

Apportionment Category A represents resources apportioned for calendar quarters. Apportionment Category B 

represents resources apportioned for other time periods for activities, projects or objectives, or for any combination 

thereof. 

B. Permanent Indefinite Appropriations

DOL’s permanent indefinite appropriations include trust funds, the FAUC Fund, the Panama Canal Commission 

Compensation Fund, the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund, ETA and WHD H-1B funds, 

ETA’s Advances and Payments to the UTF, Special Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners, Short-Time Compensation, 

and portions of State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations and Federal Unemployment 

Benefits and Allowances. These funds are described in Note 1-A.3. As of September 30, 2018 and 2017, the 

Department returned unobligated, indefinite authority to Treasury in the amount of $128.3 million and $51 million, 

respectively. 

C. Legal Arrangements Affecting Use of Unobligated Balances

UTF receipts are reported as budget authority in the Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources. The portion of 

UTF receipts collected in the current year in excess of amounts needed to pay benefits and other valid obligations is 

classified as temporarily not available pursuant to public law at September 30. Therefore, these excess receipts are 

reported as a reduction to Appropriations and Unobligated Balances – Exempt from Apportionment in the Combined 

Statements of Budgetary Resources. Conversely, when obligations exceed receipts in the current year, amounts are 

drawn from the temporarily unavailable collections to increase current year Appropriations and Unobligated 

Balances – Exempt from Apportionment on the Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources to cover these 

obligations. All excess receipts are reported as assets of the UTF and are included in the Consolidated Balance 

Sheets.

The cumulative amount of excess UTF receipts are denoted as unavailable collections in the Budget of the United 

States Government. The cumulative amount of these excess receipts is of September 30, 2018 and 2017, reclassified 

from unobligated balances to UTF unavailable collections is presented on the following page.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 99

NOTE 18 - STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES - Continued

C. Legal Arrangements Affecting Use of Unobligated Balances - Continued

(Dollars in millions) 2018 2017

Unemployment Trust Fund unavailable collections, beginning $ 58,011 $ 50,424

Budget authority from current year appropriations 44,146 41,529

Less: obligations (31,780) (33,942)

Excess of budget authority over obligations 12,366 7,587

Unemployment Trust Fund unavailable collections, ending $ 70,377 $ 58,011

D. Explanation of Differences between the Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources and the 

Budget of the United States Government for FY 2017

The Budget of the United States Government with actual amounts for the year ended September 30, 2018, has not 

been published as of the issue date of these financial statements. This document will be available in February 2019 at 

OMB’s website.

A reconciliation of budgetary resources, new obligations and upward adjustments, distributed offsetting receipts, and 

net outlays, as presented in the Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources (SBR) for FY 2017, to amounts 

included in the Budget of the United States Government for the year ended September 30, 2017, is shown below. 

(Dollars in millions)

 Budgetary 

Resources 

 New Obligations 

and Upward 

Adjustments 

Distributed 

Offsetting 

Receipts Net Outlays

Combined Statement of Budgetary Resources $ 56,663 $ 52,732 $ 559 $ 45,332

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation reported separately 34,278 6,361 - (4,766)

Fiduciary activity 176 114 - 114

Expired accounts (688) (31) - -

Other (7) 9 - 3

Budget of the United States Government $ 90,422 $ 59,185 $ 559 $ 40,683

E. Undelivered Orders

Undelivered orders as of September 30, 2018:

(Dollars in thousands)

 2018

Intra-governmental

Undelivered orders (paid) $ 192,493

Undelivered orders (unpaid) 141,590

Total Intra-governmental 334,083

With the Public

Undelivered orders (paid) 1,223,308

Undelivered orders (unpaid) 8,359,729

Total with public 9,583,037

Total undelivered orders $ 9,917,120
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

100 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 18 - STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES – Continued

E. Undelivered Orders - Continued

Undelivered orders as of September 30, 2017:

(Dollars in thousands) 2017

Total undelivered orders $ 10,018,833

F. Appropriations Received

Appropriations from the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position and the Combined Statements of 

Budgetary Resources are reconciled below.

(Dollars in millions) 2018 2017

Appropriations Received, Consolidated Statements of Changes in Net Position $ 11,307 $ 10,869

Receipts recognized as revenue in current and prior years

Unemployment Trust Fund 34,395 39,951

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund 371 401

Other funds from dedicated collections 265 194

Repayment of debt from appropriated receipts

Unemployment Trust Fund (2,614) (5,923)

Black Lung Disability Trust Fund - (18)

Return of permanent indefinite authority (125) (41)

Reduction for sequestration, across the board reductions, and other (78) (147)

 32,214 34,417

Appropriations, Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources $ 43,521 $ 45,286

G. Borrowing Authority

As of September 30, 2018 and 2017, P.L. 115-31 and P.L. 114-113, respectively, granted borrowing authority for 

repayable advances and other debt in the amount of “such sums as may be necessary” to (1) the UTF for advances as 

authorized by sections 905(d) and 1203 of the Social Security Act and (2) the BLDTF for advances as authorized by 

section 9501(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code. Although section 9501 of the Internal Revenue Code and P.L. 113-

76 use the terminology “advance," the Treasury has interpreted this to mean any debt owed by the BLDTF to the 

Bureau of the Fiscal Service.

There was no borrowing authority exercised for the UTF for FY 2018 and FY 2017. 

Borrowing authority for the BLDTF was $1,900 million and $1,285 million for FY 2018 and FY 2017, respectively. 

In 2018, most of the borrowing authority was used to repay debt of $1,671 million. In 2017, the entire borrowing 

authority plus current year receipts were applied to repay debt of $1,303.1 million.
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 101

NOTE 19 - RECONCILIATION OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES OBLIGATED TO NET COST 

OF OPERATIONS 

(Dollars in thousands) 2018 2017

Resources used to finance activities

Budgetary resources obligated

New obligations and upward adjustments (Total) $ 50,290,907 $ 52,732,162

Recoveries of prior year unpaid obligations (404,029) (416,033)

Recoveries of prior year paid obligations (7,086) (15,220)

Less: spending authority from offsetting collections (7,217,028) (7,378,389)

Obligations, net of offsetting collections and recoveries 42,662,764 44,922,520

Other resources

Imputed financing from costs absorbed by others 108,413 92,940

Transfers without reimbursement 706 1,595

Exchange revenue not in budget (323,284) (163,170)

Total resources used to finance activities 42,448,599 44,853,885

Resources used to finance items not part of the net cost of operations

Change in budgetary resources obligated for goods, services and

 benefits ordered but not yet received or provided 94,361 (256,293)

Resources that finance the acquisition of assets (41,793) (31,060)

Transfers that do not affect the net cost of operations (1,579) (2,776)

Total resources used to finance items not part of the net cost of operations 50,989 (290,129)

Total resources used to finance the net cost of operations 42,499,588 44,563,756

Components of the net cost of operations that will not require or generate

 resources in the current period

Components requiring or generating resources in other periods

Increase (decrease) in annual leave liability (1,303) (1,086)

Increase (decrease) in actuarial benefit liabilities 4,194,598 5,013,310

Increase in capitalized interest 10,375 44,126

Other (16,392) (25,707)

Total 4,187,278 5,030,643

Components not requiring or generating resources

Depreciation and amortization 76,525 83,172

Revaluation of assets and liabilities 478,027 673,548

Benefit overpayments (438,721) (629,696)

Total 115,831 127,024

Total components of the net cost of operations that will not

 require or generate resources in the current period 4,303,109 5,157,667

Net cost of operations $ 46,802,697 $ 49,721,423
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

102 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 20 - CUSTODIAL REVENUE

Custodial revenues in FY 2018 consisted of the following:

Net Cash Increase

Collections (Decrease) in

and Transfers to Amounts to

U.S. Treasury be Collected Total

(Dollars in thousands) General Fund and Transferred Revenues

Civil monetary penalties

Occupational Safety and Health Administration $ 122,453 $ 6,529 $ 128,982

Mine Safety and Health Administration 44,971 (16,025) 28,946

Employee Benefits Security Administration 18,823 (464) 18,359

Wage and Hour Division 34,733 (331) 34,402

 220,980 (10,291) 210,689

Other custodial activity

Employment and Training Administration

 and other agencies 3,793 286 4,079

$ 224,773 $ (10,005) $ 214,768

Custodial revenues in FY 2017 consisted of the following:

Net Cash Increase

Collections (Decrease) in

and Transfers to Amounts to

U.S. Treasury be Collected Total

(Dollars in thousands) General Fund and Transferred Revenues

Civil monetary penalties

Occupational Safety and Health Administration $ 119,108 $ 23,059 $ 142,167

Mine Safety and Health Administration 46,406 1,619 48,025

Employee Benefits Security Administration 20,284 672 20,956

Wage and Hour Division 19,010 (81) 18,929

 204,808 25,269 230,077

Other custodial activity

Employment and Training Administration

 and other agencies 3,580 138 3,718

$ 208,388 $ 25,407 $ 233,795
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 103

NOTE 21 - FUNDS FROM DEDICATED COLLECTIONS

DOL is responsible for the operation of certain funds from dedicated collections. Other funds from dedicated 

collections include Gifts and Bequests, Panama Canal Commission Compensation Fund, and H-1B Funds. The 

financial position of the funds from dedicated collections as of September 30, 2018, is shown below.

Black Lung

(Dollars in thousands) Unemployment Disability Other Total

Assets

Intra-governmental

Funds with U.S. Treasury $ 497,683 $ 335,394 $ 779,292 $ 1,612,369

Investments 72,981,950 - 29,151 73,011,101

Accounts receivable

Due from other Federal agencies

 for UCFE and UCX benefits 148,457 - - 148,457

Other - - 14,083 14,083

Total intra-governmental 73,628,090 335,394 822,526 74,786,010

Accounts receivable, net of allowance

State unemployment tax 296,042 - - 296,042

Due from reimbursable employers 467,351 - - 467,351

Benefit overpayments 332,874 24,316 - 357,190

Other 1,721 - 3 1,724

Advances 1,189,372 - 237 1,189,609

Other - - 182 182

Total assets $ 75,915,450 $ 359,710 $ 822,948 $ 77,098,108

Liabilities

Intra departmental and intra-governmental

Accounts payable to DOL agencies $ 1,224,268 $ - $ 1 $ 1,224,269

Debt 2,682 5,990,532 - 5,993,214

Amounts held for the Railroad

 Retirement Board 87,229 - - 87,229

Other - - 5,601 5,601

Total inter/intra-governmental 1,314,179 5,990,532 5,602 7,310,313

Accounts payable - - 3,898 3,898

Future workers' compensation benefits - - 30,097 30,097

Accrued benefits 883,745 11,085 - 894,830

Other liabilities - - 38,197 38,197

Total liabilities 2,197,924 6,001,617 77,794 8,277,335

Net position

Cumulative results of operations 73,717,526 (5,641,907) 745,154 68,820,773

Total liabilities and net position $ 75,915,450 $ 359,710 $ 822,948 $ 77,098,108
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

104 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 21 - FUNDS FROM DEDICATED COLLECTIONS - Continued

The net results of operations of the funds from dedicated collections for the year ended and as of September 30, 

2018, are shown below.

Black Lung

(Dollars in thousands) Unemployment Disability Other Total

Cost, net of earned revenues

Benefits $ (27,433,039) $ (140,435) $ - $ (27,573,474)

Grants - - (191,582) (191,582)

Interest (44,698) (209,050) - (253,748)

Administrative and other (566,574) (1,570) (83,537) (651,681)

 (28,044,311) (351,055) (275,119) (28,670,485)

Earned revenue 394,268 - - 394,268

Net cost of operations (27,650,043) (351,055) (275,119) (28,276,217)

Net financing sources

Taxes 43,228,671 384,375 - 43,613,046

Interest 1,507,788 1,394 452 1,509,634

Reimbursement of unemployment benefits and other 1,701,900 - - 1,701,900

Imputed financing - - 2,181 2,181

Transfers-in

Department of Homeland Security - - 282,138 282,138

DOL entities 1,505 - - 1,505

Transfers-out

Department of Homeland Security - - (17,618) (17,618)

DOL entities (3,693,556) (65,913) - (3,759,469)

Other - 1 - 1

 42,746,308 319,857 267,153 43,333,318

Change in net position 15,096,265 (31,198) (7,966) 15,057,101

Net position, beginning of year 58,621,261 (5,610,709) 753,120 53,763,672

Net position, end of year $ 73,717,526 $ (5,641,907) $ 745,154 $ 68,820,773
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 105

NOTE 21 - FUNDS FROM DEDICATED COLLECTIONS - Continued

The financial position of the funds from dedicated collections as of September 30, 2017, is shown below. 

Black Lung

(Dollars in thousands) Unemployment Disability Other Total

Assets

Intra-governmental

Funds with U.S. Treasury $ 396,711 $ 121,909 $ 782,114 $ 1,300,734

Investments 61,033,591 - 33,718 61,067,309

Accounts receivable

Due from other Federal agencies

 for UCFE and UCX benefits 174,436 - - 174,436

Other - - 6,452 6,452

Total intra-governmental 61,604,738 121,909 822,284 62,548,931

Accounts receivable, net of allowance

State unemployment tax 290,275 - - 290,275

Due from reimbursable employers 446,234 - - 446,234

Benefit overpayments 373,272 22,788 - 396,060

Other 3,443 - 28 3,471

Advances 1,102,805 - 1 1,102,806

Other - - 242 242

Total assets $ 63,820,767 $ 144,697 $ 822,555 $ 64,788,019

Liabilities

Intra departmental and intra-governmental

Accounts payable to DOL agencies $ 1,447,179 $ - $ - $ 1,447,179

Debt 2,624,281 5,743,977 - 8,368,258

Amounts held for the Railroad

 Retirement Board 76,177 - - 76,177

Other - - 6,063 6,063

Total inter/intra-governmental 4,147,637 5,743,977 6,063 9,897,677

Accounts payable 5 - 3,214 3,219

Future workers' compensation benefits - - 32,445 32,445

Accrued benefits 1,051,864 11,429 - 1,063,293

Other liabilities - - 27,713 27,713

Total liabilities 5,199,506 5,755,406 69,435 11,024,347

Net position

Cumulative results of operations 58,621,261 (5,610,709) 753,120 53,763,672

Total liabilities and net position $ 63,820,767 $ 144,697 $ 822,555 $ 64,788,019
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

106 United States Department of Labor

NOTE 21 - FUNDS FROM DEDICATED COLLECTIONS - Continued

The net results of operations of the funds from dedicated collections for the year ended and as of September 30, 

2017, are shown below. 

Black Lung

(Dollars in thousands) Unemployment Disability Other Total

Cost, net of earned revenues

Benefits $ (29,372,123) $ (159,751) $ - $ (29,531,874)

Grants - - (144,006) (144,006)

Interest (145,733) (208,429) - (354,162)

Administrative and other (772,873) (2,457) (83,364) (858,694)

 (30,290,729) (370,637) (227,370) (30,888,736)

Earned revenue 458,827 - - 458,827

Net cost of operations (29,831,902) (370,637) (227,370) (30,429,909)

Net financing sources

Taxes 44,055,661 428,712 - 44,484,373

Interest 1,305,370 1,377 271 1,307,018

Reimbursement of unemployment benefits and other 1,605,373 - - 1,605,373

Imputed financing - - 2,152 2,152

Transfers-in

Department of Homeland Security - - 256,418 256,418

DOL entities 2,803 - - 2,803

Transfers-out

Department of Homeland Security - - (62,574) (62,574)

DOL entities (3,778,643) (65,701) - (3,844,344)

 43,190,564 364,388 196,267 43,751,219

Change in net position 13,358,662 (6,249) (31,103) 13,321,310

Net position, beginning of year 45,262,599 (5,604,460) 784,223 40,442,362

Net position, end of year $ 58,621,261 $ (5,610,709) $ 753,120 $ 53,763,672
Annual Financial Statements

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 107

NOTE 22 - FIDUCIARY ACTIVITY

The schedule of fiduciary activity and net assets for the fiduciary funds for the year ended and as of September 30, 

2018, is shown below. 

Longshore District of

Wage and Hour and Harbor Columbia

and Public Workers' Workmen's

Contracts Compensation Compensation Davis-Bacon Total

Restitution Act Trust Act Trust Act Trust Fiduciary

(Dollars in thousands) Fund Fund Fund Fund Funds

Fiduciary activity

Assessments $ 96,461 $ 110,560 $ 6,913 $ - $ 213,934

Investment earnings - 621 55 - 676

Administrative and other - (2,203) 3 97 (2,103)

Transfer of funds (29,162) - - - (29,162)

Disbursements to beneficiaries (58,847) (101,480) (6,991) (97) (167,415)

Increase (decrease) in fiduciary net assets 8,452 7,498 (20) - 15,930

Fiduciary net assets, beginning of year 176,825 24,242 3,681 - 204,748

Fiduciary net assets, end of year $ 185,277 $ 31,740 $ 3,661 $ - $ 220,678

Fiduciary assets

Cash $ 181,576 $ 6 $ 1 $ 5,194 $ 186,777

Investments 202 63,933 5,621 - 69,756

Other assets 3,499 1,734 131 - 5,364

Less: liabilities - (33,933) (2,092) (5,194) (41,219)

Total fiduciary net assets $ 185,277 $ 31,740 $ 3,661 $ - $ 220,678

The schedule of fiduciary activity and net assets for the fiduciary funds for the year ended and as of September 30, 

2017, is shown below.

Longshore District of

Wage and Hour and Harbor Columbia

and Public Workers' Workmen's

Contracts Compensation Compensation Davis-Bacon Total

Restitution Act Trust Act Trust Act Trust Fiduciary

(Dollars in thousands) Fund Fund Fund Fund Funds

Fiduciary activity

Assessments $ 88,830 $ 117,066 $ 6,006 $ - $ 211,902

Investment earnings - 225 28 - 253

Administrative and other - (2,273) (313) (16) (2,602)

Transfer of funds (15,205) (1,743) 1,743 16 (15,189)

Disbursements to beneficiaries (65,259) (103,783) (6,738) - (175,780)

Increase (decrease) in fiduciary net assets 8,366 9,492 726 - 18,584

Fiduciary net assets, beginning of year 168,459 14,750 2,955 - 186,164

Fiduciary net assets, end of year $ 176,825 $ 24,242 $ 3,681 $ - $ 204,748

Fiduciary assets

Cash $ 172,123 $ 1 $ 1 $ 5,290 $ 177,415

Investments - 59,825 5,161 - 64,986

Other assets 4,702 1,153 98 - 5,953

Less: liabilities - (36,737) (1,579) (5,290) (43,606)

Total fiduciary net assets $ 176,825 $ 24,242 $ 3,681 $ - $ 204,748
Financial Section

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

For the Years Ended September 30, 2018 and 2017

108 United States Department of Labor

Note 22 - FIDUCIARY ACTIVITY - Continued

The FY 2017 audits were performed on the Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act Trust Fund and the 

District of Columbia Worker’s Compensation Act Trust Fund and are available on DOL's website.

NOTE 23 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Except for the disclosures for the social insurance financial statements in Note 1.W and the USPS October 2018 

reimbursement to the FECA Special Benefit Fund as disclosed in Note 4, management has determined that there are 

no subsequent events requiring accrual or disclosure through November 15, 2018.
Required Supplementary Stewardship Information 

(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)

110 United States Department of Labor 

STEWARDSHIP INVESTMENTS IN HUMAN CAPITAL

Stewardship investments are made by DOL on behalf of the nation, providing long‐term benefits that cannot be 

measured in traditional financial reports. These investments are made for the general public, and are intended to 

maintain or increase national economic productive capacity. DOL’s stewardship investments are in human capital, 

reported as employment and training expenses in DOL’s net cost of operations. Within DOL, the Employment and 

Training Administration (ETA), including the Office of Job Corps (OJC), and the Veterans’ Employment and 

Training Service (VETS) administer training programs that invest in human capital.

Employment and Training Administration

ETA, including the Office of Job Corps, incurred total net costs of $37.4 billion in FY 2018. The majority of these 

costs consisted of unemployment benefits, which totaled $27.4 billion in FY 2018, a decrease of $2 billion (7%) over 

the previous fiscal year. Also included in ETA’s total net costs were investments in human capital of $4.2 billion, 

which provided services to over 892.5 thousand participants in FY 2018. These investments were made through job 

training programs authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, previously 

authorized by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (WIA), Title V of the Older Americans Act, as amended, the 

Trade Act of 1974, as amended, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the National 

Apprenticeship Act of 1937, and other legislation.

Within ETA the Office of Job Corps (OJC) also invests in human capital through WIOA’s Job Corps training 

program. OJC’s investment in human capital in FY 2018 was $1.6 billion, providing services to 101.4 thousand 

participants in primarily residential settings at 123 Job Corps centers. The job training programs authorized by 

WIOA and other legislation are discussed below.

Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth, and Job Corps Programs

Authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014

• Apprenticeship grants program – ETA awards grants to the states to be used to support innovative, jobdriven approaches that result in the growth of Apprenticeship programs to train workers with 21st Century 

skills that meet employer and industry workforce needs. ETA’s FY 2018 investment in apprenticeship 

programs was $54 million.

• Adult employment and training programs – ETA awards grants to states to design and operate training 

and employment assistance programs for disadvantaged adults, including public assistance recipients. ETA’s 

FY 2018 investment in human capital through the WIOA Adult programs was $883 million.

• Dislocated worker employment and training programs – ETA awards grants to states to provide 

reemployment services and retraining assistance to individuals laid-off from their employment. ETA’s FY 

2018 investment in human capital through the WIOA Dislocated Worker programs was $1.2 billion

• Youth programs – ETA awards grants to states to support a wide range of program activities and services 

to prepare low‐income youth for academic and employment success, including summer jobs, by linking 

academic and occupational learning with youth development activities. ETA’s FY 2018 investment in human 

capital through the WIOA Youth programs was $954 million.

• Job Corps program – ETA’s Office of Job Corps awards contracts to support a system of primarily 

residential centers providing academic education, career technical training, service-learning, and social skills 

training for low-income young people. Large and small corporations and non‐profit organizations manage 

and operate 98 Job Corps centers under these contractual arrangements. The remaining 25 centers are 

operated through interagency agreements between DOL and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest 

Service. In addition, 29 operators are contracted to provide outreach and admissions and career 

transition services. OJC’s FY 2018 investment in human capital through the Job Corps program was 

$1.6 billion.
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY STEWARDSHIP INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 111

• Reentry Employment Opportunities programs – ETA supports programs to help individuals 

exiting prison make a successful transition to community life and long‐term employment through 

the provision of mentoring and job training programs to promote the successful return of formerly 

incarcerated adults and adjudicated youth into mainstream society. ETA’s FY 2018 investment in 

human capital through the Reentry Employment Opportunities programs was $86 million.

• National programs – ETA’s National programs provide evaluation resources and program 

support for WIOA activities, including nationally administered programs providing employment 

and training services to segments of the population that have special disadvantages in the labor 

market, including grants to federally recognized Indian tribes and other Native American 

governments or non‐profit organizations and to Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker service 

organizations. ETA’s FY 2018 human capital investment in WIOA National Programs was $135

million.

Community Service Employment for Older Americans(CSEOA) Program

ETA also invests in human capital through the Community Service Employment for Older Americans 

program, authorized under Title V of the Older Americans Act, as amended in 2006. Known as the Senior 

Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), the SCSEP is a federally sponsored community 

service employment and training program that provides part‐time training through on‐the‐job work 

experience in community service activities for unemployed, low‐income individuals ages 55 and older, so 

that they can prepare to enter or re‐enter the workforce. ETA’s FY 2018 investment in human capital 

through the CSEOA’s SCSEP was $413 million.

Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers Program

Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) for Workers (TAA Program) was first established at the Department 

of Labor by the Trade Act of 1974 and has been amended several times. The Trade Adjustment Assistance 

Reauthorization Act of 2015 and Title IV of the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-

27), both amended and reauthorized the TAA Program. Individual workers who are members of the 

certified worker group apply for benefits and services through the one-stop centers. Individual workers 

who meet the qualifying criteria may receive: job training; income support in the form of Trade 

Readjustment Allowances (TRA); job search and relocation allowances; Health Coverage Tax Credit 

(HCTC), as determined by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and, for workers age 50 and older, a wage 

supplement in the form of Reemployment Trade Adjustment Assistance (RTAA). In addition, all workers 

covered by a certification are eligible for employment and case management services including Career 

Services either through the TAA Program or through and in coordination with WIOA and the WagnerPeyser Act. Only TAA training costs are considered investments in human capital; these costs were $224 

million for FY 2018.

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) Grant Fund

Implemented in cooperation with the Department of Education, the TAACCCT program provides grants to 

eligible institutions of higher learning to improve education and employment outcomes for students. 

Authorized by the Trade Act of 1974 and Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the 

program enables educational institutions to prepare students to succeed in growing occupations by

acquiring the skills necessary for high‐wage, in‐demand jobs. ETA’s FY 2018 human capital investment in 

the TAACCCT Grant Fund was $98 million
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY STEWARDSHIP INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

112 United States Department of Labor

National Apprenticeship Program

Apprenticeship is a leader in preparing American workers to compete in today’s economy. The program 

has trained millions of America’s workers through a network of 23,000 Registered Apprenticeship 

programs across the nation consisting of over 150,000 employers. Modern apprenticeships are now on the 

cutting edge of innovation in preparing a skilled workforce for today’s industries, including expanding 

industries like health care, information technology, transportation, telecommunications, and advanced 

manufacturing, as well as in industries like construction, where apprenticeships have a long and successful 

history. The National Apprenticeship Act of 1937 established the foundation for development of the 

nation’s skilled workforce through Apprenticeship programs, which combine on‐the‐job learning with 

related technical instruction to teach workers the theoretical aspects of skilled occupations. ETA’s FY 2018 

investment in Apprenticeship programs was $38 million. 

Program Costs and Outputs

The cost of ETA investments in human capital and the participants served are shown in the chart below, for 

the five year period FY 2014 through FY 2018.
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY STEWARDSHIP INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 113

ETA Investments in Human Capital

Program Costs (in Millions) and Participants Served (1) (in Thousands)

For The Five Year Period FY 2014 through FY 2018

2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

Program Costs Part. 

Served Costs Part. Served Costs Part. Served Costs Part. Served Costs Part. Served

WIOA

Apprenticeship 

Programs $54 23.2 $34 11.3

Adult(7) 883 0.0 856 1,108.2 $868 6,124.1 $852 6,520.8 $846 6,105.3

Dislocated 

Worker(2) (7) 1,175 0.0 1,241 489.4 1,172 561.7 1,165 655.3 1,189 853.8

Youth(3) (7) 954 7.2 923 157.2 912 163.6 878 200.3 905 204.1

Job Corps 1,575 101.4 1,595 104.7 1,638 110.8 1,605 109.5 1,537 109.6

Reentry 

Employment 

Opportunities 

programs

86 15.8 83 11.4 77 14.9 69 11.2 85 11.8

National 

Programs(4) 135 55.7 137 51.7 140 83.0 140 49.2 149 52.2

CSEOA

SCSEP 413 56.4 424 60.0 431 65.2 436 67.4 428 67.7

TAA for 

Workers(7) 224 0.0 211 45.9 208 44.0 232 51.1 277 67.9

TAACCCT(5) 98 136.5 206 175.7 382 181.4 413 140.9 416 66.5

Apprenticeship 38 577.1 37 539.5 36 504.8 34 430.4 32 392.1

Other(6) 208 20.6 158 115.5 140 105.9 130 87.3 113 28.8

TOTAL $5,843 993.9 $5,905 2,870.5 $6,004 7,959.4 $5,954 8,323.4 $5,977 7,959.8

(1) Participant numbers are from grantee reports submitted for the Program Year (PY) ending on June 30 of the corresponding fiscal year, unless otherwise noted.

(2) Dislocated Worker programs include the National Dislocated Worker Grants program.

(3) Youth programs include the YouthBuild program.

(4) National Programs include the Native American and Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker programs.

(5) TAACCCT participants served data is reported on a fiscal year basis which causes a one year lag in annual reporting. All TAACCCT participant counts are 

finalized January of the current fiscal year for the prior year ended.

(6) Other includes training programs for highly skilled occupations funded through H1‐B fees.

(7) Final data will not be available until mid-December 2018 for Adult, Dislocated Worker, Youth programs, and TAA for Workers.

Program Outcomes

Outcomes for training programs comprising ETA’s investment in human capital are presented in the

Department’s Annual Performance Report for FY 2018, available on the DOL website at

https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol#budget in February 2019.
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY STEWARDSHIP INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

114 United States Department of Labor

Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS)

VETS administers four major programs to meet the employment and training needs of veterans and eligible 

spouses, especially those with significant barriers to employment, and connect employers across the country 

with work-ready veterans. VETS’ mission is to prepare America’s veterans, service members and their 

spouses for meaningful careers, provide them with employment resources and expertise, protect their 

employment rights, and promote their employment opportunities. VETS’ four major program activities and 

program costs and outputs are described below.

Program Activities

Jobs for Veterans State Grants (JVSG)

In accordance with 38 U.S.C Chapter 41, JVSG provides funding to 54 states and U.S. territories for Disabled 

Veterans’ Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists and Local Veterans’ Employment Representative (LVER) 

staff, located in American Job Centers and other locations. DVOP specialists provide intensive services to 

veterans with significant barriers to employment, including disabled veterans and other eligible populations. 

LVER staff promotes the hiring of veterans in communities through outreach activities that build 

relationships with local employers, and provide training to workforce center staff to facilitate the provision of 

services to veterans.

Transition Assistance Program (TAP)

TAP, authorized under 10 U.S.C. 1144, is for separating and retiring service members and their spouses. The 

program is a cooperative effort among VETS; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, 

Veterans Affairs, and Education; and the U.S. Small Business Administration. VETS administers a 3-day 

DOL Employment Workshop as a component of TAP, both domestically and at overseas installations. The 

Workshop provides employment assistance to transitioning service members and their spouses by providing 

tools for a successful transition from the military to the civilian workforce.

Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP)

HVRP, authorized under 38 U.S.C. 2021, addresses the needs of the most vulnerable population of veterans, 

those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. HVRP provides employment and training services to 

homeless veterans, equipping them with the skills to gain meaningful employment. Funds are awarded to 

eligible applicants through a competitive grant process outlined in an annual Funding Opportunity 

Announcement. In addition to the main HVRP grants, funding is used to serve specific subsets of the 

homeless veteran population:

• The Homeless Female Veterans and Veterans with Families Program specifically targets the 

subpopulation of female veterans experiencing homelessness and veterans with families 

experiencing homelessness.

• The Incarcerated Veterans’ Transition Program provides employment services to 

incarcerated veterans at risk of becoming homeless.

• Stand Down Grants are awarded to public and private organizations for local events typically 

held for one to two days, during which a variety of social services are provided to veterans 

experiencing homelessness. 

The Honoring Investments in Recruiting and Employing (HIRE) American Military Veterans Act of 2017 

required DOL to establish a program to recognize employer efforts to recruit, employ, and retain veterans. 
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY STEWARDSHIP INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 115

On November 13, 2017, VETS published the Final Rule Establishing the HIRE Vets Medallion Program. Since 

that time, VETS has established the systems and processes via a program demonstration where 300 applications 

were accepted in 2018. Award winners for the program demonstration are expected to be announced by Veteran’s 

Day 2018. This program will launch in 2019.

Federal Administration, including the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment 

Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) and Veterans’ Preference

VETS is responsible for administering USERRA, 38 U.S.C. 4301-4335, which protects civilian job rights and 

benefits for active service members, veterans, and members of the National Guard and Reserves. USERRA also 

prohibits discrimination in employment against any current or prospective employee, due in part to those 

individuals’ past, present, or future military service, status, or obligations. Additionally, under the Veterans’ 

Employment Opportunities Act (5 U.S.C. 3330a-3330c) VETS is responsible for investigating claims alleging a 

Federal agency’s failure to apply Veterans’ Preference in hiring or during a reduction-in-force and claims from 

veterans alleging a lack of access to a Federal agency’s covered employment opportunities.

Program Costs and Outputs

The full cost of VETS programs is presented in the Consolidated Statement of Net Cost. The costs of VETS 

investments in human capital, and the participants served by this investment, are presented below, by major 

program.

VETS Investments in Human Capital

Program Costs and Participants Served (in Thousands)

For FY 2014 through FY 2018

2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

Program Cost Part.

Served

Cost

Part.

Served Cost

Part.

Served Cost

Part.

Served Cost

Part.

Served

JVSG(1)

$ 192,810 99.2 $ 172,000 113.1 $ 174,996 154.0 $ 173,453 185.6 $ 170,764 332.1

TAP(2), (3) 20,521 156.4 16,600 155.8 14,100 140.2 13,917 180.8 14,103 207.0

USERRA(4) 12,304 7.0 13,538 9.0 12,734 7.6 12,782 7.6 12,487 10.9

HVRP (5) 52,897 18.0 45,000 16.2 38,056 16.6 38,146 17.0 36,885 16.1

TOTAL $ 278,532 280.6 $ 247,138 294.1 $ 239,886 318.4 $ 238,298 391.0 $ 234,239 566.1

(1) JVSG began using a new reporting system (Workforce Integrated Performance System) in FY 2017 to align with WIOA reporting. 

As such, direct services provided by LVER staff were not captured in FY 2018 and instead reflect the number of veterans served by 

DVOP staff only.

(2) Source: Veterans' Employment and Training Operations and Programs Activity Report (VOPAR) for FY 2017, fourth quarter, and FY

2018, first through third quarters. (3) The funding for the Career Technical Training Track (CTTT) program is included in TAP for 2017 and 2018.

(4) USERRA Participants (USERRA Outreach Measure) reflects the number of people VETS connects with each year (service members, 

spouses, and employers) to inform them of their rights and responsibilities under the law. The participant served count is an estimate until 

results for FY 2017 are finalized at the end of the first quarter of the FY 2018. The estimate was calculated using data from the USERRA 

Technical Assistance Logs

(5) Source: PY 2017 4th quarter grantee reports.

(6) Employment and Pension Standards costs not reported as human capital investments.

(7) FY 2018 costs reflect administrative costs, per FASAB SFFAS 8, Supplementary Stewardship Reporting.

Program Outcomes

Outcomes for the programs comprising VETS’ investment in human capital will be presented in the 

Department’s Annual Performance Report for FY 2018, available in February 2019 on the DOL website 

at: https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol#budget

Required Supplementary Information

(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)

118 United States Department of Labor 

DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS (DM&R)

DOL reports as general-purpose property, plant and equipment (PP&E), Structures, facilities and improvements on 

which maintenance and repair activities may be deferred. Over 99.3% of these buildings and other structures (based 

on net book value) are owned by DOL’s ETA, and located at one hundred twenty-three (123) Job Corps centers 

throughout the United States. The remaining 0.7% is owned by the Department’s MSHA. Periodic maintenance is 

performed to keep these properties in acceptable condition, as determined by DOL management. It is DOL policy to 

evaluate PP&E regardless of recorded values and the asset management system does not make any distinction 

between capitalized and non-capitalized PP&E when it comes to maintenance and repairs. Therefore, DM&R 

estimates reported relate to PP&E, whether capitalized or not or fully depreciated. Management has not noted any 

PP&E which is not included in the DM&R estimates reported below.

Defining and Implementing Maintenance and Repairs (M&R) Policies in Practice

Condition assessment surveys are conducted every three years at each property to determine the current condition of 

buildings and structures (constructed assets) and the estimated maintenance cost to correct deficiencies. The method 

of assessment used has not changed from previous years. Surveys conducted during years one and two of the three 

year cycle are updated to reflect maintenance and repairs performed, and rolled up with current assessments to 

provide a condition assessment for the entire DOL portfolio of constructed assets. Condition assessment surveys are 

based on methods and standards consistently applied, including descriptions of the facility condition; standardized 

condition codes, classifications and categories; estimated costs of maintenance and repair actions and recommended 

maintenance schedules. As a part of these condition assessment surveys, deficiencies are identified in terms of 

architectural, mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil areas. Each deficiency is assigned a Facilities Condition 

Index (FCI) score (1) based on classification and categorization. 

Ranking and Prioritizing M&R Activities

Life Safety and Health deficiencies are funded shortly following the condition assessment surveys for correction. The 

remaining deficiencies are classified, categorized, and assigned an FCI score. In each construction, rehabilitation, and 

acquisition (CRA) budget, funding is allocated to accomplish the highest priority deficiencies based upon the FCI 

score and programmatic considerations. These deficiencies are funded for correction, while any remaining 

deficiencies become candidates for funding in a future CRA budget.

Factors Considered in Setting Acceptable Condition

Condition assessment surveys are used to estimate the current plant replacement value and DM&R backlog for each 

constructed asset. Plant replacement value and repair backlog are used to calculate an FCI score for each building 

and structure. These FCI scores determine the asset condition and contribute to the overall FCI score for the 

portfolio. Job Corps and MSHA have set the goal of achieving and maintaining an FCI score of 90% or greater for its 

portfolio of constructed assets (the standard used by the National Association of College and University Business 

Offices) as a level of acceptable condition for the periods reported. In 2017, the portfolio’s aggregate FCI score for 

4,551 constructed assets was 91%, and deferred maintenance and repair costs to return the portfolio to an acceptable 

condition were estimated at $286.7 million, as adjusted for SFFAS 42, Deferred Maintenance and Repairs: Amending 

Statements of Federal Financial Accounting Standards 6, 14, 29, and 32. In FY 2018, the portfolio’s aggregate FCI 

score for 4,703 constructed assets was 91%, and DM&R costs to return the portfolio to an acceptable condition are 

estimated at $347.3 million. Factors considered in determining acceptable condition standards include health and life 

safety aspects, as well as certain environmental and building code compliance elements. These deficiencies are 

prioritized and corrected first as they lead to unacceptable conditions.
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Deferred Maintenance and Repairs Costs

(Dollars in Thousands)

Asset Category FY 2018 Ending Balance FY 2018 Beginning Balance

Funded:

Structures, facilities and improvements 

 Active $50,179 $61,587 

 Inactive 293 287 

Subtotal, funded 50,472 61,874

Unfunded:

Structures, facilities and improvements 

 Active 295,520 224,537

 Inactive 1,348 288 

Subtotal, unfunded 296,868 224,825 

Total $347,340 $286,699 

Significant Changes from Prior Year

For reporting purposes, DOL has determined that changes of 10% and $25 million between fiscal year beginning and 

ending balances are significant. The significant increase of $71.0 million in unfunded deficiencies for active 

structures, facilities and improvements; this is the net result of: new deficiencies identified during the facility survey 

process, deficiencies which may have had cost estimates revised or updated, deficiencies that have been funded, and 

deficiencies that have been completed.
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120 United States Department of Labor

SOCIAL INSURANCE PROGRAMS

The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) has classified certain government income transfer 

programs as social insurance programs. Recognizing that these programs have complex characteristics that do not fit 

traditional accounting models, the FASAB has developed accounting standards for social insurance programs which 

require the presentation of supplementary information to facilitate the assessment of the program’s long-term 

sustainability. 

DOL operates two programs classified under Federal accounting standards as social insurance programs, the UI 

Program and the Black Lung Disability Benefits Program. Presented below is the supplementary information for the 

two programs.

Unemployment Insurance Program

The UI Program was created in 1935 to provide income assistance to unemployed workers who lose their jobs 

generally through no fault of their own, and are unemployed due to a lack of suitable work. The program protects 

workers during temporary periods of unemployment through the provision of UC benefits. These benefits replace 

part of the unemployed worker’s lost wages and, in so doing, stabilize the economy during recessionary periods by 

increasing the unemployed worker’s purchasing power. The UI program operates counter cyclically, with benefits 

exceeding tax collections during recessionary periods and UI tax revenues exceeding benefit payments during 

periods of recovery.

Program Administration and Funding

The UI program is administered through a unique system of Federal-state partnerships, established in Federal law but 

executed through conforming state laws by state officials. The Federal government provides broad policy guidance 

and program direction through the oversight of DOL, while program details are established through individual state 

UI statutes, administered through state UI agencies.

Federal and State Unemployment Taxes

The UI program is financed through the collection of Federal and state unemployment taxes levied on subject 

employers and deposited in the UTF and Federal appropriations. The UTF was established to account for the receipt, 

investment, and disbursement of unemployment taxes. Federal unemployment taxes are used to pay for the 

administrative costs of the UI program, including grants to each state to cover the costs of state UI operations and the 

Federal share of extended UI benefits. Federal unemployment taxes are also used to fund an account within the 

UTF, to make advances to state UI accounts that are unable to make benefit payments because the state UI account 

balance has been exhausted. State UI taxes are used exclusively for the payment of regular UI benefits, as well as 

the state’s share of EB. 

Federal Unemployment Taxes

Under the provisions of the FUTA, a Federal tax is levied on covered employers, at a current rate of 6.0% of 

the first $7,000 in annual wages paid to each employee. This Federal tax rate is reduced by a credit of up to 

5.4%, granted to employers paying state UI taxes under conforming state UI statutes. Accordingly, in 

conforming states, employers pay an effective Federal tax of 0.6%; employers in states with advances from 

the fund may pay a higher effective Federal tax rate because the Federal tax rate credit of 5.4% may be 

decreased in increments of 0.3% if a state has had an outstanding advance for more than two years. 

Additional Federal unemployment taxes collected as a result of the reduced Federal tax rate credit are used to 

pay down the state’s outstanding advance balance. Federal unemployment taxes are collected by the Internal 

Revenue Service. 
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State Unemployment Taxes

In addition to the Federal tax, individual states finance their UI programs through state tax contributions 

from subject employers based on the wages of covered employees. (Three states also collect contributions 

from employees.) Within Federal confines, state tax rates are assigned in accordance with an employer’s 

experience with unemployment. Actual tax rates vary greatly among the states and among individual 

employers within a state. At a minimum, these rates must be applied to the Federal tax base of $7,000; 

however, states may adopt a higher wage base than the minimum established by FUTA. State UI agencies 

are responsible for the collection of state unemployment taxes.

 

Unemployment Trust Fund

Federal and state UI taxes are deposited into designated accounts within the UTF. The UTF was established under 

the authority of Title IX, Section 904 of the Social Security Act of 1935, as amended, to receive, hold, invest, loan, 

and disburse Federal and state UI taxes. The U.S. Department of the Treasury acts as custodian over monies 

deposited into the UTF, investing amounts in excess of disbursing requirements in Treasury securities. The UTF is 

comprised of the following accounts:

Federal Accounts

The Employment Security Administration Account (ESAA) was established pursuant to Section 901 of the 

Act. Tax receipts collected under the FUTA are appropriated to the ESAA and used to pay the costs of 

Federal and state administration of the UI program and veterans’ ES and 97% of the costs of the state ES; 

and, amounts collected due to FUTA credit reductions are transferred to the FUA and are used to pay down 

balances of state advances that have been outstanding for more than two years. Excess balances in ESAA, as 

defined under the Act, are transferred to other Federal accounts within the Fund, as described below.

The Federal Unemployment Account was established pursuant to Section 904 of the Act. FUA is funded by 

any excesses from the ESAA as determined in accordance with Section 902 of the Act. Title XII, Section 

1201 of the Act authorizes the FUA to loan Federal monies to state accounts that are unable to make benefit 

payments because the state UI account balance has been exhausted. Title XII loans must be repaid with 

interest. The FUA may borrow from the ESAA or EUCA, without interest, or may also receive repayable 

advances, with interest, from the general fund of the U.S. Treasury, when the FUA has a balance insufficient 

to make advances to the states. 

The Extended Unemployment Compensation Account was established pursuant to Section 905 of the Act. 

EUCA provides for the payment of extended unemployment benefits authorized under the Federal-State 

Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970, as amended. Under the EB program, extended 

unemployment benefits are paid to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment benefits. 

These EB are financed one-half by State unemployment taxes and one-half by FUTA taxes from the EUCA. 

The EUCA is funded by a percentage of the FUTA tax transferred from the ESAA in accordance with 

Section 905(b)(1) and (2) of the Act. The EUCA may borrow from the ESAA or the FUA, without interest, 

or may also receive repayable advances from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury when the EUCA has a 

balance insufficient to pay the Federal share of EB. During periods of sustained high unemployment, the 

EUCA may also receive payments and non-repayable advances from the General Fund of the Treasury to 

finance EUC benefits. Emergency unemployment benefits require Congressional authorization.

The Federal Employees Compensation (FEC) Account was established pursuant to Section 909 of the Act. 

The FEC account provides funds to States for unemployment compensation benefits paid to eligible former 

Federal civilian personnel and ex-service members. Generally, benefits paid are reimbursed to the Federal 

Employees Compensation Account by the various Federal agencies. Any additional resources necessary to 

assure that the account can make the required payments to States, due to the timing of the benefit payments 

and subsequent reimbursements, will be provided by non-repayable advances from the General Fund of the 

U.S. Treasury.
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122 United States Department of Labor

State Accounts

Separate state accounts were established for each state and territory depositing monies into the Fund, in 

accordance with Section 904 of the Act. State unemployment taxes are deposited into these individual 

accounts and may be used only to pay state unemployment benefits. States may receive repayable advances 

from the FUA when their balances in the Fund are insufficient to pay benefits. 

Railroad Retirement Accounts

The Railroad UI Account and Railroad UI Administrative Account were established under Section 904 of the 

Act to provide for a separate UI program for railroad employees. This separate UI program is administered 

by the Railroad Retirement Board, an agency independent of DOL. DOL is not responsible for the 

administrative oversight or solvency of the railroad UI system. Receipts from taxes on railroad payrolls are 

deposited in the Railroad UI Account and the Railroad UI Administrative Account to meet benefit payment 

and related administrative expenses. 

UI Program Benefits

The UI program provides regular and extended benefit payments to eligible unemployed workers. Regular UI 

program benefits are established under state law, payable for a period not to exceed a maximum duration. In 1970, 

Federal law began to require states to extend this maximum period of benefit duration by 50% during periods of high 

unemployment. These extended benefit payments are paid equally from Federal and state accounts. 

 

Regular UI Benefits

The UI program is a cooperative Federal and state program with the federal government providing oversight. 

Eligibility requirements, as well as benefit amounts and benefit duration are determined under state law. 

Under state laws, worker eligibility for benefits depends on experience in covered employment during a past 

base period, which attempts to measure the workers’ recent attachment to the labor force. Three factors are 

common to state eligibility requirements: (1) a minimum duration of recent employment and earnings during 

a base period prior to unemployment, (2) unemployment not the fault of the unemployed, and (3) availability 

of the unemployed for work. 

Benefit payment amounts under all state laws vary with the worker’s base period wage history. Generally, 

states compute the amount of weekly UI benefits as a percentage of an individual’s average weekly base 

period earnings, within certain minimum and maximum limits. Most states set the duration of UI benefits by 

the amount of earnings an individual has received during the base period. Currently, most states have 

established the maximum duration for regular UI benefits at 26 weeks. Regular UI benefits are paid by the 

state UI agencies from monies drawn down from the state account within the UTF.

Extended UI Benefits

The Federal/State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 provides for the extension of the 

duration of UI benefits during periods of high unemployment. When the insured unemployment level within 

a state, or in some cases total unemployment, reaches certain specified levels, the state must extend benefit 

duration by 50%, up to a combined maximum of 39 weeks; certain states voluntarily extended the benefit 

duration up to a combined maximum of 46 weeks. Fifty percent of the cost of extended unemployment 

benefits is paid from the EUCA within the UTF, and 50% by the state, from the state’s UTF account. The 

ARRA of 2009 began temporary 100% Federal funding of EB. Subsequent legislation, most recently P.L. 

112-240, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012, authorized continuing 100% Federal funding of 

extended unemployment benefits to December 31, 2013.

Emergency UI Benefits

During prolonged periods of high unemployment, Congress may authorize the payment of emergency 

unemployment benefits to supplement extended UI benefit payments. Emergency benefits began in July 

2008, authorized under the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 (previously authorized in 1991 and 

2002). This emergency program was temporarily extended and additionally funded by the ARRA and has 
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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 123

been subsequently modified several times, most recently by P.L. 112-240, the American Taxpayer Relief Act 

of 2012, which extended the emergency unemployment insurance program to January 1, 2014. 

Although the programs for emergency unemployment benefits and 100% Federal funding of extended 

unemployment benefits expired in FY 2014, the UI program continues to process residual transactions for 

benefit costs incurred prior to the programs’ expiration.

Federal UI Benefits

Unemployment benefits to unemployed Federal civilian personnel and ex-service members are paid from the 

Federal Employees Compensation Account within the UTF. These benefit costs are reimbursed by the 

responsible Federal agency and are not considered to be social insurance benefits. Federal UC benefits are 

not included in this discussion of social insurance programs. 

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974, as amended, authorizes the President 

to provide benefit assistance to individuals unemployed as a direct result of a major disaster. The Disaster 

Unemployment Assistance (DUA) program provides financial assistance to individuals whose employment or selfemployment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster declared by the President of the United 

States and who are not eligible for regular UI benefits. DOL oversees the DUA program and coordinates with the 

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide the funds to the state UI agencies for payment of DUA 

benefits and payment of state administration costs under agreements with the Secretary of Labor. DUA program 

activity increased in FYs 2017 and 2018 as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Florence. DUA program 

activity as a result of Hurricane Florence will continue after FY 2018 and include activity as a result of Hurricane 

Michael. 

Program Finances and Sustainability

As of September 30, 2018, total assets within the UTF exceeded total liabilities by $73.7 billion. At the present time 

there is a surplus; any surplus of tax revenues and earnings on these revenues over benefit payment expenses is 

available to finance benefit payments in future periods when tax revenues may be insufficient. Treasury invests any 

accumulated surplus in Federal securities. The net value of these securities, including interest receivable, as of 

September 30, 2018 was $73.0 billion. This interest is distributed to eligible state and Federal accounts within the 

UTF. Interest income from these investments and income from Title XII advances to states during FY 2018 was 

$1.5 billion. Federal and state UI tax and reimbursable revenues of $44.9 billion and regular, extended, emergency, 

and disaster unemployment benefit payment expense of $27.4 billion were recognized for the year ended September 

30, 2018.

As discussed in Note 1-K.1 to the consolidated financial statements, DOL recognized a liability for regular, 

extended, emergency, and disaster unemployment benefits to the extent of unpaid benefits applicable to the current 

period and for benefits paid by states that have not been reimbursed by the UTF. Accrued unemployment benefits

payable as of September 30, 2018 were $908.6 million.

 

During FY 2018, the FUA did not incur additional borrowing from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury in the 

form of repayable advances; the FUA had repaid all its outstanding repayable advances as of September 30, 2015. 

The EUCA did not incur additional borrowing and repaid all its outstanding repayable advances as of September 30, 

2018.

Subsequent Events

Management has determined that there are no UI or UTF subsequent events requiring accrual or disclosure through 

November 15, 2018.
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124 United States Department of Labor

Effect of Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows on the Accumulated Net Assets of the UTF, in Constant Dollars 

The ability of the UI program to meet a participant’s future benefit payment needs depends on the availability of 

accumulated taxes and earnings within the UTF. The Department measures the effect of projected benefit payments 

on the accumulated net assets of the UTF, under an open group scenario, which includes current and future 

participants in the UI program. Future estimated cash inflows and outflows of the UTF are tracked by the 

Department for budgetary purposes. These projections allow the Department to monitor the sensitivity of the UI 

program to differing economic conditions, and to predict the program’s sustainability under varying economic 

assumptions.

The significant assumptions used in the projections include total unemployment rates, civilian labor force levels, 

percent of unemployed receiving benefits, total wages, distribution of benefit payments by state, state tax rate 

structures, state taxable wage bases, interest rates on UTF investments, and the Consumer Price Index-Urban (CPIU) for goods and services. The use of CPI-U factors allows the projections to be presented in constant dollars with 

FY 2018 as the base year. The valuation date for the projections is September 30, 2018. Cash projections depend on 

the assumptions used and actual experience may differ materially from the projections.

Presented on the following pages is the effect of projected economic conditions on the net assets of the UTF, in 

constant dollars, excluding the Federal Employees Compensation Account. Amount totals for the expected 

economic conditions analysis and the two sensitivity analyses may differ due to rounding.

Expected Economic Conditions 

Charts I and II graphically depict the effect of expected economic conditions on the UTF, in constant dollars, over 

the next ten years. 

Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows, in Constant Dollars, Under Expected Economic Conditions

Chart I depicts projected cash inflows and outflows of the UTF, in constant dollars, over the next ten years 

under expected economic conditions. Both cash inflows and cash inflows excluding interest earnings are 

displayed. Current estimates by the Department are based on an expected unemployment rate between 

3.77% and 3.85% during FYs 2019, 2020, and 2021 and remains between 4.00% and 4.80% in FYs 2022 

through 2028. Total cash inflows exceed total cash outflows in FY 2019 and through the end of the 

projected period. As presented in table (1) Expected Economic Conditions, the net inflow (excluding 

interest) increases from $12.4 billion in FY 2019 to $13.0 billion in FY 2020 before decreasing $8.4 billion 

in FY 2028, with the largest decrease of $2.0 billion between 2022 and 2023. The decrease in net inflow is 

primarily due to higher State benefits payments, offset by increases in interest received on Federal securities.
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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 125

Chart I

Effect of Expected Cash Flows on UTF Assets in Constant Dollars

Chart II demonstrates the effect of these expected cash inflows and outflows on the net assets of the UTF, in 

constant dollars, over the ten-year period ending September 30, 2018. Yearly projected total cash inflows, 

including interest earnings, and cash outflows, including interest payments, are depicted as well as the net 

effect of this cash flow on UTF assets. 

As depicted in Chart II, total cash inflows exceed total cash outflows in FY 2019 and all other years in the 

projected period. The excess of total cash inflows over total cash outflows is highest in FY 2020. As 

presented in table (1) Expected Economic Conditions, starting at a nearly $72.5 billion fund balance at the 

beginning of FY 2019, net UTF assets increase nearly $120.5 billion over the next ten years to $193.0 billion 

fund net assets balance by the end of FY 2028. Chart II depicts the increase in the net assets of the fund. 
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126 United States Department of Labor

Chart II

Sensitivity Analyses in Constant Dollars

Charts III (Sensitivity Analysis I) and IV (Sensitivity Analysis II) demonstrate the effect on accumulated UTF assets 

of projected total cash inflows and cash outflows of the UTF, in constant dollars, over the ten-year period ending 

September 30, 2028, in two sensitivity analyses. Each sensitivity analysis uses an open group, which includes 

current and future participants in the UI program. Sensitivity Analysis I assumes higher rates of unemployment and 

Sensitivity Analysis II assumes even higher rates of unemployment compared to the expected economic conditions 

as shown in Charts I and II. Table I below summarizes the unemployment rates for expected conditions, Sensitivity 

Analysis I, and Sensitivity Analysis II.
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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 127

Table I

Effect on UTF Assets, in Constant Dollars, in Sensitivity Analysis I

In this sensitivity analysis, which utilizes a higher unemployment rate of 5.45% beginning in FY 2019, as presented 

in table (2) Sensitivity Analysis I Higher Unemployment Rate, net cash inflows are negative in FYs 2019 through 

2024, but become positive in FY 2025 and continue to be positive through 2028. Chart III depicts the cross-over 

point where cash outflows exceed cash inflows until 2024 and cash inflows exceed cash outflows afterward. Starting 

at a nearly $72.5 billion fund balance at the beginning of FY 2019, net UTF assets first decrease by about $72.8

billion until 2024; then net UTF assets increase by $56.5 billion over the next four years to about a $56.2 billion fund 

net assets balance by the end of FY 2028. Chart III depicts the decrease in net assets until 2024 and then the increase 

in net assets thereafter. 

Chart III

Conditions 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

Expected 3.77% 3.75% 3.85% 4.00% 4.15% 4.30% 4.45% 4.62% 4.80% 4.80%

Sensitivity

 Analysis I 5.45% 7.43% 7.11% 6.38% 5.70% 5.56% 5.20% 4.74% 4.80% 4.80%

Sensitivity

 Analysis II 5.18% 8.51% 9.72% 9.16% 8.28% 7.59% 6.47% 5.44% 4.88% 4.80%

Total Unemployment Rate for the Ten-Year Period Ending September 30, 2028
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128 United States Department of Labor

Effect on UTF Assets, in Constant Dollars, in Sensitivity Analysis II

In this sensitivity analysis, as presented in the table (3) Sensitivity Analysis II Higher Unemployment Rate, net cash 

outflows including interest earnings and expenses are projected in FYs 2019 through 2024 by amounts between $5.5 

billion and $42.6 billion, but inflows exceed outflows in FYs 2025 through 2028 by amounts between $8.2 billion 

and $20.5 billion. Net cash inflows are reestablished in FY 2025 and peak in FY 2027 with a drop in the 

unemployment rate to 8.28% in FY 2023 and then steadily downward for FYs 2024 through 2028. Chart IV depicts 

the cross-over points where outflows exceed inflows until FY 2025 and inflows exceed outflows until FY 2028. The 

fund net assets decrease $93.4 billion from a $72.5 billion fund balance at the beginning of FY 2019 to a nearly 

$(20.9) billion fund deficit in FY 2028. Chart IV depicts the low point in the fund’s financial position at a fund 

deficit of $(78.3) billion in FY 2024 and then the steadily decreasing fund deficit through 2028. At the end of the 

projection period of Sensitivity Analysis II, net assets are about $213.9 billion less than under expected economic 

conditions.

Chart IV

The example of expected economic conditions and two sensitivity analyses, in constant dollars, demonstrate the 

counter cyclical nature of the UI program, which experiences net cash inflows during periods of low unemployment 

that are depleted by net cash outflows during periods of increased unemployment. During the expected conditions 

and two sensitivity analyses, state accounts without sufficient reserve balances to absorb negative cash flows are 

forced to obtain advances from the FUA in order to meet benefit payment requirements. Advances to states also 

deplete the FUA, which borrows from the ESAA and the EUCA until they are depleted. The FUA then requires 

advances from the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury to provide borrowings to states. (See following discussion of 

solvency measures for state UI programs.)
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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 129

(Dollars in millions) 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

Balance, start of year $ 72,537 $ 86,676 $ 101,745 $ 116,397 $ 129,915 $ 141,989 $ 153,148 $ 163,697 $ 173,292 $ 182,865

Cash inflow

State unemployment taxes 37,216 37,501 37,257 36,469 35,500 35,259 35,685 35,973 37,437 38,525

Federal unemployment taxes 6,264 6,241 6,224 6,208 6,196 6,186 6,175 6,157 6,157 6,151

Interest on loans - 1 1 1 - - - - - -

Deposits by the Railroad Retirement Board 138 140 129 110 114 129 129 117 113 126

Total cash inflow excluding interest 43,618 43,883 43,611 42,788 41,810 41,574 41,989 42,247 43,707 44,802

Interest on Federal securities 1,720 2,093 2,570 3,125 3,695 4,191 4,628 4,974 5,275 5,574

Total cash inflow 45,338 45,976 46,181 45,913 45,505 45,765 46,617 47,221 48,982 50,376

Cash outflow

State unemployment benefits 27,553 27,492 28,144 29,026 30,073 31,262 32,734 34,308 36,098 36,906

State administrative costs 3,386 3,153 3,127 3,115 3,107 3,095 3,086 3,071 3,065 3,050

Federal administrative costs 166 164 163 161 159 158 156 155 153 151

Interest on tax refunds 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2

Interest on advances - - - - - - - - - -

Railroad Retirement Board withdrawals 93 97 94 92 91 90 90 90 91 91

Total cash outflow 31,199 30,907 31,529 32,395 33,431 34,606 36,068 37,626 39,409 40,200

Excess of total cash inflow excluding

 interest over total cash outflow 12,419 12,976 12,082 10,393 8,379 6,968 5,921 4,621 4,298 4,602

Excess of total cash inflow over

 total cash outflow 14,139 15,069 14,652 13,518 12,074 11,159 10,549 9,595 9,573 10,176

Balance, end of year $ 86,676 $ 101,745 $ 116,397 $ 129,915 $ 141,989 $ 153,148 $ 163,697 $ 173,292 $ 182,865 $ 193,041

Total unemployment rate 3.77% 3.75% 3.85% 4.00% 4.15% 4.30% 4.45% 4.62% 4.80% 4.80% 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SUPPLEMENTARY SOCIAL INSURANCE INFORMATION IN CONSTANT DOLLARS

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF THE 

UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND EXCLUDING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION ACCOUNT

FOR THE TEN-YEAR PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2028

(1) EXPECTED ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
Financial Section

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130 United States Department of Labor

(Dollars in millions) 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

Balance, start of year $ 72,537 $ 63,187 $ 31,770 $ 13,097 $ 3,810 $ 616 $ (325) $ 13,114 $ 30,835 $ 44,793

Cash inflow

State unemployment taxes 37,790 40,288 44,274 47,355 48,808 48,983 49,261 49,420 49,125 48,475

Federal unemployment taxes 6,070 5,874 5,825 6,465 7,463 8,653 20,489 21,634 18,320 16,778

Interest on loans 7 238 639 991 1,282 1,490 1,397 1,151 931 743

Deposits by the Railroad Retirement Board 138 140 129 110 114 129 129 117 113 126

Total cash inflow excluding interest 44,005 46,540 50,867 54,921 57,667 59,255 71,276 72,322 68,489 66,122

Interest on Federal securities 1,548 1,274 1,170 1,243 1,397 1,565 1,736 2,009 2,321 2,566

Total cash inflow 45,553 47,814 52,037 56,164 59,064 60,820 73,012 74,331 70,810 68,688

Cash outflow

State unemployment benefits 50,915 74,941 66,190 60,771 57,497 56,925 54,813 52,250 52,792 53,531

State administrative costs 3,728 3,856 3,766 3,640 3,543 3,485 3,415 3,332 3,296 3,272

Federal administrative costs 166 164 163 161 159 158 156 155 153 151

Interest on tax refunds 1 1 1 1 2 2 5 6 5 4

Interest on advances - 172 496 786 966 1,101 1,094 777 515 279

Railroad Retirement Board withdrawals 93 97 94 92 91 90 90 90 91 91

Total cash outflow 54,903 79,231 70,710 65,451 62,258 61,761 59,573 56,610 56,852 57,328

Excess (deficiency) of total cash inflow

 excluding interest over (under)

 total cash outflow (10,898) (32,691) (19,843) (10,530) (4,591) (2,506) 11,703 15,712 11,637 8,794

Excess (deficiency) of total cash inflow

 over (under) total cash outflow (9,350) (31,417) (18,673) (9,287) (3,194) (941) 13,439 17,721 13,958 11,360

Balance, end of year $ 63,187 $ 31,770 $ 13,097 $ 3,810 $ 616 $ (325) $ 13,114 $ 30,835 $ 44,793 $ 56,153

Total unemployment rate 5.45% 7.43% 7.11% 6.38% 5.70% 5.56% 5.20% 4.74% 4.80% 4.80% 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SUPPLEMENTARY SOCIAL INSURANCE INFORMATION IN CONSTANT DOLLARS

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF THE 

UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND EXCLUDING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION ACCOUNT

FOR THE TEN-YEAR PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2028

(2) SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS I HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 131

(Dollars in millions) 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028

Balance, start of year $ 72,537 $ 67,042 $ 29,526 $ (13,076) $ (44,392) $ (64,801) $ (78,833) $ (70,605) $ (55,403) $ (34,873)

Cash inflow

State unemployment taxes 37,671 39,598 43,991 48,300 51,188 51,934 52,447 52,536 52,550 51,333

Federal unemployment taxes 6,090 5,781 5,641 6,121 7,412 8,982 24,521 25,061 26,469 20,578

Interest on loans 3 227 857 1,603 2,341 2,965 3,166 2,954 2,628 2,328

Deposits by the Railroad Retirement Board 138 140 129 110 114 129 129 117 113 126

Total cash inflow excluding interest 43,902 45,746 50,618 56,134 61,055 64,010 80,263 80,668 81,760 74,365

Interest on Federal securities 1,572 1,301 1,078 1,031 1,085 1,182 1,346 1,549 1,850 2,165

Total cash inflow 45,474 47,047 51,696 57,165 62,140 65,192 81,609 82,217 83,610 76,530

Cash outflow

State unemployment benefits 47,037 80,195 89,238 82,666 76,126 72,333 66,434 60,477 57,066 56,955

State administrative costs 3,672 3,915 4,026 3,952 3,829 3,722 3,591 3,456 3,361 3,318

Federal administrative costs 166 164 163 161 159 158 156 155 153 151

Interest on tax refunds 1 1 1 1 2 2 6 6 7 5

Interest on advances - 191 776 1,609 2,342 2,919 3,104 2,831 2,402 2,003

Railroad Retirement Board withdrawals 93 97 94 92 91 90 90 90 91 91

Total cash outflow 50,969 84,563 94,298 88,481 82,549 79,224 73,381 67,015 63,080 62,523

Excess (deficiency) of total cash inflow

 excluding interest over (under)

 total cash outflow (7,067) (38,817) (43,680) (32,347) (21,494) (15,214) 6,882 13,653 18,680 11,842

Excess (deficiency) of total cash inflow

 over (under) total cash outflow (5,495) (37,516) (42,602) (31,316) (20,409) (14,032) 8,228 15,202 20,530 14,007

Balance, end of year $ 67,042 $ 29,526 $ (13,076) $ (44,392) $ (64,801) $ (78,833) $ (70,605) $ (55,403) $ (34,873) $ (20,866)

Total unemployment rate 5.18% 8.51% 9.72% 9.16% 8.28% 7.59% 6.47% 5.44% 4.88% 4.80% 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SUPPLEMENTARY SOCIAL INSURANCE INFORMATION IN CONSTANT DOLLARS

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF THE 

UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND EXCLUDING THE FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COMPENSATION ACCOUNT

FOR THE TEN-YEAR PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2028

(3) SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS II HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

132 United States Department of Labor

*States with Minimally Solvent UTF Account Balances

Each state’s accumulated UTF net assets or reserve balance should provide a defined level of benefit payments over a 

defined period. To be minimally solvent, a state’s reserve balance should provide for one year’s projected benefit 

payment needs based on the highest levels of benefit payments experienced by the state over the last twenty years. A 

ratio of 1.00 or greater indicates that the state UTF account balance is minimally solvent. States below this level are 

vulnerable to exhausting their funds in a recession. States exhausting their reserve balance must borrow funds from 

FUA to make benefit payments. In FY 2015 the FUA repaid all its outstanding borrowings; there were no FUA 

borrowings in FY 2018.

Chart V presents the state by state results of this analysis at September 30, 2018 in descending order by ratio. As the 

chart below illustrates, 24 state UTF accounts were below the minimal solvency ratio of 1.00 at September 30, 2018. 

Some states borrow from the FUA and then issue bonds to repay their FUA borrowings; the ratios do not reflect a 

state’s debt to bondholders.

Chart V

*Includes the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

State Ratio State Ratio

 Vermont 2.33 Alabama 0.98

 Oregon 2.30 South Carolina 0.95

 Wyoming 2.22 Tennessee 0.95

 Mississippi 1.92 Minnesota 0.94

 South Dakota 1.76 Wisconsin 0.88

 Nebraska 1.75 Maryland 0.87

 Utah 1.74 Missouri 0.79

 Oklahoma 1.73 Arizona 0.78

 Alaska 1.66 Rhode Island 0.76

 Idaho 1.46 Colorado 0.71

 Montana 1.46 Delaware 0.70

 Iowa 1.42 New Jersey 0.66

 Puerto Rico 1.37 Pennsylvania 0.55

 Kansas 1.31 Kentucky 0.53

 Louisiana 1.30 West Virginia 0.47

 North Carolina 1.29 Illinois 0.45

 Maine 1.25 Connecticut 0.43

 Washington 1.24 Indiana 0.38

 Hawaii 1.23 New York 0.35

 Arkansas 1.20 Ohio 0.34

 New Mexico 1.19 Texas 0.34

 Nevada 1.19 Massachusetts 0.33

 District of Columbia 1.16 California 0.19

 Georgia 1.13 Virgin Islands 0.00

 Florida 1.09

 Michigan 1.05

 New Hampshire 1.05

 Virginia 1.04

 North Dakota 1.03

Minimally Solvent Not Minimally Solvent
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 133

Black Lung Disability Benefit Program

The Black Lung Disability Benefit Program provides for compensation, medical, and survivor benefits for eligible 

coal miners who are totally disabled due to pneumoconiosis (black lung disease) arising out of their coal mine 

employment and the BLDTF provides benefit payments when no responsible mine operator can be assigned the 

liability or when the liability is adjudicated to the BLDTF, which may occur as a result of, among other things, 

bankruptcy of the RMO. Other information about the BLDTF and social insurance reporting is also presented in 

Notes 1-W and 1-Y of the financial statements.

Program Administration and Funding

The Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act sets Black Lung benefits at 37.5% of the base salary of a Federal 

employee at level GS-2, Step 1. Black lung disability benefit payments are funded by excise taxes from coal mine 

operators based on the domestic sale of coal, as are the program’s administrative costs. These taxes are collected by 

the Internal Revenue Service and transferred to the BLDTF, which was established under the authority of the Black 

Lung Benefits Revenue Act, and administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. 

P.L. 110-343, Division B-Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, enacted on October 3, 2008, in section 

113, (1) allowed for the temporary increase in coal excise tax rates to continue an additional five years beyond the 

statutory limit and (2) restructured the BLDTF debt by refinancing the outstanding repayable advances (which had 

higher interest rates) with discounted debt instruments similar in form to zero-coupon bonds (which had lower 

interest rates), plus a one-time appropriation. This Act also allowed that any subsequent debt issued by the BLDTF 

may be used to make benefit payments, other authorized expenditures, or to repay debt and interest from the initial 

refinancing. All debt issued by the BLDTF was effected as borrowing from the Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal 

Service. (See Notes 1-J and 8)

Program Finances and Sustainability

At September 30, 2018, total liabilities of the BLDTF exceeded assets by $5.64 billion This net position deficit 

represents the accumulated shortfall of excise taxes necessary to meet benefit payments, administrative costs, and 

interest expense incurred prior to and subsequent to the debt refinancing pursuant to P.L. 110-343. Prior to 

enactment of P.L. 110-343, this shortfall was funded by repayable advances to the BLDTF, which were repayable 

with interest. Pursuant to P.L. 110-343, any shortfall will be financed with debt instruments similar in form to zerocoupon bonds, with a maturity date of one year and bear interest at the Treasury 1-year rate. Outstanding debt at 

September 30, 2018 was $6.0 billion, bearing interest rates ranging from 2.604% to 4.556%. Excise tax revenues of 

$384.4 million, benefit payment expense of $140.4 million, and interest expense of $209.1 million were recognized 

for the year ended September 30, 2018. The interest expense is accrued and capitalized to the principal of the debt 

until the debt reaches its face value at the time of maturity. On September 30, 2018, the BLDTF issued debt in the 

amount of $1.9 billion, bearing interest at 2.604% and maturing on September 30, 2019. At September 30, 2018, 

there were 23 debt instruments with staggered maturities of September 30 for years 2019 through 2040, with a total 

carrying value of nearly $6.0 billion and a total face value at maturity of nearly $8.8 billion. Of these 23 debt 

instruments, 22 are from the October 2008 refinancing and one debt instrument was issued on September 30, 2018.
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

134 United States Department of Labor

Subsequent Events

Management disclosed that as of September 30, 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals (USCA) June 26, 2018 abeyance on 

Clean Power Plan (CPP) litigation had expired and the February 2016 U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) stay of CPP 

regulation remained in effect. As of November 15, 2018, the 

• USCA has not issued another abeyance order on CPP regulation and

• SCOTUS stay of CPP regulation remained in effect.

For FY 2018 reporting, DOL’s assumptions did not include regulation pursuant to the CPP. As of November 15, 

2018, these assumptions remained consistent with Executive Branch policy on regulation pursuant to the CPP.

Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows, in Constant Dollars, for the Open Group

In FYs 2014 and 2015, the beneficiary population was assumed to be a nearly closed universe in which attrition by 

death exceeded new entrants by a ratio of more than ten to one; projections for new participants were included in the 

overall projections and were considered immaterial. Therefore, in FYs 2014 and 2015, the difference between the 

closed group population and the open group population due to new participants was immaterial and the same values 

were presented for both the open group and the closed group.

During FY 2016, the number of participants who joined the rolls increased due to, among other things, adjudicated 

liability as a result of responsible mine operator bankruptcy; projections for the number of new participants increased 

for similar reasons and the BLDTF management determined that the difference between the size of the closed group 

population and the open group population merited separate reporting for new participants. Accordingly, since FY 

2016 the SOSI presents values for the closed group, new participants, and open group. 

The significant assumptions used in the projections, in constant dollars, are the coal excise tax revenue estimates, tax 

rate structure, number of beneficiaries, life expectancy, Federal civilian pay raises, medical cost inflation, interest rate 

on new debt issued by the BLDTF, and the CPI-U for goods and services. The use of CPI-U factors allows the 

projections to be presented in constant dollars with FY 2018 as the base year. The valuation date for the projections 

is September 30, 2018. Effective for FY 2017 reporting DOL revised its projection period from a fixed terminus of 

FY 2040 to a rolling 25-year period beginning on the valuation date. The FY 2018 25-year projection period ends on 

September 30, 2043. Cash projections depend on the assumptions used and actual experience may differ materially 

from the projections.

In order to be consistent with Executive Branch policy on regulations pursuant to the Clean Power Plan (CPP), 

DOL’s estimates of future excise tax income were based on, among other things, Energy Information Administration 

(EIA) projections that do not reflect CPP regulation. The EIA projections reflect the continuing trend of lower coal 

production which would lead to lower future excise tax income. The effects of the significant decrease in projected 

cash inflows from excise taxes are also reflected in the Statement of Social Insurance as of September 30, 2018 and 

are the largest change reported in the Statement of Changes in Social Insurance Amounts for the year ended 

September 30, 2018. 

In February 2016 the SCOTUS stayed implementation of regulation pursuant to the CPP due to litigation pending in 

the USCA. On June 26, 2018, the USCA ordered that the CPP litigation be held in abeyance for 60 days. As of 

September 30, 2018, the USCA abeyance had expired and the February 2016 SCOTUS stay of CPP regulation 

remained in effect.

The projections, in constant dollars for the open group, made over the 25-year period ending September 30, 2043, 

indicate that cash outflows for benefit payments and administrative expenses will exceed cash inflows from excise 

taxes for all years in the projection period. Cumulative net cash outflows are projected as $1.07 billion by FY 2043. 

When payments from the BLDTF’s maturing debt are added to the net cash outflows, the BLDTF’s net cash outflows 

after payments on maturing debt are projected to reach $10.6 billion by the end of FY 2043, resulting in a projected 

deficit of nearly $14.2 billion at September 30, 2043. Amount totals in tables may differ slightly due to rounding 

(See Chart I and Table I).
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 135

The net present value of future projected benefit payments and other cash inflow and outflow activities for the closed 

group and the open group together with the fund’s deficit positions as of September 30, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, and 

2014 are presented in the SOSI.

Chart I

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2019 2023 2027 2031 2035 2039 2043

$ - Millions

BLACK LUNG DISABILITY TRUST FUND

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW IN CONSTANT DOLLARS FOR THE OPEN GROUP

Total Cash Outflow Total Cash Inflow Cash Outflows Before Repayment of Debt and Interest
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

136 United States Department of Labor

Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows with Sensitivity Analysis, in Constant Dollars, for the Open Group

For the projected cash inflows and outflows with sensitivity analysis, in constant dollars for the open group, the 

significant assumption for medical cost inflation was increased by 1.00%. For the sensitivity analysis, the other 

significant assumptions (coal excise tax revenue estimates, tax rate structure, number of beneficiaries, life 

expectancy, Federal civilian pay raises, interest rate on new debt issued by the BLDTF, and CPI-U for goods and 

services) were left unchanged. Cash projections depend on the assumptions used and actual experience may differ 

materially from the projections. 

These projections with sensitivity analysis, in constant dollars for the open group, made over the 25-year period

ending September 30, 2043, indicate that cash outflows for benefit payments and administrative expenses will exceed 

cash inflows from excise taxes for all years in the projection period. Cumulative net cash outflows would be 

projected to reach $1.2 billion by the year 2043. When payments from the BLDTF’s maturing debt are added to the 

net cash outflows, the BLDTF’s net cash outflows after payments on maturing debt would be projected to reach 

$10.8 billion by the end of the year 2043, and would result in a projected deficit of more than $14.3 billion at 

September 30, 2043 (See Chart II and Table II). Amount totals in tables may differ slightly due to rounding.

Chart II

Closed Group, New Participants, and Open Group with Sensitivity Analysis

For the closed group, new participants, and open group with sensitivity analysis, we modified the significant 

assumptions as described above (see Projected Cash Inflows and Outflows with Sensitivity Analysis, in Constant 

Dollars for the Open Group) for the medical cost inflation but the other significant assumptions were left unchanged. 

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2019 2023 2027 2031 2035 2039 2043

$ - Millions

BLACK LUNG DISABILITY TRUST FUND

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW IN CONSTANT DOLLARS FOR THE OPEN GROUP

SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

Total Cash Outflow Total Cash Inflow Cash Outflows Before Repayment of Debt and Interest
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 137

For the Sensitivity Analysis, the changes that we made in the assumptions as described above (see projected Cash 

Inflows and Outflows with Sensitivity Analysis, in Constant Dollars for the Open Group) had the following effects 

(in thousands of dollars):

(a) In the SOSI, for the closed group:

(1) the present value of estimated future excise tax income during the projection period would decrease $50,384 

from $1,385,560 to $1,335,176;

(2) the present value of estimated future administrative costs during the projection period would decrease 

$24,549 from $675,099 to $650,550;

(3) the actuarial present value of future benefit payments to disabled coal miners and dependent survivors during

the projection period would increase $29,623 from $1,270,504 to $1,300,127; and

(4) the closed group measure would decrease $55,458 from $(560,043) to $(615,501).

(b) In the SOSI, for the new participants:

(1) the present value of estimated future excise tax income during the projection period would increase $50,384 

from $1,133,640 to $1,184,024;

(2) the present value of estimated future administrative costs during the projection period would increase 

$24,549 from $552,354 to $576,903;

(3) the actuarial present value of future benefit payments to disabled coal miners and dependent survivors during 

the projection period would increase $86,942 from $1,049,906 to $1,136,848; and

(4) the excess of present value of estimated future excise tax income over present value of estimated future 

administrative costs and actuarial present value of future benefit payments during the projection period 

would decrease $61,107 from $(468,620) to $(529,727).

(c) In the SOSI, for the open group:

(1) the present value of estimated future excise tax income during the projection period of $2,519,200 would 

remain unchanged;

(2) the present value of estimated future administrative costs during the projection period of $1,227,453 would 

remain unchanged;

(3) the actuarial present value of future benefit payments to disabled coal miners and dependent survivors during 

the projection period would increase $116,565 from $2,320,410 to $2,436,975; and

(4) the open group measure would decrease $116,565 from $(1,028,663) to $(1,145,228).

(d) In the SOSI, the trust fund net position deficit at start of the projection period of $(5,641,907) would remain 

unchanged.

(e) In the SOSI Summary Section, for the closed group:

(1) the closed group measure would decrease $55,458 from $(560,043) to $(615,501);

(2) the Funds with U.S. Treasury and receivables from benefit overpayments of $359,710 would remain 

unchanged; and

(3) the total of closed group measure plus fund assets would decrease $55,458 from $(200,333) to $(255,791).

(f) In the SOSI Summary Section, for the open group:

(1) the open group measure would decrease $116,565 from $(1,028,663) to $(1,145,228);

(2) the Funds with U.S. Treasury and receivables from benefit overpayments of $359,710 would remain 

unchanged; and

(3) the total of open group measure plus fund assets would decrease $116,565 from $(668,953) to $(785,518).

Cash projections depend on the assumptions used and actual experience may differ materially from the projections.
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

138 United States Department of Labor

Table I 

(Dollars in thousands) 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 - 2043 Total

Balance, start of year $ (5,641,907) $ (5,754,542) $ (5,932,436) $ (6,142,984) $ (6,384,083) $ (6,648,778) $ (5,641,907)

Cash inflow

Excise taxes 219,296 162,690 151,632 139,995 133,355 1,911,773 2,718,741

Total cash inflow 219,296 162,690 151,632 139,995 133,355 1,911,773 2,718,741

Cash outflow

Disabled coal miners benefits 151,511 147,023 143,606 140,035 136,075 1,765,317 2,483,568

Administrative costs 69,437 69,236 69,102 68,933 68,806 961,678 1,307,192

Cash outflows before repayment of

 debt and interest 220,947 216,259 212,708 208,969 204,881 2,726,995 3,790,760

Cash inflow over cash outflow 

 (cash outflow over cash inflow)

 before repayment of debt and interest (1,651) (53,569) (61,076) (68,974) (71,526) (815,222) (1,072,019)

Maturity of obligations refinanced October 2008 177,683 187,258 196,732 205,881 214,899 4,192,466 5,174,920

Interest on annual borrowings 48,437 50,850 65,073 77,678 88,948 4,040,526 4,371,512

Total cash outflow 447,067 454,367 474,514 492,528 508,729 10,959,986 13,337,191

Total cash outflow over total cash inflow (227,771) (291,677) (322,882) (352,533) (375,374) (9,048,213) (10,618,450)

Reduction of debt refinanced October 2008 115,136 113,783 112,334 111,434 110,678 1,522,912 2,086,278

Balance, end of year $ (5,754,542) $ (5,932,436) $ (6,142,984) $ (6,384,083) $ (6,648,778) $ (14,174,079) $ (14,174,079)

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SUPPLEMENTARY SOCIAL INSURANCE INFORMATION

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF THE BLACK LUNG DISABILITY TRUST FUND IN CONSTANT DOLLARS

FOR THE 25-YEAR PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2043

OPEN GROUP
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 139

Table II 

(Dollars in thousands) 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 - 2043 Total

Balance, start of year $ (5,641,907) $ (5,755,443) $ (5,934,735) $ (6,147,225) $ (6,390,852) $ (6,658,680) $ (5,641,907)

Cash inflow

Excise taxes 219,296 162,690 151,632 139,995 133,355 1,911,773 2,718,741

Total cash inflow 219,296 162,690 151,632 139,995 133,355 1,911,773 2,718,741

Cash outflow

Disabled coal miners benefits 152,412 148,384 145,465 142,415 138,976 1,885,842 2,613,495

Administrative costs 69,437 69,236 69,102 68,933 68,806 961,678 1,307,192

Cash outflows before repayment of

 debt and interest 221,849 217,620 214,567 211,348 207,782 2,847,520 3,920,686

Cash inflow over cash outflow 

 (cash outflow over cash inflow)

 before repayment of debt and interest (2,553) (54,930) (62,935) (71,353) (74,427) (935,747) (1,201,945)

Maturity of obligations refinanced October 2008 177,683 187,258 196,732 205,881 214,899 4,192,466 5,174,920

Interest on annual borrowings 48,437 50,886 65,156 77,827 89,180 4,082,798 4,414,284

Total cash outflow 447,968 455,765 476,456 495,057 511,862 11,122,784 13,509,891

Total cash outflow over total cash inflow (228,672) (293,075) (324,824) (355,062) (378,507) (9,211,011) (10,791,150)

Reduction of debt refinanced October 2008 115,136 113,783 112,334 111,434 110,678 1,522,912 2,086,278

Balance, end of year $ (5,755,443) $ (5,934,735) $ (6,147,225) $ (6,390,852) $ (6,658,680) $ (14,346,779) $ (14,346,779)

 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

SUPPLEMENTARY SOCIAL INSURANCE INFORMATION SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS

CASH INFLOW AND OUTFLOW OF THE BLACK LUNG DISABILITY TRUST FUND IN CONSTANT DOLLARS

FOR THE 25-YEAR PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2043

OPEN GROUP
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

140 United States Department of Labor

COMBINING STATEMENTS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

The principal Combined Statements of Budgetary Resources combine the availability, status, and outlay of DOL’s 

budgetary resources during FY 2018 and FY 2017. Presented on the following pages is the disaggregation of this 

combined information for each of the Department’s major budget agencies. 
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 141

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Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

142 United States Department of Labor

COMBINING STATEMENTS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

For the Year Ended September 30, 2018

Occupational

Employment and Office of Workers' Office Safety and 

Training Compensation of Health

Administration Programs Job Corps Administration

BUDGETARY RESOURCES

Unobligated balance from prior year budget authority, net (discretionary and mandatory) $ 1,025,656 $ 1,664,413 $ 1,046,837 $ 13,109

Appropriations (discretionary and mandatory) 36,872,257 2,264,848 1,762,818 552,787

Borrowing Authority (discretionary and mandatory) - 29,942 - -

Spending authority from offsetting collections (discretionary and mandatory) 3,441,327 2,972,896 - 1,701

Total budgetary resources $ 41,339,240 $ 6,932,099 $ 2,809,655 $ 567,597

STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

New obligations and upward adjustments (total) $ 40,001,360 $ 5,315,090 $ 1,527,073 $ 555,450

Unobligated balance, end of year

Apportioned, unexpired account 829,202 1,583,090 1,202,946 220

Exempt from apportionment, unexpired accounts - 29,354 - -

Unapportioned, unexpired accounts 73,396 2,620 2,004 -

Unexpired unobligated balance, end of year 902,598 1,615,064 1,204,950 220

Expired unobligated balance, end of year 435,282 1,945 77,632 11,927

Unobligated balance, end of year (total) 1,337,880 1,617,009 1,282,582 12,147

Total budgetary resources $ 41,339,240 $ 6,932,099 $ 2,809,655 $ 567,597

OUTLAYS, NET

Outlays, net (total) (discretionary and mandatory) $ 36,474,829 $ 2,157,710 $ 1,543,120 $ 539,732

Distributed Offsetting receipts (437,644) (2,662) - -

Agency outlays, net (discretionary and mandatory) $ 36,037,185 $ 2,155,048 $ 1,543,120 $ 539,732
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 143

Employee Veterans'

Bureau of Mine Safety Benefits Employment Wage Other

Labor and Health Security and Training and Hour Departmental

Statistics Administration Administration Service Division Programs TOTAL

$ 7,635 $ 5,031 $ 4,590 $ 10,540 $ 13,388 $ 114,577 $ 3,905,776

 547,000 373,882 181,000 50,000 279,894 636,347 43,520,833

 - - - - - - 29,942

 94,703 1,436 5,965 245,041 2,800 451,159 7,217,028

$ 649,338 $ 380,349 $ 191,555 $ 305,581 $ 296,082 $ 1,202,083 $ 54,673,579

$ 643,576 $ 375,481 $ 185,024 $ 295,140 $ 284,796 $ 1,107,917 $ 50,290,907

 614 761 2,358 186 2,702 74,752 3,696,831

 - - - - - - 29,354

 - 5 - - 4,424 7,673 90,122

 614 766 2,358 186 7,126 82,425 3,816,307

 5,148 4,102 4,173 10,255 4,160 11,741 566,365

 5,762 4,868 6,531 10,441 11,286 94,166 4,382,672

$ 649,338 $ 380,349 $ 191,555 $ 305,581 $ 296,082 $ 1,202,083 $ 54,673,579

$ 545,547 $ 368,798 $ 176,974 $ 29,466 $ 280,577 $ 650,749 $ 42,767,502

 - - - - - (19,485) (459,791)

$ 545,547 $ 368,798 $ 176,974 $ 29,466 $ 280,577 $ 631,264 $ 42,307,711
Financial Section

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

144 United States Department of Labor

COMBINING STATEMENTS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

For the Year Ended September 30, 2017

Occupational

(Dollars in thousands) Employment and Office of Workers' Office Safety and 

Training Compensation of Health

Administration Programs Job Corps Administration

BUDGETARY RESOURCES

$ 1,312,671 $ 1,389,950 $ 1,101,305 $ 14,945

Appropriations (discretionary and mandatory) 38,807,728 2,164,703 1,718,173 552,787

 - - - -

 3,447,722 3,120,629 - 1,976

Total budgetary resources $ 43,568,121 $ 6,675,282 $ 2,819,478 $ 569,708

STATUS OF BUDGETARY RESOURCES

New obligations and upward adjustments (total) $ 42,465,992 $ 5,014,082 $ 1,793,774 $ 555,786

Unobligated balance, end of year

Apportioned, unexpired accounts 517,656 1,621,366 931,944 71

Exempt from apportionment, unexpired accounts - 33,211 - -

Unapportioned, unexpired accounts 61,845 5,370 7,500 -

Unexpired unobligated balance, end of year 579,501 1,659,947 939,444 71

Expired unobligated balance, end of year 522,628 1,253 86,260 13,851

Unobligated balance, end of year (total) 1,102,129 1,661,200 1,025,704 13,922

Total budgetary resources $ 43,568,121 $ 6,675,282 $ 2,819,478 $ 569,708

OUTLAYS, NET

Outlays, net (total) (discretionary and mandatory) 39,099,763 2,026,401 1,612,705 555,402

Distributed offsetting receipts (550,080) (2,166) - -

Agency outlays, net (discretionary and mandatory) $ 38,549,683 $ 2,024,235 $ 1,612,705 $ 555,402

Unobligated balance from prior year budget authority, net 

 (discretionary and mandatory)

Spending authority from offsetting collections

 (discretionary and mandatory)

Borrowing Authority (discretionary and mandatory)
Annual Financial Statements

REQUIRED SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 145

Employee Veterans'

Bureau of Mine Safety Benefits Employment Wage Other

Labor and Health Security and Training and Hour Program

Statistics Administration Administration Service Division Agencies TOTAL

$ 7,220 $ 7,025 $ 3,989 $ 15,463 $ 26,874 $ 119,287 $ 3,998,729

 544,000 373,816 183,000 45,000 273,782 623,239 45,286,228

 - - - - - - -

 93,813 1,352 5,670 235,768 4,001 467,458 7,378,389

$ 645,033 $ 382,193 $ 192,659 $ 296,231 $ 304,657 $ 1,209,984 $ 56,663,346

$ 639,258 $ 376,602 $ 189,191 $ 280,686 $ 290,742 $ 1,126,049 $ 52,732,162

 671 570 4 272 3,133 64,753 3,140,440

 - - - - - - 33,211

 - 5 - - 5,547 7,624 87,891

 671 575 4 272 8,680 72,377 3,261,542

 5,104 5,016 3,464 15,273 5,235 11,558 669,642

 5,775 5,591 3,468 15,545 13,915 83,935 3,931,184

$ 645,033 $ 382,193 $ 192,659 $ 296,231 $ 304,657 $ 1,209,984 $ 56,663,346

 541,813 371,308 186,012 37,052 288,883 612,642 45,331,981

 - - - - - (6,882) (559,128)

$ 541,813 $ 371,308 $ 186,012 $ 37,052 $ 288,883 $ 605,760 $ 44,772,853



(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 149

Inspector General’s Top Management and Performance Challenges
Other Information

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150 United States Department of Labor

TOP MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE CHALLENGES

FACING THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

NOVEMBER 2018

CHALLENGE: Protecting the Safety and Health of Workers 

BACKGROUND 

The Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is responsible for the safety and health of 

136 million workers employed at more than 9 million establishments, while the Department’s Mine Safety and 

Health Administration (MSHA) is responsible for the safety and health of approximately 320,000 miners who work 

at more than 13,000 mines. 

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT 

OSHA and MSHA face challenges in determining how to best use their resources to help protect the workers’ safety 

and health, particularly in high-risk industries such as construction, forestry, fishing, agriculture, and mining. These 

challenges are exacerbated by underreporting of injuries by employers. Without reliable data regarding workplace 

injuries, OSHA and MSHA lack the information needed to effectively focus inspection and compliance efforts on the 

most hazardous workplaces. 

Verifying the abatement of construction hazards remains a challenge for OSHA. The agency closed many citations 

for safety violations because the construction project ended, not because employers corrected the cited hazards. As a 

result, OSHA received no assurances employers would use improved safety and health practices at subsequent 

construction sites. 

A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health concluded that black lung cases are at a 25-year 

high in Appalachian coal mining states. MSHA is challenged to determine the reasons for this increase and develop 

strategies for addressing it. The Agency is currently soliciting comments, data, and information to develop a study to 

assess the impact of the August 2014 coal dust rule on the health of miners. However, because of the latency period 

between exposure to coal dust and development of black lung disease, it will likely take a decade or more to 

complete the study. An emerging challenge facing MSHA is reducing the number of powered haulage accidents,

8

which accounted for 8 percent of all injuries and 50 percent of all fatalities in 2017. 

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS 

OSHA states that it encourages employers to comply with illness and injury reporting requirements through a variety 

of enforcement, outreach, and compliance assistance efforts. OSHA also established a program to develop, 

implement, and assess the effectiveness of agency internal controls. 

MSHA reports it has increased its sampling of mines for silica, quartz, and diesel particulate emissions, and has 

ordered additional sampling devices for its inspectors and testing equipment for its lab in order to enhance sampling 

and enforcement for these airborne contaminants. The agency is also working with the mining industry to develop 

and install proximity detection/collision warning systems on equipment in surface and underground mines that can 

stop machine motion and/or send a warning signal to the machine operator when it detects a person or object in the

machine’s path.

 8 Per MHSA’s Accident/Illness Investigation Handbook, a powered haulage accident is an accident caused by the motion of the haulage unit, 

including accidents that are caused by an energized or moving unit or failure of component parts. Haulage includes motors and rail cars, 

conveyors, belt feeders, longwall conveyors, bucket elevators, vertical manlifts, self-loading scrapers or pans, shuttle cars, haulage trucks, 

front-end loaders, load-haul- dumps, forklifts, cherry pickers, mobile cranes if traveling with a load, etc. 
Top Management and Performance Challenges

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 151

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE 

OSHA needs to complete its initiatives to improve employer reporting of severe injuries and illnesses, and enhance 

staff training on abatement verification, especially of smaller and transient construction employers. OSHA also needs 

to complete the development of its evaluation and analysis program.

MSHA needs to identify methods for improving mine operators’ reporting of accidents, injuries, and illnesses. To 

ensure mine operators comply with the Respirable Coal Dust rule, MSHA needs to: 

1) review the quality of coal mine dust controls in mine ventilation and dust control plans; 2) analyze sampling data 

quarterly; 3) monitor operator sampling equipment; 4) re-evaluate the rule in light of new information; and 5) 

increase testing and enforcement for other airborne contaminants. MSHA also needs to continue its efforts to address

the number of powered haulage accidents by conducting compliance and technical assistance visits, enhancing 

training, and increasing and sharing its knowledge of available technology.

CHALLENGE: Providing a Safe Learning Environment at Job Corps Centers

BACKGROUND

The Job Corps program provides education, training, and support services to approximately 50,000 disadvantaged, 

at-risk youth, ages 16–24, at 123 Job Corps centers nationwide, both residential and nonresidential. The goal of the 

nearly $1.7 billion program is to offer an intensive intervention to members of this targeted population as a means to 

help them learn vocational skills, earn a high school diploma or GED, and find and keep a good job.

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT

The Job Corps program remains challenged in its efforts to control violence and provide a safe learning environment 

at its centers, which could hinder Job Corps’ ability to attract students, teach them the skills they need, place them in 

meaningful jobs, or help them to obtain further education. 

OIG audits over the past three years found a wide range of security and safety issues at Job Corps centers, from 

failure to report and investigate serious misconduct, to security staff shortages. Follow-up work we completed in 

December 2017 showed the Department had taken steps to establish, clarify, and enforce Job Corps safety and 

security policies. However, the Department’s corrective action plan has not yet been fully implemented. Job Corps 

needs a fully implemented and documented oversight process to ensure future center compliance and safe and secure 

environments for Job Corps students and staff.

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS 

Job Corps established the Division of Regional Operations and Program Integrity to improve oversight of center 

safety, and initiated a technology pilot to enhance security at selected centers. Phase I of the pilot, involving 13 

centers, has been completed. According to Job Corps, most of the enhancements planned for Phase II, involving 18 

centers, have been completed. Job Corps anticipates completing the remaining enhancements in FY 2019. Finally, 

Job Corps’ Physical Security Specialist performed Physical Security System Utilization Reviews at four Phase I 

centers.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE 

Job Corps needs to implement staffing plans for continuous oversight, issue its standard operating procedures for 

oversight activities, and maintain documentation showing the deficiencies it identifies and the corrective actions 

taken to remediate the deficiencies. Further, Job Corps needs to expeditiously complete the various safety initiatives 

already in progress, and vigilantly ensure center operators and regional office personnel fully enforce Job Corps’ 

safety and security policies and improve campus security system-wide. 
Other Information

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152 United States Department of Labor

CHALLENGE: Helping Adults and Youth Succeed in the Labor Market

BACKGROUND

In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the Department's Employment andTrainingAdministration (ETA)received

$3.3 billion to operate a system of education, skills training, and employment services authorized by the Workforce 

Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). Congress intends for these services to increase the post-program 

employment and earnings of current and future workers, particularly low-income persons, dislocated workers, and atrisk and out-of-school youth. In addition, Job Corps received $1.7 billion to provide residential and nonresidential 

education, training, and support to approximately 50,000 disadvantaged, at-risk youth, ages 16-24, at 123 Job Corps 

centers nationwide. 

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT

The Department is challenged to ensure participants in its job training programs are securing the education, training,

and supportservicesthey need to succeed in the labor market. Past OIG audits have found job training graduates were 

often placed in jobs unrelated to the occupational certifications and skills training they received, or in jobs that 

required little or no training. 

An emerging challenge for the Department is developing an effective strategy for helping people affected by opioids 

become and remain employable. Recent research studies have reported individuals addicted to opioids commonly 

drop out of the labor market, and opioid dependency is most prevalent among prime-age individuals (those ages 25 to 

54). Studies further noted workers on opioids are less productive, and employers in opioid-affected areas have 

difficulty finding dependable workers and filling job openings.

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS 

The Department receives information on grantees’ outcomes for a set of performance measures, which include 

employment, education, earnings, credential attainment and progress towards credential attainment or training 

completion of people who received job-related services from the workforce programs. The data reported by grantees 

under WIOA should improve the ability of the Department to analyze the relationship between training services and 

the participant’s occupation of employment. The Department stated it has provided, and will continue to provide, 

technical assistance on sector strategies and performance reporting, based on analysis of the performance results.

In addition, ETA continued to provide resources through CareerOneStop.org to help job seekers, businesses, and 

career counselors better understand what credentials were available, along with indicators of the quality and labor 

market value of those credentials. This resource also identified licenses and education and training programs related 

to specific occupations. ETA also continued to emphasize the importance of earning credentials in its grant 

competitions. 

In March 2018, ETA announced the availability of grant funds to serve or retrain workers impacted by opioid use, 

addiction, and overdose. Subsequently, the Department awarded more than $22 million to six states (Alaska, 

Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Washington). The Department also issued guidance

that allows states to use National Dislocated Worker Grant funds to provide services to eligible participants affected 

by the opioid crisis, as well as to train individuals to work in mental health treatment, addiction treatment, and pain 

management.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

To address this challenge, the Department needs complete and accurate performance information that allows it to 

make evidence-based and data-driven decisions about job training programs. As mentioned above, the reporting 

required to calculate outcomes for grantees is underway. The Department needs to continue providing technical

assistance to states regarding how to access and report performance information within the WIOA performance 

management system.

The Departmentshould also continue pursuing statutory accessto the National Directory of New Hires, and exploring 

new methods for data collection beyond the end of the grant period of performance. Moreover, the Department needs 
Top Management and Performance Challenges

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 153

to finalize and issue guidance to states on data validation to ensure data used to calculate performance measures are 

complete and accurate. Finally, the Department needs to monitor the performance of the grants it has awarded for 

delivering services to the employers and workers impacted by the opioid crisis.

CHALLENGE: Protecting Retirement, Health, and Other Benefit Plans for Workers, 

Retirees, and Their Families 

BACKGROUND

The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is responsible for protecting the integrity of pensions, 

health, and other employee benefits for 149 million people. EBSA’s enforcement authority extends to approximately 

703,000 private retirement plans, 2.3 million health plans, and millions of welfare benefit plans that together hold 

$9.8 trillion in assets. EBSA’s responsibilities also include providing oversight of the federal Thrift Savings Plan

(TSP), the largest defined-contribution plan in the United States, with nearly 5.1 million participants and $568 billion 

in assets as of December 31, 2017.

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT

EBSA is challenged in identifying the investigations, audits, reviews, and compliance assistance activities that will 

best protect workers’ pensions, health, and other benefits. Specifically, EBSA is challenged to determine which of its 

enforcement initiatives are the most effective, particularly given the potential expansion of the health and retirement 

marketplaces as a result of the President’s October 2017 Executive Order on expanding access to Association Health 

Plans, and the August 2018 Executive Order on expanding access to multiple employer retirement plans.

Past OIG audit findings revealed that as much as $3.3 trillion in pension assets, including an estimated $800 billion 

in hard-to-value alternative investments, received limited-scope audits that provided few assurances to participants as 

to the financial health of their plans. Auditors performing these limited reviews generally do not need to audit 

investment information certified by certain banks or insurance carriers, presumably because they are being audited by 

other entities for other purposes. As a result, the independent public accountants that conduct limited-scope audits 

express “no opinion” on the financial statements of plans that receive certifications from the banks or insurance 

carriers holding assets on behalf of the plans. These limited-scope audits weaken assurances to stakeholders and put 

retirement plan assets at risk because such audits provide little or no confirmation regarding the existence or value of 

plan assets. EBSA has no legal authority to force these plans to conduct full-scope audits to provide significantly 

stronger assurances to participants.

In addition, EBSA needs to provide greater oversight of TSP by strengthening its audit program. Specifically, EBSA 

is challenged to ensure its audits of TSP are more focused and result in meaningful changes to Plan operations. 

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS

In June 2018, EBSA issued regulatory guidance regarding Association Health Plans and other related reforms in the 

health care market resulting from the October 2017 Executive Order. In addition, EBSA has made efforts to place the 

repeal of the limited scope audit exemption on the Department’s legislative agenda, as well as worked to increase the 

information it collects from plans taking advantage of this exemption. Regarding TSP, EBSA has taken a number of 

steps to improve its audit risk assessment and encourage the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board to 

implement audit recommendations.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

EBSA needs to develop new outreach, education, and enforcement strategies for Association Health Plans to 

accommodate the new diversity of health plans now available in the market, as well as refocus its resources to ensure 

proper oversight of these plans. In addition, EBSA needs to develop regulatory guidance pursuant expanding access 

to multiple employer retirement plans. EBSA should continue to pursue legislative repeal of the limited scope audit 

exemption to ensure better security for retirement plans. EBSA needs to continue its efforts to improve its audit risk 
Other Information

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154 United States Department of Labor

assessment for the TSP and improve the impact of its TSP audits. The agency should also seek an increase in its 

authority to further augment its oversight of TSP.

CHALLENGE: Reducing Improper Payments 

BACKGROUND

In FY 2018, the Department continued to identify the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Federal Employees’ 

Compensation Act (FECA) benefit programs as susceptible to improper payments. The UI Program provides 

unemployment benefits to eligible workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and meet other 

eligibility requirements of state law. The UI program paid benefits totaling $28.7 billion during the period July 1, 

2017, to June 30, 2018. The FECA program provides workers' compensation coverage to approximately 2.6 million 

federal and postal workers around the world for employment-related injuries and occupational diseases. During the 

period July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, the FECA program paid out $3 billion in benefits to more than 216,000

beneficiaries. 

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT

The Department faces challenges in ensuring improper payments are timely detected, prevented, and accurately 

reported in the UI and FECA benefit programs. 

In the UI program, estimated improper payments totaled $3.7 billion for the reporting period July 1, 2017 through 

June 30, 2018. The estimated improper payment rate was 13.0 percent, remaining above the 10 percent threshold set 

in the Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act, as amended, for designation as a “high priority” program. 

The UI program is challenged to make timely benefit payments on a weekly basis while ensuring claimants meet 

eligibility requirements each week. A payment may later be determined improper due to receipt of information that 

was not available at the time the payment was required to be made, or as a result of requirements that claimants be 

provided due process prior to stopping payment of benefits. Inadequate information at the time initial eligibility is 

determined and the need to reassess payment eligibility each week contribute to the Department’s challenges in 

helping states address the three leading causes of UI improper payments: 1) claimants who fail to meet active work 

search requirements; 2) overpayment to claimants who continue to claim benefits after they returned to work; and 3) 

failure of employers or their third party administrators to provide timely and adequate information on the reason for 

an individual’s separation from employment. As OIG investigations have shown, fraud also continues to be a 

significant threat to the integrity of the UI program, as identity thieves and organized criminal groups have found 

ways to exploit program weaknesses. For example, the payment of benefits using non-state issued prepaid debit cards 

provides anonymity to those who are submitting fraudulent claims. 

In the FECA program, the Department has been challenged to estimate the full extent of improper payments being 

made. The Department has excluded certain categories of compensation payments in its improper payment estimate 

for FECA, but did not determine the full effect of those exclusions on its estimate. Further, the Department did not 

determine the effect of issues identified by fraud investigations, nor did it estimate the extent to which these issues 

existed in the payment population. The lack of a more comprehensive analysis of FECA improper payments 

hampered the Department’s ability to identify and prevent these payments. This was especially true with respect to 

payments for pharmaceuticals, as discussed in the challenge related to monitoring and managing pharmaceuticals in 

the FECA program.

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS 

In the UI program, the Department is developing an Integrity Data Hub to serve as a secure portal for states to crossmatch public and private sources of data, including new identity verification tools that will help to prevent improper 

payments before they occur. One component of the Integrity Data Hub is the Suspicious Actor Repository, a tool 

now used in seven pilot states to share specific data elements associated with fraudulent UI claims for cross-matching 

purposes. An additional 21 states are now in the process of implementing the repository. In addition, the states have 
Top Management and Performance Challenges

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 155

available targeted consultative services and business process analysis by UI subject matter experts to identify 

customized solutions to state-specific root causes of improper payments. In the FY 2018 and FY 2019 budgets, the 

Department has included legislative proposals to require states to implement certain improper payment reduction 

strategies, such as the State Information Data Exchange System to improve timely and accurate receipt of the reason 

for a claimant’s separation from employment.

In June 2018, the Department submitted an updated FECA improper payment estimation methodology to OMB 

taking into account previous OIG recommendations. OIG will assess the revised methodology as part of our next 

improper payments audit. 

The FECA program increased its use of data analytics within the past year to examine medical providers and their 

billing patterns. Specifically, the program is monitoring medical billing data to identify and refer to the OIG potential 

fraud including incentivized prescribing and other possible kickbacks. According to the Department, the use of 

dashboards and data exploration tools also identified potential fraud, waste, and abuse in pharmaceutical billing 

trends that resulted in new controls to curb the activity. 

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

The Department needs to continue its efforts to pursue the UI program integrity legislative proposals included in the 

Department’s FY 2018 and FY 2019 budgets. These legislative proposals include requiring states to cross match with 

SSA’s prisoner database and other repositories of prisoner information, providing the Secretary of Labor greater 

authority to require corrective actions by state UI agencies, and allowing states to retain up to five percent of UI 

overpayment recoveries for program integrity use. Regarding FECA, the Department needs to continue exploring 

options for using data analytics to identify payment trends or irregularities that may indicate improper payments are 

occurring. The Department also needs to refer all potentially criminal violations to the OIG in a timely manner.

CHALLENGE: Monitoring and Managing Pharmaceuticals in the FECA Program

BACKGROUND

The FECA program provides workers' compensation coverage to approximately 2.6 million federal and postal 

workers around the world for employment-related injuries and occupational diseases. During the period July 1, 2017, 

to June 30, 2018, the FECA program paid out $3 billion in benefits to more than 216,000 beneficiaries. 

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT

The Department is challenged to effectively manage the use and cost of pharmaceuticals in the FECA program.

Given the high risk of fraud related to prescription payments, the Department needs to conduct comprehensive 

analyses and monitoring of FECA costs to promptly detect and address problems. In one case alone, the OIG 

identified potential fraud involving nearly $158 million. Coordination and collaboration between DOL’s Office of 

Workers’ Compensation Programs and the OIG on anti-fraud matters is key to reducing the amount of fraud 

impacting the FECA program. 

For opioids in particular, the Department needs to develop quality information to help it identify claimants at risk of 

addiction and the associated costs of treatment. The results of our improper payment work show that the 

Department’s lack of comprehensive analysis of medical benefit payments in the FECA program allowed prior 

increases in billings for compounded drugs to go undetected and could fail to identify other potential problems, such 

as the overuse of opioids. It is critical that the Department ensure prescription drugs reimbursed by the program are 

medically necessary, safe, effective, and obtained at a fair price.

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS

The Department has performed reviews of questionable providers acting in a fraudulent or abusive manner, 

implemented procedures to identify prescribers of prescription drugs, implemented quantity limits on initial fills and 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

156 United States Department of Labor

refills for compound drugs and opioids, performed an initial analysis of generic drug prescriptions, and implemented 

drug exclusion lists for drugs and drug ingredients. 

Regarding compounded drugs, the Department developed an authorization process that requires physicians to certify 

medical necessity. This new process appears to have made an impact, as the cost of compounded drugs decreased 

from $263 million in FY 2016 to $37 million in FY 2017, and further decreased to approximately $19 million in FY 

2018. The Department also began requiring prior authorizations in May 2018 for certain physician-dispensed 

medications. The cost of these medications can be significantly higher than those distributed by a pharmacy, and this 

practice circumvented the Department’s established controls over opioids and compounded drugs.

Similar to its process for compounded drugs, the Department developed authorization processes for approving 

payments for opioid prescriptions. However, its process for claimants with long-term opioid prescriptions lacks 

regularly scheduled certifications and is only requested at the discretion of FECA’s medical benefits examination 

staff. 

The Department stated it has taken other actions to manage the use and cost of pharmaceuticals better in the FECA 

program. These actions included implementing new policies related to the review and approval of pharmacy claims, 

providing information to claimants and doctors regarding the risks of opioid use and discussing alternate treatment 

options, and focusing data analytics efforts to learn about the population of opioid users, predict future behavior, and 

improve the detection of medical provider fraud and risky opioid prescribers. The Department also issued a new 

Circular stating that if the Suspension and Debarment official issues a notice of suspension or final debarment 

determination, it will apply that decision to FECA medical providers and stop payment.

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

The Department needs to follow through on its planned actions, including completing procurement actions currently 

in process. After completing these planned actions, the Department needs to measure their impact on the use and cost 

of prescription drugs, as well as consider additional options for monitoring and managing the use and cost of 

pharmaceuticals. These options include: 

• Ensuring timely cessation of payments to indicted providers in the FECA program through suspensions and 

debarments;

• Conducting drug utilization reviews to prevent potentially harmful drug interactions;

• Implementing drug exclusion and formulary lists for all drugs and drug ingredients;

• Using alternative methods for calculating fair and reasonable pharmaceutical pricing;

• Requiring the use of preferred pharmacy providers;

• Pursuing inclusion under the "ceiling price" statute; and

• Improving edit checks to identify high drug prices requiring additional review and authorization.

The Department should continue its efforts to identify what insurance providers and other federal, state, and local 

agencies are doing to manage pharmaceutical use and costs and determine which best or promising practices may be 

transferable. 

The Department should also continue its efforts to identify and refer allegations involving potential fraud in the 

FECA program to the OIG for further investigation. Finally, the Department needs to better utilize data analytics to 

monitor payments for pharmaceuticals, particularly opioid usage by claimants, and identify trends, risks, and 

appropriate treatment plans.

CHALLENGE: Maintaining the Integrity of Foreign Labor Certification Programs

BACKGROUND

The Department’s foreign labor certification programs are intended to provide U.S. employers with access to foreign 

workers to meet worker shortages, but only when U.S. workers are unavailable and their wages and working 
Top Management and Performance Challenges

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 157

conditions are not adversely affected. The Department’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) reviews 

applications from employers seeking to hire: 1) immigrant workers for permanent positions; 2) non-immigrant 

workers for temporary professional positions; and 3) agricultural and non-agricultural workers for temporary or 

seasonal positions.

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT

The Department is challenged by its limited statutory authority to act on potentially fraudulent foreign labor 

applications, which at times have led to unscrupulous employers misusing foreign labor certification programs for 

labor and human trafficking. OIG’s investigations have shown the foreign labor certification programs, in particular 

the H-1B program that allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialty occupations, to be 

susceptible to significant fraud and abuse, often by dishonest immigration attorneys, employers, labor brokers, and 

organized criminal enterprises. One of the reasons this occurs is because the Department is statutorily required to 

certify H-1B applications, unless it determines them to be “incomplete or obviously inaccurate.” 

Another continued challenge for the Department is balancing the protection of U.S. workers’ interests through the 

thorough review of foreign labor applications with employer needs for timely processing. Rising application levels 

and seasonal spikes in employer needs have resulted in periodic application processing delays. 

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS

From FY 2016 to FY 2018, the Department has requested authorization through its annual budget formulation to 

establish and retain fees to cover the operating costs for foreign labor certification programs. Once fully 

implemented, the Department believes these fees would eliminate the need for appropriations to administer its 

foreign labor certification programs.

In June 2017, the Secretary of Labor issued a memorandum to ETA, the Wage and Hour Division, and the Solicitor 

of Labor regarding enforcement and coordination within the Department’s non-immigrant and immigrant labor 

certification programs. Pursuant to that memorandum, the OIG worked with the Department on protocols to ensure 

that allegations of criminal fraud involving both the non-immigrant and immigrant labor certification programs 

administered by the Department are referred to the OIG expeditiously. The protocols went into effect in August 2017. 

Further, in August 2017, the Department published a 60-day Notice in the Federal Register proposing substantial 

improvements to the Labor Condition Application for Nonimmigrant Workers (LCA/Form ETA 9035/9035E 

electronic). The Department’s proposed enhancements to the form are intended to provide greater transparency for 

U.S. workers and the general public. In September 2017, the Department executed a comprehensive agreement with 

the OIG, authorizing OFLC to share immigrant and non-immigrant visa program information for the purposes of 

enhancing worksite investigations and improving information sharing about program debarments and other sanctions 

imposed on program violators. 

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

The Department needs to seek statutory and regulatory authority to strengthen its ability to debar any employer and 

any individual acting directly or indirectly in the interest of an employer in relation to both non-immigrant and 

immigrant workers, and any successor in interest to the employer found to have violated foreign labor certification 

regulations. In addition, the Department needs to refer all potentially criminal violations to the OIG in a timely 

manner. The Department also needs to enhance the reporting and application of suspensions and debarments 

government-wide. 

In the H-2B program, which is used for hiring foreign workers for temporary, non-agricultural jobs, the Department 

needs to continue its efforts to ensure applications are processed in time for employers to hire foreign workers by 

their dates of need, while at the same time ensuring the review process protects the interests of U.S. workers. In the 

H-1B program, the Department needs to seek statutory authority to verify the accuracy of information provided on 

labor condition applications. 
Other Information

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158 United States Department of Labor

As the only agency within DOL statutorily authorized to investigate criminal fraud against the foreign labor 

certification programs, the OIG is concerned with its ability to respond to increases in criminal referrals resulting 

from greater coordination among DOL agencies. To mitigate this concern, the OIG has requested authorization to 

access funds received from visa fees to conduct necessary criminal investigations and audits to combat threats against 

the foreign labor certification programs.

CHALLENGE: Securing and Managing Information Systems 

BACKGROUND

The Department’s major information systems contain sensitive information central to its mission and to the effective 

administration of its programs. For instance, Departmental systems are used to analyze and house the nation’s 

leading economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate and the Consumer Price Index. These systems also 

maintain critical and sensitive data related to the Department’s financial activities, enforcement actions, job training 

services, worker safety and health, pensions, and welfare benefits. In FY 2019, the Department’s Chief Information 

Officer (CIO) will have oversight responsibility for information technology investments totaling an estimated $700 

million.

CHALLENGE FOR THE DEPARTMENT 

The Department is challenged with safeguarding its data and information systems, much like most federal agencies. 

The OIG continues to identify information security deficiencies in the areas of configuration management, 

contingency planning, third-party oversight, risk management, and continuous monitoring. The Department has made 

improvements in these areas; however, these deficiencies continue to exist or recur, and represent ongoing risks to 

the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the Department’s information. 

The Department also faces information technology management challenges in the areas of maintaining its current 

systems, modernizing or replacing legacy systems, and moving additional systems into the cloud. As with the entire 

information technology industry, DOL is challenged to maintain an effective information technology workforce, 

dealing with skills gaps, and shortages.

DEPARTMENT’S PROGRESS 

The Department hired several new federal cybersecurity employees to strengthen security operations and strategic 

policy and planning, and completed several projects to modernize, secure, and consolidate information technology. 

The Department implemented tools provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for monitoring network 

traffic and conducting weekly scans for external-facing systems. Finally, the Department implemented an Enterprise 

Cybersecurity Capability Portfolio and Process. This enhancement aligned with the Presidential Executive Order on 

Strengthening Cybersecurity of Federal Networks and Critical Infrastructure. 

WHAT REMAINS TO BE DONE

Consistent with the intent of the Information Technology Management Reform Act and the Federal Acquisition 

Reform Act (collectively known as the Clinger-Cohen Act), we continue to recommend the Department realign the 

position of the CIO to provide greater independence and authority for implementing and maintaining an effective 

information security program. Under the Department’s current organizational structure, the CIO reports to the 

Assistant Secretary of Administration and Management, the Office of the Chief Information Officer’s largest 

customer. Additionally, the Chief Information Officer needs to provide the resources and oversight to address 

information security deficiencies, some of which have been recurring since FY 2003, and ensure agencies within the 

Department and their systems adhere to the Department’s information security policies, procedures, and controls.
(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 159

Summary of Financial Statement Audit and Management Assurances

The following tables provide a summary of the Department’s FY 2018 financial statement audit and its management 

assurances.

Summary of Financial Statement Audit

Audit Opinion Unmodified

Restatement No

Material Weaknesses Beginning 

Balance

New Resolved Consolidated Ending 

Balance

Improvements Needed in the Review of Liability Estimates 1 0 1 0 0

Total Material Weaknesses 1 0 1 0 0

Significant Deficiency Beginning 

Balance

New Resolved Consolidated Ending 

Balance

Lack of Sufficient Information Technology General Controls over Key Financial 

Feeder Systems 1 0 0 0 1

Total Significant Deficiencies 1 0 0 0 1

Summary of Management Assurances

Effectiveness of Internal Control over Financial Reporting (FMFIA § 2)

Statement of Assurance Unmodified

Material Weaknesses Beginning 

Balance

New Resolved Consolidated Reassessed Ending 

Balance

Total Material Weaknesses 0 0

Effectiveness of Internal Control over Operations (FMFIA § 2)

Statement of Assurance Unmodified

Material Weaknesses Beginning 

Balance

New Resolved Consolidated Reassessed Ending 

Balance

Total Material Weaknesses 0 0

Conformance with financial management system requirements (FMFIA § 4)

Statement of Assurance Systems conform to financial management system requirements

Non-Conformances Beginning 

Balance

New Resolved Consolidated Reassessed Ending 

Balance

Total Non-Conformances 0 0

Compliance with Federal Financial Management Improvement Act (FFMIA)

Agency Auditor

1. System Requirements No lack of compliance noted. No lack of compliance noted.

2. Accounting Standards No lack of compliance noted. No lack of compliance noted.

3. United States Standard General Ledger (USSGL) at 

Transaction Level

No lack of compliance noted. No lack of compliance noted.
(Unaudited)

160 United States Department of Labor 

Payment Integrity

The Improper Payments Information Act of 2002 (IPIA), as amended by the Improper Payments Elimination and 

Recovery Act of 2010 (IPERA) and the Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 

(IPERIA), requires federal agencies to identify and reduce improper payments (IP) and report annually on their 

efforts according to guidance promulgated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). For more detailed 

information on IP, please see: https://paymentaccuracy.gov/. 

Program Summaries

The UI program reports that progress is being made in the prevention, detection, and recovery of overpayments, in 

spite of the structural issues that continue to create IP. The UI program cites the following success stories as 

examples of this progress for the 2018 reporting period:

• The leading controllable root causes of UI overpayments (See section below on Root Causes for details) have 

decreased over the past eight years. As a percent of total dollars overpaid, Benefit Year Earnings (BYE) 

errors (-3.66), Separation issues (-4.15), and Employment Service (ES) Registration errors (-6.50) 

experienced reductions as a percentage of dollars overpaid between 2011 and 2018.

• For the improper payments that were made, the federal-state UI program reports a high rate of overpayment 

recovery. During 2018, the UI program reported over $992 million in established overpayments and 

recovered approximately $746 million of those overpayments (a 75.2 percent recovery rate).

• Early results from the UI Integrity Center’s pilot of its Suspicious Actor Repository (SAR) demonstrated 

value in the prevention of IP. The seven (7) state SAR pilot prevented 240 improper claims from being paid, 

or approximately $1.7 million in improper benefit payments. While the adoption of the SAR is voluntary, 

the UI Integrity Center anticipates that the value demonstrated from the pilot will encourage additional states 

to adopt the system in FY 2019.

The FECA program significantly increased its use of data analytics within the past year to examine hundreds of 

medical providers and their billing patterns to look for suspicious activity. Specifically, FECA closely monitored 

medical billing data to identify potential fraud including incentivized prescribing and other possible kickbacks, which 

resulted in over 60 referrals to the Department’s Office of Inspector General in the past fiscal year. The use of 

dashboards and data exploration tools also allowed the program to identify potential fraud, waste and abuse in 

pharmaceutical billing trends that resulted in new controls to curb the activity, specifically convenience kits and 

physician dispensed medication. Less than 1% of medical bill payments were improper in FY 2018. The program’s 

commitment to reducing improper payments led to a .34% reduction in the IP rate for claimant compensation.
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 161

I. PAYMENT REPORTING

Two DOL programs – Unemployment Insurance (UI) and the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) - are 

considered susceptible to IP because they report an IP rate above the legal threshold in IPERA, and are required to 

report detailed information related to IP.

Total Outlays

Proper Payments 86.95% $24,946.53 87.50% $28,464.08 

Improper Payments: 13.05% $3,743.47 12.50% $4,065.92 

...Overpayments 12.63% $3,623.55 12.11% $3,937.76 

...Underpayments 0.42% $119.92 0.39% $128.17 

IP Made Directly by 

the Federal 

Government

0% $0 0% $0.00 

IP Made By 

Recipients of Federal 

Money 4

13.05% $3,743.47 12.50% $4,065.92 

Net IP (IP Minus 

Amounts Recovered 

by States)

10.45% $2,997.77 10.12% $3,292.49 

IP Minus “Work 

Search” Errors 8.24% $2,365.20 8.23% $2,676.89 

Total Outlays

Proper Payments 97.56% $2,972.74 97.94% $2,722.91 

Improper Payments: 2.44% $74.37 2.06% $57.19 

...Overpayments 2.06% $62.64 1.17% $32.40 

...Underpayments 0.39% $11.73 0.89% $24.79 

IP Made Directly by 

the Federal 

Government

2.38% $72.58 1.37% $38.10 

IP Made By 

Recipients of Federal 

Money 5

0.06% $1.78 0.69% $19.08 

Notes : 1 Covers the 12-month period from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018.

2

 FY 2018 UI outlays are based on the Unemployment Insurance Outlook for the President's FY 2019 Budget Midsession Review. The FY18 IP rate is estimated from the results of the Benefit 

Accuracy Measurement (BAM) survey. The rate reflects the population amounts of UI benefits paid reported by BAM. 

3

 FY 2017 UI outlays are based on the Unemployment Insurance Outlook for the President's FY 2018 Budget. The FY17 IP rate is estimated from the results of the BAM survey. The rate 

reflects the population amounts of UI benefits paid reported by BAM.

4

 These figures represent the IP amounts and percentages made by the UI agencies in the 53 states and territories. Although the significant majority of these payments are funded by taxes 

collected by the states and territories on employers in their jurisdictions, the funds are deposited in the Unemployment Trust Fund and have been considered federal funds for reporting purposes.

5 These payments encompass those made from the OWCP’s bill payment contractor.

6

 Rounding may account for imprecise totals.

Unemployment Insurance (UI) IP rate exceeds 

threshold

$28,690.00 $32,530.00 

Federal Employees’ Compensation Act 

(FECA)

IP rate exceeds 

threshold

$3,047.10 $2,780.10 

DOL Programs Required to Submit Improper Payments Estimates ($ in millions) 1

Program Requirement 

Based on... Measure Estimated Rate (% of total outlays & total $)6

FY182 FY17 3 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

162 United States Department of Labor

ROOT CAUSES

The following chart describes IP root causes as described in Appendix C to OMB Circular A-123 for programs found 

susceptible to significant improper payments, the amount of total overpayments and underpayments estimated to be 

attributable to those root causes, describes forward looking corrective actions, and actions taken, results, and 

completion dates. The root cause model provided in A-136 is highly generalized for application across the Federal 

government. DOL programs found susceptible to IP have developed program specific root cause models to improve 

payment integrity efforts.

UI Program:
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 163

Program Design or Structural Issue: As part of their continuing eligibility for ongoing benefits after being 

determined initially eligible, UI claimants are required to certify that they have met a state’s work search 

requirements for each continued week of benefits claimed and to document their work search. Work Search errors 

occur when a claimant fails to provide verifiable or acceptable evidence of his/her work search efforts in accordance 

with state law, policy, or procedure.

Because work search errors generally cannot be prevented before the payment must be made to the claimant in 

accordance with Federal law, it is not possible for states to proactively reduce this largest root cause of UI improper 

payments. Federal law requires states to pay benefits “when due,” and prevents states from stopping payment of 

continued weekly claims until certain due process requirements are completed, including issuing a notice and an 

opportunity to be heard. These requirements are important policy underpinnings for the UI program. Additionally, 

the definition of improper payments, established by the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 

(IPERA), requires the UI program to report overpayments that result from these statutorily required payments as part 

of its overall improper payment rate.

Over the past eight years, the Work Search root cause, as a percent of total dollars overpaid, has increased by 18.83 

percentage points. The increase in the Work Search rate has offset the decreases in the other root cause categories, 

leading the overall UI improper payment rate to climb.

Despite the difficulty states experience in preventing work search errors before they occur, the UI program continues 

to take proactive steps to help states to attempt to address this root cause and states continue to detect and recover 

these improper payments.

Corrective Action: Reasons for the increase in work search errors appear to be correlated with states 

enacting more rigorous work search laws following the Great Recession. To better understand the reasons 

behind the increase in the work search improper payment rate, the Department plans a research study to 

capture information on state laws and policies, how states communicate work search requirements to 

claimants and enforce these work search requirements, and strategies states have implemented to improve 

compliance with work search requirements. 

Next Steps: The UI program is working with the Department’s Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) 

to design the study and secure a research firm to begin the study in FY 2019.

Corrective Action: To prevent work search improper payments, claimants must comply with state work 

search requirements. New messaging approaches using behavioral science techniques in workforce 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

164 United States Department of Labor

programs have proven successful in Department of Labor trials conducted by the CEO.9 These approaches 

included simplified messaging that increased customer participation in reemployment and eligibility 

assessment programs. The UI program is working with CEO and the UI Integrity Center to develop and 

implement work search compliance strategies using behavioral science techniques.

Next Steps: The UI program is working with CEO in FY 2019 to pilot and evaluate work search 

behavioral strategies in targeted states. In FY 2019, the UI Integrity Center (discussed in detail 

later) is also implementing a new behavioral messaging project to test messaging focused on 

improper payments broadly, including work search.

Inability to Authenticate Eligibility – Inability to Access Data: BYE errors are payments to individuals who 

continue to claim benefits after they have returned to work and have unreported earnings. To address this root cause, 

it is critical for states to identify as quickly as possible that a UI claimant has returned to work and to ensure that 

claimants understand their responsibility to report when they return to work. ETA has promoted state strategies to 

address this challenge. Over the past eight years, the BYE root cause has experienced a 3.66 percentage point 

reduction.

The centerpiece of DOL’s UI integrity strategic plan is the UI Integrity Center of Excellence that serves as a statedriven source of innovative program integrity strategies to prevent and detect improper payments and reduce fraud. 

A state-driven approach is fundamental since state agencies operate the federal-state UI program and make the 

benefit payments. The Integrity Center is being implemented through cooperative agreements with the New York 

State Department of Labor and the National Association of State Workforce Agencies (NASWA).10

Corrective Action: In September 2017, as part of its broader integrated UI Integrity Data Hub, the Integrity 

Center launched a Suspicious Actor Repository (SAR) in pilot states to share specific data elements 

associated with known fraudulent UI claims for cross-matching purposes.

Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Results: As of August 2018, the UI Integrity Center is actively working with 

states to develop and pilot the SAR for the prevention and detection of fraud in the UI program.

• Early results from the pilot demonstrate the SAR’s value, as use by the 7 pilot states has 

prevented 240 improper claims from being paid, or approximately $1.7 million in benefits.

• The total number of records held by SAR is currently 18,799, and approximately 328,000 

SAR look-up requests were processed between April and July 2018

 9 https://www.dol.gov/asp/evaluation/BIStudy/

10 http://integrity.naswa.org/
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 165

• Following the SAR pilot, thirteen states are now actively using the system to cross-match 

weekly claims against known suspicious claims data, with 21 additional states in various 

stages of implementation. While the adoption of the SAR is voluntary, the UI Integrity 

Center anticipates that the value demonstrated from the pilot will drive additional states to 

adopt the system in FY 2019.

Next Steps: The UI program has established a target of at least 12 new states actively contributing 

records and cross-matching against the SAR during FY 2019. In addition, the UI Integrity Center 

will further develop the UI Integrity Data Hub to serve as a secure portal for states to cross-match 

with public and private sources of data, including new identify verification tools to be used at the 

front end of a claim that will help to prevent fraudulent improper payments before they occur.

Corrective Action: In September 2017, the UI Integrity Center finalized a data analytics tool piloted in three 

states that may assist states with the prevention and detection of IP.

Next Steps: The UI Integrity Center is promoting the data analytics product to states through 

webinars and its website as a tool they may choose to implement.

Corrective Action: In addition to the UI Integrity Center’s BYE-focused strategies, the UI program is 

focused on increasing state cross-matching with the State and National Directory of New Hires (NDNH), and 

the immediate notification of claimants that the state agency is aware they may have returned to work while 

still claiming benefits.11

FY 2018 Results: In May 2018, California completed its implementation of the NDNH in its Benefit 

Payment Control processes. All 53 state UI programs are now using NDNH as a cross-match tool to 

identify individuals that have returned to work and continue to claim benefits but fail to report 

earnings.

Next Steps: The UI program included, as part of the 2018 and 2019 President’s budget requests, 

state requirements to use the NDNH cross-match against UI claims, as well as civil penalties for 

employers that fail to submit required information to the NDNH.

Failure to Verify - Other Eligibility Data: ES Registration errors result when UI claimants are not registered for 

services with the public workforce system and accessing public jobs bank as required in state law. Over the past 

eight years, the ES Registration root cause has experienced a 6.50 percentage point reduction.

 11 UIPL No. 19-11, Attachment A: http://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/attach/UIPL/UIPL19-11ATT.pdf
Other Information

(Unaudited)

166 United States Department of Labor

Corrective Action: ES Registration errors are often the result of information technology system errors that exit a UI 

claimant from their required registration with the state Employment Service or job bank after a set period. As a 

corrective action, ETA provides customized technical assistance to states with the highest error rates for this cause.

Next Steps: On an ongoing basis, those states with high ES Registration error rates submit specific 

corrective action plans to address this root cause and are monitored by ETA’s regional offices. This 

strategy was implemented in 2011 and resulted in a 71.4 percent reduction in the ES Registration 

error rate versus the 2011 baseline rate.

Administrative or Process Error Made by – State or Local Agency: The UI program continues to work 

aggressively to identify strategies that will improve program integrity controls that are under the purview of state 

workforce agencies, and reduce improper payments resulting from state errors, including identifying and supporting 

state implementation of model integrity operations, sharing promising practices, and developing and providing 

training to address these issues.

Corrective Action: In February 2017, the UI Integrity Center launched a UI National Training Academy 

that offers program integrity training for state agencies’ staff via online modules and instructor-led courses 

leading to credentials.

FY 2018 Results: The UI National Training Academy offers curricula aimed at improving state 

control efforts in fraud investigation, UI program leadership, operations integrity, data analytics, 

and tax integrity.

• As of August 2018, a total of 204 Training Academy lesson modules are included in the 

Integrity Center’s course catalog. A total of 67 lessons are currently complete and available 

to learners across the 5 curricula tracks.

• As of June 2018, a total of 1,287 staff are enrolled in the Academy, across 43 states. A total 

of 407 certificates have been earned, with 196 state staff completing the fraud investigation 

certificate and 211 completing the operations certificate. 97.2 percent of the Training 

Academy students rated the lessons overall as “Very Good” or “Good.”

Next Steps: Additional training modules are being developed to improve state program integrity 

controls and will be added to the UI National Training Academy on an ongoing basis. The Integrity 

Center is in the process of preparing 41 additional lessons to add to the Academy. In addition, 96 

more lessons are planned across the five (5) curricula tracks.

Corrective Action: In July and August 2017, the UI Integrity Center launched an Integrity Knowledge 

Exchange offering several strategies to engage states to share best practices aimed at improving state control 

efforts. These strategies include: a Digital Library for the exchange of promising state practices and 

integrity information; a State Practices Portal containing a “model” integrity blueprint highlighting integrity 

practices that should be part of state UI modernization efforts; and Consultative Services with UI subject 

matter experts providing integrity-focused business process analyses directly to states.

FY 2018 Results: The Integrity Knowledge Exchange currently offers the following resources to 

state UI programs:

• As of June 2018, a total of 1,047 Digital Library resources are published. The Integrity 

Center has recorded a total of 1,510 unique page views for these resources that are available 

exclusively to UI practitioners.

• As of June 2018, the State Practices Portal includes a total of 76 “model blueprint” state 

practices. The Integrity Center has recorded a total of 794 unique page views for these 

resources that are available only to UI practitioners.
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 167

• As of June 2018, UI Integrity Center subject matter experts have provided consultative and 

business process reengineering services to 13 states, including 9 on-site visits. A total of 467 

UI integrity recommendations have been provided to states across the issue areas of 

Recovery/Collections, Identity Verification, Program Management, and Tax Integrity. 

Next Steps: The UI Integrity Center is updating the Digital Library and State Practices Portal to add 

information to assist states on an ongoing basis. In addition, the UI program has established a target 

of 6 additional states to receive on-site Consultation Services from the Integrity Center during FY 

2019. 

Corrective Action: The Integrity Center periodically hosts UI program integrity symposia to promote 

promising strategies to all state workforce agencies aimed at improving state control efforts.

FY 2018 Results: On April 11-12, 2018, the Integrity Center held its third program integrity 

symposium in Houston, Texas. This technical information-sharing event brought together vendors 

and state staff responsible for program integrity to share successful improper payment and fraud 

prevention and detection strategies used in states, and to highlight the Center’s efforts directed at 

reducing improper payments. A total of 288 individuals attended the symposium from 51 states.

Next Steps: The Integrity Center plans to conduct future symposia for the UI system to occur 

approximately every 18 months. The next Integrity Center symposium will likely be held late in 

calendar year 2019.

Corrective Action: ETA developed a State UI Benefits Operations Self-Assessment tool to assist states in 

identifying and correcting operational control issues affecting performance and integrity.

FY 2018 Results: In October 2017, states began using the State UI Benefits Operations SelfAssessment Tool to conduct comprehensive self-assessment reviews of key functional and program 

areas, including functions associated with preventing, detecting, and recovering improper payments.

Next Steps: States are to complete the first results of the comprehensive self-assessment reviews in 

April 2019. These results will aid ETA in assessing risks to program integrity. They will also 

inform ETA’s state specific and national technical assistance strategies.

Corrective Action: The UI program transmitted to Congress a set of important UI program integrity 

legislative proposals as part of the FYs 2018 and 2019 President’s Budget Requests. These integrity 

proposals would do the following:

• Facilitate state use of the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) for the recovery of fraud and certain nonfraud overpayments by addressing current restriction on using contractors (non-federal staff);

• Require state implementation of the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) for timely 

and accurate exchange of information required from employers to make benefit eligibility 

determinations;

• Mandate state requirements related to use of the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) for 

detecting UI claimants who have returned to work;

• Allow the Secretary of Labor to require states to implement specific corrective actions and use 

specified amounts of their state administrative grants to improve performance, including reducing the 

UI improper payment rate;

• Permit states to retain up to 5 percent of recovered overpayments for integrity purposes; and

• Designate UI penalty and interest funds as UI program income, with a portion to be used to support 

integrity activities. 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

168 United States Department of Labor

FY 2018 Results: These legislative proposals were initially transmitted to Congress on October 7, 2016. 

The proposals were also included in the FYs 2018 and 2019 President’s Budget requests. 

Next Steps: ETA is in the process of developing additional proposals to add to this Integrity Act package 

that will support state access to more effective data sources.

Insufficient Documentation to Determine: Separation errors result from the failure of employers, or their third 

party administrators, to provide timely and adequate information on the reason for an individual’s separation from 

employment, which can affect the claimant’s eligibility. Over the past eight years, the Separation root cause has 

experienced a 4.15 percentage point reduction.

Corrective Action: The State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) was developed to enable the 

electronic communication of separation and other UI information between employers and states, in order to 

improve the timeliness and accuracy of information from employers on the reason for a UI applicant’s 

separation at the point of eligibility determinations.

FY 2018 Results: Currently, a total of 50 state UI agencies are using SIDES for the exchange of 

separation information with employers.

• In April 2018, NASWA published a new marketing toolkit designed to help states identify 

gaps in SIDES marketing and employer use; learn about best practices implemented in 

other states; and connect states via existing NASWA SIDES peer learning opportunities.12

• On June 2018, NASWA hosted a webinar on how SIDES can be used to meet employers’ 

communication needs throughout the lifecycle of a UI claim. The webinar also discussed 

how states could market SIDES to employers with frequent UI claims activity.

• NASWA staff participate in Society for Human Resource Management conferences 

nationwide to promote employers use of SIDES.

Next Steps: While a vast majority of states has implemented SIDES, the current emphasis is on 

promoting employer use of SIDES. The NASWA SIDES team plans additional outreach to the 

employer community in the form of informational webinars in FY 2019. The UI program continues 

to seek full implementation of SIDES by all 53 states and added a proposed requirement in its 

Integrity Act package for states to implement it as part of the FYs 2018 and 2019 President’s budget 

requests.

 12 http://sidesitk.naswa.org/sides
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 169

The following UI Program Percent of Total Dollars Overpaid by Cause supplementary table describes root 

causes determined by the UI Program and percent of total overpayments attributable to each cause. The causes, 

described at https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/pdf/Overpayment_CauseDefinitions.pdf, more appropriately correlate to 

the IP in the UI program.
Other Information

(Unaudited)

170 United States Department of Labor

FECA Program:

The FECA Program Improper Payment Root Cause Categories table overlaps between the root causes and 

responsibilities for the payment errors that make it difficult to describe corrective actions and actions taken for each 

IP root cause category separately. The discussion below attempts to clarify the description of IP root causes, and 

actions planned or taken to address root causes.

Overpayments Underpayments

Death Data

Financial Data

Excluded Party

Prisoner Data

Other Eligibility Data

Federal Agency $11.48 $10.28 

State or Local Agency

Other Party $1.70 $0.09 

$27.85 

$62.64 $11.73 

Administrative or 

Process Error 

Made by:

Medical Necessity

Insufficient Documentation to Determine

Other: 1

Total 2

Notes: 1 Reflects fraud restitution orders as described in Section VII: Sampling & Estimation, below.

2

 Rounding may account for imprecise totals.

Data Needed Does Not Exist $20.03 $1.36 

Failure to Verify

FECA Program Improper Payment Root Cause Categories ($ in millions)

OMB Root Cause

Program Design or Structural Issue Inability to Authenticate Eligibility

Inability to Access Data $1.58 
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 171

Inability to Authenticate Eligibility: This category of errors reflects issues in the prompt and accurate annual 

authentication of continued eligibility. The program heavily relies on self-reporting of earnings and other entitlement 

criteria via annual benefit entitlement questionnaires. The questionnaire functions as a tool to monitor changes in 

employment, dependency status, potential fraud, incarceration, third-party settlement, and benefits from other Federal 

benefit programs. It also serves as a trigger for monitoring the improvement of accepted medical condition(s). 

Inability to Access Data - Errors found in this sub-category are attributable to changes in employment earnings 

and dual benefits. This results in payments being issued when due, but are later determined to be improper. While 

employment and Federal benefit data exists, limited resources and statutory regulations prevent the program from 

being able to access it. 

Corrective Action: FECA will continue to work with OCFO, and Treasury to incorporate the elements of 

the DNP initiative into its operations. 

Timetable: In FY 2018, the program started exploring the possibility of establishing a relationship with SSA 

to exchange benefit payment information. In the first quarter of FY 2019, an MOU will be completed to 

conduct an initial data assessment of the viability of future data matching. 

Data Needed Does Not Exist – The majority of errors in this sub-category are attributable to a failure to adjust 

payments after a claimant reported a change in dependency status. A smaller subset of errors resulted in the 

claimant’s failure to submit documentation required to establish ongoing eligibility or the weight of the medical 

evidence establishing the claimant could return to full duties. No database or dataset exists with that information. 

Corrective Action: Continue to enhance existing controls to ensure receipt of current medical evidence for 

cases on the periodic roll. Offices will be required to ensure all ongoing total disability cases have a current 

questionnaire along with updated medical documentation. FECA will implement an internal audit program to 

review cases in each office. The audit program will have scale up capability to add additional cases reviews 

as needed and cover all facets of an entitlement review. FECA’s Branch of Regulations and Procedures will 

customize mandatory training sessions to target specific areas and personnel in need of improvement. 

Timetable: In FY 2018, the annual request for medical documentation for periodic roll disability cases was 

refined and automated for all offices. In FY 2019, FECA will consider new database queries to monitor 

potential changes in status (e.g., dependent status or dual benefits). In FY 2019, FECA will implement the 

new audit program; additionally, FECA will work on a DNP initiative with the Department of U.S. Treasury 

to assist with identifying beneficiaries in receipt of concurrent SSA retirement benefits. 

Administrative or Process Error Made by: This category reflects various errors in calculating compensation and 

medical benefits.

With regard to compensation payments, the largest category of discrepancies identified involved various components 

associated with the calculation of the payrate. Specifically, the majority of IP resulted from the issuance of 

compensation payments based on incorrect or unverified base payrates, the inaccurate calculation of premium pay or 

the use of the wrong effective date for the payrate. About 53% of IP dollars for compensation payments resulted in 

overpayments, while 47% were underpayments. The FECA improper payment rate for all compensation payment 

errors, including administrative or process errors, was 1.70%, which is a .34% decrease from last year.

The “Other Party” category reflects medical-billing errors that did not meet coverage, coding and reimbursement 

billing requirements. Six bills had improper payments, which resulted from an override of a bill pay line item, coding 

discrepancies that required override and duplicate travel reimbursement attributed to improper completion of a claim 

form. 

Corrective Action: In FY 2018, the FECA program conducted an in-depth assessment and customized 

training on initial payments for every district office. Ongoing; the program will continue to review initial 

payments by district office down to the individual identifier level. This method will better identify training 

needs and issues that may contribute to IP. 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

172 United States Department of Labor

In FY 2017 and FY 2018, the program initiated several actions to reduce IP attributable to life insurance 

premium deductions. Actions included working closely with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to 

share and cross walk insurance eligibility; updating outgoing correspondence to injured workers; creating a 

new tracking mechanism for adjustments, providing mandatory training sessions for claims examiners; and 

updating training modules. These efforts have proven to be highly effective, as this year’s errors do not 

contain any payments with life insurance premium change errors. 

The “Other Party” category reflects medical-billing errors that did not meet coding and reimbursement 

requirements. The FECA improper payment rate for medical-billing administrative or process errors was 

.43%, which represents a .91% decrease from last year’s IP audit. The program has existing internal controls 

to prevent improper bill payments. Additionally, District Office Trouble Shooters (DOTS), trained as subject 

matter experts in the field of medical bill pay, conduct monthly audits and are responsible for identifying 

overpayments and underpayments attributed to bill payment processing errors. The FECA program will 

continue working with its DOTS and medical billing contractor in FY 2019 to identify opportunities for 

improvement implement additional procedures to prevent and detect IP processing errors.

Timetable: Implemented; FY 2018 OPM cross walked life insurance eligibility data, conducted district office 

training, revised training modules, updated correspondence letters and tracking. Ongoing; FY 2019, conduct 

an in-depth assessment of initial payments to identify individual training needs. Ensure diverse sampling 

within program audits, and address error trends that may be contributing to improper payments. Continue 

coordination with bill pay contractor to identify and implement controls to prevent bill pay processing errors.

Fraud Restitution: The “Other” error category reflects OIG fraud restitution issues.

Corrective Action: The Department is committed to the detection and prevention of fraud related to the 

FECA program and it has taken significant steps to enhance early detection of potential fraud. The Program 

Integrity Unit (PIU) began using structured data analytic methods to review spending patterns on a quarterly 

basis to spot trends and react to anomalous spending patterns. FECA uses several medical spending tracking 

tools for medical outlays including a “year to year” comparison methodology, internal bill pay dashboards 

and partnerships with health care anti-fraud associations. Using these tools FECA targets specific providers 

for review based on a combination of total dollars paid in conjunction with the percentage increase in the 

outlays year over year. FECA also targets new providers with rapidly escalating payments in the current 

year and none in the year prior. When evidence of behavior that could be construed as deceptive, misleading, 

or unfair is identified, the program sends a referral to the Department’s OIG. FECA collaborates with DOL 

and agency OIGs to create and implement new fraud detection technology and protocols. Additionally, the 

program has increased its tracking and analysis capabilities of pharmaceutical (opioid and compound) spend. 

In FY 2018, FECA also instituted a new exception-based policy pertaining to payment of convenience kits 

and certain other combination medications. The program also implemented a new, adaptive policy in June 

2018, regarding payment for unspecified “J Codes,” Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes 

used for physician dispensed medications, after finding that some providers were circumventing preauthorization processes on compound and opioid medications. DFEC will continue its effective practices to 

identify and address compensation and provider fraud including: enhancing periodic claims reviews; 

monitoring medication dispensing trends; allowing agencies access to data systems with compensation and 

medical-billing payment information; and adding investigative analysts with fraud background and 

experience.

Timetable: Implemented; FY 2018, the FECA program’s PIU designed and enhanced tracking tools used for 

early fraud prevention and detection. Implemented; FY 2018, added full-time staff to investigate potential 

fraud cases and process any resulting IP due to the government. Implemented; FY 2018, new protocols for 

monitoring provider and claimant referrals. Completed; FY 2017, developed risk assessment data analytics 

platforms. Ongoing; FY 2018, structured fraud detection and referral methods through the PIU. Ongoing; FY 

2019, ongoing analysis and monitoring of certain high-cost medications that may be unsafe, medically 
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unnecessary, and/or are commercially available alternatives at a lower cost. Ongoing; continue to monitor, 

identify and address potential compensation and medical billing fraud. 

FY 2019 IP REDUCTION TARGETS

Fiscal integrity is fundamental to the stewardship of public funds. Elimination and mitigation of IP is an important 

goal at the Department of Labor. DOL takes steps to continuously improve its processes to cost-effectively reduce 

fraud, waste, and abuse. The following chart shows IP targets by reporting program for the following fiscal year as a 

percent of total outlays.

UI Program:

DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) estimates that the UI improper payment rate will increase in 

FY 2019 to at least 14.75%. Although significant work has been done by ETA and the states to reduce the annual 

target below the IP rate of 10%, certain conditions have prevented DOL from meeting that target. See the discussion 

in Section IV: Barriers, below. In addition, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, enacted on 

February 22, 2012, amended the Social Security Act (SSA) to add a Federal work search requirement as a condition 

of UI eligibility (SSA, Section 303(a)(12)). Prior to this enactment, all states had a work search requirement as part 

of their state laws and states had flexibility in interpreting and applying their work search requirements. As of 2018, a 

total of 20 states have a law or policy that provides formal or informal warning when claimants first fail to conduct 

required work search activities. However, state warning policies have been determined not permissible under the 

Federal work search law.

ETA is in the process of issuing an Unemployment Insurance Program Letter to inform states that formal and 

informal warnings are no longer permitted. ETA indicated in the 2017 AFR that this guidance would be in place 

during FY 2018 but its issuance was delayed. The target rate noted above is based on BAM data from 2018 and does 

not reflect the possible full impact of this policy change. States will need time to amend their laws, policies, and 

regulations to implement this change. This new policy will lead to higher IP rates as states stop using warnings and 

start including these incidents as errors in the count of IP. The full impact will depend on how quickly states are able 

to comply with the new policy. The target rate of 14.75% reflected above is provided based on the assumption that 

not all states will be able to implement the new guidance in the 2019 reporting year.

FECA Program:

DOL’s Office of Workers’ Compensation (OWCP) estimates that the FECA program’s IP rate will decrease in FY 

2019. Although the program continues to implement changes to reduce the IP rate, FECA must consider critical 

factors that will prevent a reduction in its target. Due to FECA’s increased capacity to root out potentially fraudulent

behavior and increased focus on high-dollar provider fraud, we anticipate fraud restitution to continue to be high for 

the next several years. As bad actors are rooted out, we expect high-dollar provider fraud will decrease over time. 

Unfortunately, the effect of catching and prosecuting these bad actors causes a short-term spike in FECA’s reported 

IP and the judicial proceedings take years to conclude. Please see the Accountability section to learn more about how 

fraud restitution has effected FECA’s reported IP rate. See the discussion in Section IV: Barriers, below. 

Additionally, the program anticipates fraud restitution in FY 2019 will have a significant impact on the overall IP 

rate, as there are a number of open active fraud investigations with OIG. As shown in the FECA Program Improper 

Payment Root Cause Categories table, the IP three-year base restitution totals for FY 2018 averaged $27.8 million, 

which equates to .91% of FECA’s FY 2018 cumulative IP rate. The FY 2018 average is a $17.5 million dollar 
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increase from the previous year. Even if the court-ordered restitution in FY 2019 is only 75% of awarded in FY 

2018, the three-year fraud average would potentially represent 1.07% of FECA’s IP rate. As OWCP cannot 

reliably predict the outcome of ongoing court cases, it will reduce its previously established reduction target rate 

to 3.25%.

II. RECAPTURE OF IMPROPER PAYMENTS REPORTING

As described throughout this Payment Integrity section of this AFR, DOL programs implement cost-effective 

controls to prevent, detect, and recover IP as appropriate. IPERA Section 2(h), requires agencies to conduct payment 

recapture audits (also known as recovery audits) for each program and activity that expends $1 million or more 

annually if conducting such audits would be cost-effective. DOL has taken extensive measures to ensure that 

managers, accountable officers (including agency heads), programs, and states and localities are held accountable for 

reducing and recapturing IPs. These measures are designed to hold the appropriate personnel accountable for meeting 

applicable IP reduction targets and establishing and maintaining sufficient internal controls to effectively manage IP 

risk and promptly detect and recapture any IPs that are made.

As reported in the FY17 AFR, DOL conducted payment recapture audit cost-benefit analyses for all programs in FY 

2016 and 2017. 

The UI program already conducts a formal recapture audit program. While many programs noted that overpayments 

are recaptured through fraud restitution orders, debt collection processes, post-award reviews, and other standard 

internal control processes, no other identified program determined a formal recapture audit program, as described in 

OMB Circular A-123, Appendix C, Part III.C, would be cost-effective. Greater details on these determinations were 

reported in the FY17 AFR. Reviews of all DOL programs in FY18 found no basis for reconsidering the Cost-Benefit 

Analysis determinations and no new programs were identified.

UI Program:

The UI program was deemed cost effective for payment recapture audits. Performing UI payment recapture activities 

and providing states with tools to aid recovery are top priorities at DOL. DOL’s recapture activities have focused on 

areas that offer the greatest opportunity for improvement.

With oversight from the Department, states are responsible for the recovery of UI overpayments. Each state’s Benefit 

Payment Control (BPC) unit is responsible for promoting and maintaining UI program integrity through prevention, 

detection, investigation, establishment, and recovery of IP. BPC operations identify UI overpayments for recovery 

through such methods as cross‐matching claimant Social Security Numbers with State and National Directories of 

New Hires, wage record files submitted each quarter by employers, matches with other databases such as Workers 

Compensation and State Corrections, and other sources such as appeal reversals and tips and leads. States collect 

overpaid claims through offsets of UI benefits, Federal income tax refunds under the Treasury Offset Program 

(TOP), state income tax offsets, and direct cash reimbursement from the claimant. From FY 2009 through FY 2018, 

approximately $11.22 billion was recovered by the UI program.

In February 2011, Treasury enacted a regulation to permit states to offset UI overpayments through TOP. 

Additionally, on December 26, 2013, the President signed into law the Bipartisan Budget Act. This Act amended 

section 303 of the SSA to require states, as a condition for receipt of grants to administer their UI programs, to use 

the TOP to recover covered UI debt that remains uncollected as of one year after the debt was finally determined to 

be due and collected. A total of 49 state UI agencies and the District of Columbia have implemented TOP. As of 

June 30, 2018, an estimated $306.1 million was recovered through TOP for the UI program’s annual reporting period 

from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. The total recovered through TOP since inception in 2011 is $2.451 billion.

The states must hold the claimants liable to repay benefits that were received improperly and take an active role to 

recover IP (payment recapture audits). States may waive repayments for non‐fraud overpayments when it would be 
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against equity and good conscience pursuant to their state’s law. Some of the recovery activities and tools used by 

states include:

• Offsets from benefits;

• Offsets from state and Federal income tax refunds;

• Offsets from lottery winnings, homestead exemptions, and other benefits, including the Alaska Mineral 

Refund;

• Interstate recovery agreements;

• Repayment plans;

• Civil Actions, including wage garnishments and property liens;

• Skip tracing, collection agencies, and credit bureaus;

• Probate and bankruptcy;

• Referral to OIG and other law enforcement agencies;

• State and Federal prosecution; and

• Establishment of interest and penalties on overpayments, which adds an incentive to repay quickly.

Recovered overpayments for state UI claims are returned to the UI trust fund account from which the benefits were 

originally paid and may only be used to pay benefits.

The table below provides a summary of UI overpayments established and recovered as a result of the activities 

described above.
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The states are required to report quarterly on overpayment detection and recovery activities on the ETA 227 Report. 

The amounts established and recovered are based on reports submitted during the indicated fiscal year. However, the 

actual payment of benefits may have occurred in a prior fiscal year.

The information reported on the ETA 227 Report is based on actual amounts of UI overpayments identified and 

recovered by the state agencies. In contrast, the UI overpayment rates and amounts that are reported for the IPIA are 

estimates, based on the results of BAM. BAM is a statistical survey of paid and denied UI claims. The results of the 

BAM audits are projected to the population of benefit payments for all unemployment compensation programs: State 

UI, UCFE, UCX, EB, and EUC. These BAM estimates may be significantly higher than actual overpayments 

identified for recovery because:

1. BAM audits detect eligibility issues that usual BPC detection methods will not identify, because it is very 

workload intensive and/or not cost effective to detect; or

2. The overpayment is not recoverable because the responsibility for the IP is the agency’s action and/or the 

employer’s action, rather than the claimant’s action, or due to state finality rules.

Figures for “Overpayment Established” have been adjusted to subtract waivers, which are overpayments that the state 

agency has determined are not recoverable. The Unemployment Insurance Report Handbook (ET Handbook 401, 4th 
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edition, Section IV, Chapter 3, p. 10) defines a waiver as “a non‐fraud overpayment for which the state agency, in 

accordance with state law, officially relinquishes the obligation of the claimant to repay. Usually, this is authorized 

when the overpayment was not the fault of the claimant and requiring repayment would be against equity and good 

conscience or would otherwise defeat the purpose of the UI law.”

All state laws provide for recovery of benefit overpayments. States must follow their individual state laws and 

policies in executing such recovery efforts. The expense of recovery efforts can vary greatly by state depending on 

the actions that are pursued. Also, the capacity of the state to pursue such actions is a factor that influences the level 

of recovery. DOL believes that the payment recapture audits used by states is consistent with the criteria established 

by OMB for evaluating the cost effectiveness of a payment recapture program in OMB Circular A-123, Appendix C, 

Part III.C, Section 5, p.41-42.

The ETA 227 Report captures data on the causes of overpayments, the method of detection, recovery and 

reconciliation, criminal and civil actions, and the aging of benefit accounts. After eight quarters, the overpayments 

are removed from the total outstanding balance on this report. This does not affect the state’s accounting practices. 

When overpayments are recovered that have been removed from the reported outstanding balance, the amount will be 

added back to report the recovery in the quarterly report, regardless of when the overpayment originally occurred. 

States are now able to attempt recovery of these older unemployment compensation debts through TOP by offsetting 

the claimant’s Federal income tax returns. When IP are recovered, they are returned to the UI trust fund account from 

which they were paid.

As noted in the Aging of Outstanding Overpayments Identified in the Payment Recapture Audits table above, 

overpayment aging data are not available for EUC overpayments and have been imputed from UI, UCFE, UCX, and 

EB overpayment aging data by assuming that the age distribution of the outstanding EUC overpayments is the same 

as the UI, UCFE, UCX, and EB overpayments.

III. Agency Improvement of Payment Accuracy with the Do Not Pay Initiative

The Do Not Pay (DNP) Initiative is a government-wide initiative to screen payment recipients before a grant, 

contract award or payment is made. DOL has implemented the screening of payments through the Treasury DNP 

Portal and, as appropriate, screens payments against databases directly.

Overview of DNP: IPERIA and OMB directives require agencies to integrate the use of existing databases 

(collectively known as the “Do Not Pay List”) to verify eligibility for Federal payments in order to reduce and 

eliminate payment errors before they occur. The DNP Business Center provides Federal agencies with a web-based 

single-entry access DNP Portal to these existing databases and payment data analytics services.

DNP Portal Payment Reviews: The DNP portal compares the Department’s PAM file against the DMF database. 

The PAM file includes automated payments made by the Department. When a payment matches, the payment 

information is returned to OCFO for adjudication. OCFO reviews matches against business rules to cull falsepositives. Matches which cannot be culled per business rules are reviewed by subject matter experts in the 
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appropriate component agency to determine if the match represents a true positive IP. Since its inception, none of the 

matches returned by the DNP Portal have been found to be IP.

DOL Program Reviews of DNP List and non-DNP List Specified Databases: DOL maintains comprehensive, 

cost effective internal controls to ensure the payment integrity of all programs. Among these controls, DOL programs 

review private and government-owned databases directly, as appropriate for their business needs. Procurement and 

grants programs include internal controls requiring review of all vendors against the SAM database. OWCP benefit 

programs conduct batch matching against the DMF prior to Treasury disbursal. These reviews are designed to 

prevent IP and vary significantly by specific programmatic need. Many state programs review UI beneficiaries 

against a variety of databases, (e.g. the National and/or State Directory of New Hires, etc.) independently. Prior to 

passage of the Federal Improper Payments Coordination Act (FIPCA) on December 18, 2015, states were prohibited 

by law from participating in the DNP Initiative. However many state programs review UI beneficiaries against 

versions of the DMF independently. In addition, many states have begun reviewing a variety of applicable 

information sources and expanded analytics capabilities in conjunction with the UI Integrity Center of Excellence’s 

secure data hub, as discussed in Section I: Payment Reporting, above. These reviews are designed to prevent IP and 

vary significantly by specific programmatic need.

IV. BARRIERS

UI Program:

The UI program complies with several statutory provisions establishing requirements that impose challenges to 

reducing IP.

Federal-State Partnership: Each state administers the UI program according to its own laws and policies, which 

must conform to broad federal requirements. IP rates often reflect differences in state law. For example, states with 

strict active work search requirements will have perennially higher overpayment rates than those states with minimal 

active work search requirements. It is extremely resource intensive for states to verify and enforce claimant work 

search contacts with employers given the more pervasive role employment search engines, large employment 

application databases, and online social networks play in the modern job search process.

Additionally, States have bottom-line authority to set operational priorities. The Department has limited authority to 

ensure states use their funding to pursue IP reduction activities.

Delays in receiving separation information: As discussed in Section I: Payment Reporting – Root Causes: UI

above, Section 303(a)(1) of the Social Security Act requires payment “when due”, prohibiting states from suspending 

UI benefit payments until an official determination has been made that payments are no longer due. There are strong 

policy reasons for ensuring prompt payment of benefits when due – the UI program is a critical safety net program 

providing individuals funds to pay for necessities while searching for the next job, and UI funds circulating in the 

economy during times of increased unemployment has a stabilizing impact on the economy. In compliance with the 

“when due” provisions of the law, states make the determination of whether or not to pay benefits based on the best 

available information. A major challenge to addressing IP is created when claimants, employers, and third party 

administrators working for employers fail to report information timely and/or accurately.

State Resource Priorities and Capacity: In recent years state staffing resources have been negatively impacted in 

two ways. First, administrative funding for states’ UI program operations is based on projected workloads and, most 

importantly, weeks claimed. The decline in workload has resulted in a reduction of administration funding creating a 

challenge for states to adequately staff their UI program operations. This lack of capacity significantly impacts states’ 

ability to manage program integrity operations that are staff intensive, such as being able to independently validate 

cross-match hits and conduct random work search audits.
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Second, state agencies’ employees who leave through normal attrition or retirements are often replaced by less 

experienced staff. Pressures on state budgets have reduced training, further contributing to the decrease in skilled 

staff who can accurately administer the relatively complex UI program.

Work Search as a Root Cause: Developing strategies to address work search errors, which is the largest root cause 

of UI improper payments nationally, is very challenging. State eligibility requirements with respect to active work 

search vary significantly among states. Additionally, a review of structural issues in the UI program by independent 

UI subject matter experts, statisticians, and economists found that it is not feasible for states to prevent work search 

IP; they can only detect and recover them. Federal law prevents states from stopping payment of continued weekly 

claims until certain due process requirements are provided, including notice and an opportunity to be heard. The

most effective strategy is random work search audits, which is workload and resource intensive and states have not 

been specifically required or funded to do random work search audits. As discussed in further detail in the Root 

Causes, UI Program, Structural Issues section above, work search IP are increasing and driving up the overall UI 

improper payment rate.

Information Technology (IT) Capacity: State IT capacity has been strained by the decline in program 

administration funding provided to states to effectively operate the UI program. While the UI program has invested 

in targeted consortia grants to address outdated UI system infrastructures (see narrative in Section V, Agency System 

Infrastructures), states generally have reported a lack of adequate IT resources available for integrity functions. 

Additionally, many state systems are several decades old and cannot be easily adapted to new IP detection methods, 

such as generating follow-up communications with claimants and employers to verify new hire matches.

FECA Program:

The FECA program faces several barriers that limit the agency’s corrective actions in reducing IP.

Inability to Authenticate Eligibility: This category of errors reflects issues in the prompt and accurate annual 

authentication of continued eligibility. Statutory and regulatory barriers limit the program’s ability to stop or adjust 

payments based on a medical review. Once a claim is accepted and periodic roll payments commence; the program 

cannot reduce or terminate compensation payments without a positive demonstration by the weight of evidence that 

entitlement to benefits has ceased and a claimant receives due process. This type of instance may result in a reporting 

of an improper payment without a loss to the government as the claimant has a statutory right to that payment. 

Additionally, FECA cannot directly access wage data or dual benefit eligibility data housed by other Federal 

agencies. Instead, to identify potential IP the program relies heavily on self-reporting via annual benefit entitlement 

questionnaires.

Administrative or Process Errors: The largest category of discrepancies identified involved various elements of 

payments. The identified IP in this category highlight the ongoing challenges facing the program’s payment process, 

namely reliance on reporting by other Federal agencies and statutory, regulatory and procedural complexities 

inherent in the calculation of payments. In many instances, the information provided by an employing agency is 

incomplete or inaccurate. No automated mechanism exists to determine or validate the accuracy of the information 

reported by the employing agency, or even to ensure that all necessary information is submitted with the claim for 

compensation. Some agencies use DFEC’s Employees’ Compensation Operations Management Portal (ECOMP) for 

claims submission which does automate the process, but some agencies still submit forms via fax and mail which 

makes it even more difficult to obtain accurate information. As with many programs, FECA faces data-sharing 

barriers. The “Other Party” category reflects medical-billing errors that did not meet coding and reimbursement 

billing requirements. The challenge of efficiently providing automated medical authorization and bill payment 

services for hundreds of thousands of bills within program guidelines is ongoing, but the FECA medical IP rate of 

.43% in FY 2018 was a decrease from the 1.35% error rate from last year’s IP audit.
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Fraud Restitution: The “Other” error category reflects OIG fraud restitution issues. The extent of fraudulent 

payments is based solely on actual restitution ordered and there is no reliable method to measure true undetected 

fraud. The Department’s methodology for estimating IP in the FECA program may be found at: 

http://dolcontentdev.opadev.dol.gov/ocfo/media/reports/20180626IPMETHODOLOGY.pdf

Barriers to Implementation of OIG Recommendations:

The FECA program historically excluded initial payments made in the first 90 days of the compensation claim from 

its universe and compensation payments made on non-imaged claims initiated prior to November 2000, which was 

an OMB approved methodology. The Department recently reevaluated the FECA IP estimation methodology with 

regard to the practice of excluding these subsets of cases. For FY 2018, initial payments and non-imaged claims were 

included in the sample universe. The program’s methodology for estimating may be found at: 

http://dolcontentdev.opadev.dol.gov/ocfo/media/reports/20180626IPMETHODOLOGY.pdf

The FECA estimate of fraudulent payments is based on actual restitution amounts ordered and therefore did not 

reflect an estimate of undetected fraud. In the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) report entitled "How Initiatives 

to Reduce Fraud in Federal Health Care Programs Affect the Budget" (10/2014), CBO found that “...although fraud 

that has been successfully prosecuted can be quantified, there is no reliable method to estimate the amount of fraud 

that goes undetected...." Given the unreliability of such an estimate, OWCP has concluded that the most appropriate 

use of limited resources is to focus on understanding and preventing these types of IPs. Consistent with OMB's 

Guidance in Circular A-123, DFEC will only include admitted or proven fraud in its improper payment estimate. 

More information on fraud and the IPP rate can be found in the Improper Payment Estimation Methodology. 

The FECA program has taken action to improve the estimation methodology for the FECA program to ensure its 

accuracy and completeness by identifying and targeting high-risk areas for improper payments. As part of the 

improper payment reporting, the FECA program conducts a comprehensive audit in accordance with approved 

statistically valid and rigorous methodology, thus ensuring completeness, accuracy and validity. The program is also 

committed to preventing and detecting potential fraud risks and addressing high-risk areas by adopting a new 

methodology for reviewing overall spending patterns to spot trends early and react more quickly to changing fiscal 

landscapes. When anomalous or potentially fraudulent billing is identified, a referral is made to DOL OIG.

V. ACCOUNTABILITY

The Department has taken extensive measures to ensure that managers, accountable officers (including agency 

heads), programs, and states and localities are held accountable for reducing and recapturing IPs. These measures are 

designed to hold the appropriate personnel accountable for meeting applicable IP reduction targets and establishing 

and maintaining sufficient internal controls to effectively manage IP risk and promptly detect and recapture any IPs 

that are made. They vary by program and are described in detail in the program-specific narratives below.

UI Program:

DOL’s Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is responsible for Federal oversight of state UI programs, 

including oversight of state activities to reduce and recover improper UI benefit payments. ETA has taken and 

continues to take the steps discussed below to hold Federal managers accountable for reduction and recovery of 

improper UI payments by states. SWAs administer the UI program and set operational priorities within the resources 

available. ETA has established a robust set of performance measures used to evaluate the states’ overall operational 
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performance. States not meeting the criteria set for these measures are expected to submit corrective action plans as 

part of their annual State Quality Service Plan (SQSP) submission.

In response to the level of IP in the UI program, ETA developed and implemented an aggressive and ever evolving 

Strategic Plan to address several root causes of IP which were described in detail Section I: Payment Reporting –

Root Causes: UI, above. ETA continues to focus on the following integrity related activities and ensures the annual 

performance standards for managers include the completion of significant milestones for the projects listed below.

• On a biennial basis, states are required to submit an SQSP.13 A core component of the SQSP is a statespecific Integrity Action Plan in which all states must identify their state-specific root causes for improper 

payments and present their strategies to address each of these causes. The plan must also identify the state 

officer(s) accountable for reducing IP, summarize the state’s assessment of whether it has the internal 

controls, human capital, and information systems and other infrastructure needed to reduce IP to minimal 

cost‐effective levels, and identify any statutory or regulatory barriers which may limit the agency’s corrective 

actions in reducing IP.

• The UI Integrity Center uses funding provided by ETA to conduct evaluations of each strategy it implements. 

The results of these evaluations are provided to all states through the UI Integrity Center’s Digital Library.

• ETA requires states to operate the BAM survey to measure and report the percentage, dollar amount, and 

reasons for IP. Data are derived from investigations of a statistically valid sample of payments using 

federally prescribed procedures. ETA reviews this data for validity, analyzes the data for each state, and 

makes the data available publicly on ETA’s Office of Unemployment Insurance (OUI) website. Data review, 

analysis and publication are included in the performance plan of the Administrator of ETA’s OUI and in the 

elements and standards of numerous staff in the office.

• ETA has implemented the following core performance measures that state UI programs must meet. 

o An overpayment detection measure;

o A requirement to have no more than a 10% improper payment rate;

o A minimum UI overpayment recovery target.

States that fail to meet the performance criterion submit corrective action plans. Analysis of state 

performance and monitoring of states’ corrective actions continue to be evaluation factors in OUI managers’ 

performance plans. States not meeting the criteria set for these measures are expected to submit corrective 

action plans (CAPs) as part of their SQSP submission. These CAPs must contain strategies designed to 

improve state performance and include action steps and milestones for completion. DOL’s oversight process 

includes quarterly reviews of CAPs submitted as part of the SQSP, peer reviews for specific program areas 

such as BAM, Appeals, and Benefit Timeliness and Quality, and enhanced monitoring and technical 

assistance provided to states with high improper payment rates or chronic poor performance.

• ETA has promoted and continues to promote cost effective methods for states to prevent, detect, and recover 

improper UI benefit payments. Development, delivery, and/or successful implementation of these initiatives 

by states have been and continue to be factors on which the OUI administrator and managers are evaluated 

through the Department’s annual Operating Plan. These initiatives are implemented as UI corrective actions 

and were described earlier in this document in Section I: Payment Reporting – Root Causes: UI, above.

• As discussed in Section I: Payment Reporting – Root Causes: UI above, as part of its monitoring and 

oversight responsibilities of each state's UI operations, DOL takes an active role in facilitating and promoting 

strategies to reduce IP and meet the payment accuracy and recovery targets required by IPERA. However, it 

should be noted that these strategies require the cooperation and implementation by individual states, 

including in some cases changes to state laws and regulations. DOL has no explicit authority on how states 

 13 https://wdr.doleta.gov/directives/corr_doc.cfm?DOCN=5907 
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establish priorities in administering their UI programs and, therefore, can only make recommendations and 

provide technical assistance in the use of these strategies.

FECA Program:

The FECA program has IT infrastructure, processes, and staff responsible for reducing and establishing and 

maintaining sufficient internal controls towards the reduction of IPs. The FECA program incorporates internal 

controls and responsibilities into the annual performance standards of managers and subordinate staff to ensure focus 

on understanding and preventing IPs. The FECA program continues to implement effective practices to identify and 

address root causes of IPs. These practices include instituting periodic claims reviews; allowing agencies and 

claimants access to its data systems that contain compensation and medical-billing payment information; dedicating 

full-time staff to investigating potential fraud cases and processing any resulting IP due to the government. Based on 

these efforts, the FECA improper payment rate for compensation and medical bill payments was 1.53% of the total 

IP rate; whereas, last year these payments totaled 1.69%, which is a decrease of .16%.

The FECA improper payment rate estimate includes a fraud component. For the purposes of rate calculation, the 

program only considers payments fraud after having been admitted or proven in the judicial system. A fraudulent 

payment rate was determined by averaging the court-ordered restitution awarded as the result of fraud across a three 

year period. Using this process, the overall IP rate, less fraud, was 1.53%. Charge Back Year 2018 fraud estimation 

was $27.86 million,

14 which translates to a rate of .91%. This included nearly $44 million in restitution for two 

separate individual convictions, one with a $27 million restitution and the other for $17 million. 

Therefore, even though the percentage of improper payments made by the program for compensation and medical 

benefits decreased, there was an overall increase of .38% in the total IP rate compared to last year because of the 

significant increase court-ordered restitution. 

As noted in Section VII. Sampling and Estimation: FECA, the FECA estimate of fraudulent payments are based 

on actual restitution amounts ordered and therefore did not reflect an estimate of undetected fraud. In the 

Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) report entitled "How Initiatives to Reduce Fraud in Federal Health Care 

Programs Affect the Budget" (10/2014), CBO found that “...although fraud that has been successfully prosecuted can 

be quantified, there is no reliable method to estimate the amount of fraud that goes undetected..." Given the 

unreliability of such an estimate, OWCP has concluded that the most appropriate use of limited resources is to focus 

on understanding and preventing these types of IPs. The FECA program has taken significant steps to enhance early 

detection of potential fraud. In FY 2018, the FECA program’s Program Integrity Unit (PIU) was realigned in order to 

prevent and detect fraud in the FECA program. The PIU now uses structured data analytics methods to review 

spending patterns on a quarterly basis so that it can spot trends early and react more quickly to anomalous spending 

patterns. With regard to medical outlays, FECA primarily uses a “year to year” comparison methodology, which 

projects spending for the current chargeback year based on actual year-to-date spending, and compares that number 

to the prior chargeback year. Using this methodology, the program targets specific providers for review based on a 

combination of total dollars paid in conjunction with the percentage increase in the outlays year over year; new 

providers with no payments in the prior year but rapidly escalating payments are also targeted. If FECA finds 

evidence of behavior it deems deceptive, misleading or unfair it sends a referral to DOL OIG. 

 14 As noted above in the FECA Program Improper Payment Root Cause Categories table, under the “Other” root cause 

category.
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VI. AGENCY INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE

UI Program:

States have internal controls, processes, programs, and staff in place throughout all operations of the UI program 

dedicated to protection from internal threats and vulnerabilities. These threats and vulnerabilities include physical 

damage and harm to staff and property, misuse of administrative funds and assets by agency staff, and misuse of UI

funds by agency staff. It is incumbent upon the state agencies to have a series of protections in place addressing 

controls such as the granting of systems access, developing and upholding security policies and procedures, the

proper configuration of hardware and software, basic physical safeguards, backup tests and disaster recovery 

provisions, regular audits, ongoing employee training, etc.

While state internal security programs are intended to identify and eliminate system vulnerabilities, the risk remains 

of losses from the issuance of improper UI benefit payments and misuse of administrative funds due to fraud, waste, 

and abuse. States are expected to review these controls and update them regularly to eliminate new threats and 

vulnerabilities as technology and business practices in the administration of the UI program evolve.

Although integrity is the responsibility of all agency staff, the states have dedicated staff conducting BPC activities to 

prevent, detect, and recover IP. These staffs work closely with agency management to ensure sufficient controls are 

in place to prevent IP, conduct complex fraud investigations, and operate the activities required to recover IP.

DOL is also engaged with the states to monitor activity and provide technical assistance to ensure that states are able 

to utilize available integrity tools. For example, as a result of DOL monitoring, states modified computer matching 

procedures to improve the productivity of NDNH as a resource to detect IP. Additionally, DOL has worked closely 

with state agencies to develop the information systems and infrastructure to support SIDES and to access TOP for UI 

overpayment recovery.

State UI benefit and tax IT systems vary in terms of performance capacities, capabilities, and adaptability to new UI 

programs requirements and integrity strategies. Many states continue to struggle with antiquated IT infrastructure, 

making it difficult to implement many integrity solutions. During the past decade, DOL has provided states with 

supplemental funding to implement strategies and technology‐based infrastructure investments that will help the 

states prevent, detect, and recover UI overpayments. These investments result in staff cost savings for 

integrity‐related activities, increased dollar amounts of overpayments recovered, and prevention of future 

overpayments. As part of these supplemental funding grants to states, between FY 2009 and FY 2017, DOL 

obligated approximately $418 million to state consortia to address outdated IT system infrastructures. These 

investments are necessary to improve UI integrity. A total of five consortia projects involving 12 states are funded for 

systems modernization efforts.

FECA Program:

FECA is a claims processing organization adjudicating workers’ compensation claims for all Federal employees and 

certain non-Federal employees specifically covered under FECA. It utilizes the Integrated Federal Employees 

Compensation System (iFECS) to administer the program. iFECS is a major application that provides a case 

management system to support core business functions and includes three sub-components, the Agency Query 

System (AQS), the Claimant Query System (CQS) and the Employees' Compensation Operations and Management 

Portal (ECOMP). iFECS was established to provide FECA with an automated case management system. The system 

provides data processing, financial and program management, as well as decision support functionalities to 

authorized users. 

iFECS maintains an automated record of all claims filed, adjudicatory statuses and benefits paid and denied. Data on 

entitlement and benefits payment status maintained on iFECS is available in accordance with the Privacy Act to 

authorized claimants, authorized representatives, and authorized user organizations verbally via telephone and in 

paper/electronic formats. 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

184 United States Department of Labor

VII. SAMPLING AND ESTIMATION

Susceptible to Significant Improper Payments: Two DOL Programs, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and the 

Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) benefit programs, are required to provide estimates based on the 

susceptibility threshold in statute:

• Either potential estimated IP greater than 1.5% of outlays and greater than $10 million, or

• Potential estimated IP of more than $100 million, regardless of percentage.

Payment integrity information/plans for UI and FECA can be found at:

• UI – https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/improp_pay.asp

• FECA – http://dolcontentdev.opadev.dol.gov/ocfo/media/reports/20180626IPMETHODOLOGY.pdf

In consultation with OMB and the DOL OIG, the Department developed statistical sampling processes conducted to 

estimate the IP rate for each program identified as being susceptible to significant IPs: UI and FECA. These 

methodologies vary by program and are described in detail in the program-specific narratives below.

UI Program:

UI Improper payment estimates are based on results of the BAM survey, which examines a nationally statistically 

valid sample of payments from the State UI, UCFE, and UCX programs (the three largest permanently authorized 

unemployment compensation (UC) programs), but does not include the episodic EUC and EB programs. For 

purposes of reporting payment accuracy data, the estimated IP rates are assumed to be generalizable to the EUC and 

EB programs, although those programs are not directly measured by the BAM survey. BAM investigators in each 

state conduct comprehensive audits for randomly-selected weekly samples of paid and denied claims. The population 

includes paid and denied claims under the State UI, UCFE, and UCX programs.

The table titled “DOL Programs Required to Submit Improper Payments Estimates” displays rates for IPIA 

2018 and IPIA 2017. UI overpayment and underpayment rates are shown for the IPIA 2018 that includes data 

gathered from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. UI overpayment and underpayment rates shown for the IPIA 2017 

includes data gathered from July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017. Data are reported for this period rather than the fiscal year 

due to the 120 day period provided to state BAM investigators to complete claim audits following the end of the 

BAM IPIA reporting year. During this period, state agencies completed audits for 24,059 cases completed (data are 

based on a completion rate of 99.16%). Based on these results, the 95% confidence interval of the estimated IP rate 

is plus or minus 0.64%. For the FY 2018 reporting, the estimated UI Improper Payment rate consisted of all 

overpayments and underpayments.

FECA Program:

OWCP conducted a detailed analysis of its IP sampling and estimation methodology in FY 2018 to determine the full 

effect of two previously excluded payment types on its estimate. Based on this analysis, OWCP revised its 

methodology in FY 2018 to include those payment types. 

OWCP consulted with OCFO to develop a sampling methodology and approach to improper payment calculation for 

the FECA program that OMB approved in FY 2018.

The improper payment rate component for non-fraudulent FECA payments was derived by random sampling with 

replacement. The sample sizes used (504 compensation payments and 504 medical payments, for a total of 1008 

payments) were selected and validated by the OWCP statistician to assure a 90% confidence interval with a precision 

of 2.5%. Each sampled payment was closely examined in accordance with program standards to determine whether 

or not it was proper. The absolute value of any IP found in the sample were totaled and projected to a dollar amount 

that represents the improper payment rate for the entire population.
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 185

The extent of fraudulent payments is based on actual restitution amounts and therefore did not reflect an estimate of 

undetected fraud. In the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) report entitled "How Initiatives to Reduce Fraud in 

Federal Health Care Programs Affect the Budget" (10/2014), CBO found that “...although fraud that has been 

successfully prosecuted can be quantified, there is no reliable method to estimate the amount of fraud that goes 

undetected..." Given the unreliability of such an estimate, OWCP has concluded that the most appropriate use of 

limited resources is to understand and prevent these types of IPs.

VIII. RISK ASSESSMENT

IPIA Section 2(a) requires agency heads to review all programs to identify risk susceptibility for significant IP at 

least once every three years. DOL conducts risk assessments for all programs on a three year rolling cycle to ensure 

that all programs are reviewed at least triennially. Detailed information on the results of FY 2018 IP susceptibility 

risk assessments may be found directly below.

OMB Circular A-123, Appendix C requires that all agencies institute a systematic method of reviewing all programs 

and identify programs susceptible to significant IP. This systematic method could be a quantitative evaluation based 

on a statistical sample or a qualitative method (e.g., a risk-assessment questionnaire). At a minimum, agencies are 

required to take into account the following risk factors likely to contribute to IP, regardless of which method 

(quantitative or qualitative) is used:

i. Whether the program or activity reviewed is new to the agency;

ii. The complexity of the program or activity reviewed, particularly with respect to determining correct payment 

amounts;

iii. The volume of payments made annually;

iv. Whether payments or payment eligibility decisions are made outside of the agency, for example, by a State 

or local government, or a regional Federal office;

v. Recent major changes in program funding, authorities, practices, or procedures;

vi. The level, experience, and quality of training for personnel responsible for making program eligibility 

determinations or certifying that payments are accurate;

vii. Inherent risks of improper payments due to the nature of agency programs or operations;

viii.Significant deficiencies in the audit reports of the agency including, but not limited to, the agency Inspector 

General or the Government Accountability Office (GAO) audit report findings, or other relevant 

management findings that might hinder accurate payment certification; and

ix. Results from prior improper payment work.

As part of the Department’s regular cycle of Department-wide Triennial IPERA Reviews, IP Risk Assessments were 

conducted in FY 2018 for a subset of all identified DOL programs. These programs include activities or sets of 

activities recognized as programs by the public, OMB, or Congress, as well as those that entail program management 

or policy direction. In FY 2018 Program Inventory and Questionnaires were sent to all agency heads to ensure any 

new programs were identified and to review if conditions surrounding payment integrity or the cost-effectiveness of 

formal recapture audit program analyses had changed. No new programs were identified in FY 2018. This process 

allows DOL to conduct Risk Assessments of all programs at least once every three-years as required by IPERIA, but 

also ensures DOL has annual monitoring of all programs.

UI and FECA continue to be considered susceptible to IP because they report an IP rate above the legal threshold in 

IPERA. No additional DOL programs were determined to be susceptible for IP. OIG was not responsive to 
Other Information

(Unaudited)

186 United States Department of Labor

communication regarding the Department-wide IPERA Reviews. The chart below indicates lists programs that were 

selected for Risk Assessments in FY 2018 and the assessment results.
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 187

Fraud Reduction Report

The Department of Labor (DOL) is committed to preventing fraud and mitigating our fraud risk. DOL looks to 

safeguard assets and ensure fiscal integrity by focusing on prevention—maintaining a robust antifraud program to 

prevent, detect, and prosecute fraud in all its forms. DOL adheres to the fraud risk principle as set out in the 

Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government, and to fraud risk strategies as instructed in the Fraud 

Reduction and Data Analytics Act (FRDAA) of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-186, 31 USC 3321 note). DOL also employs an 

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) approach as prescribed by OMB Circular No. A-123, Management's 

Responsibility for Enterprise Risk Management and Internal Control. DOL recognizes the diverse range of fraud risk 

within the government and leverages interdepartmental trainings and resources such GAO’s A Framework for 

Managing Fraud Risks in Federal Programs and The Antifraud Playbook to incorporate a variety of approaches to 

manage this threat. 

The Department of Labor uses a holistic approach to assessing enterprise-wide fraud risks as part of its overall ERM 

implementation. DOL identifies inherent fraud risks, assesses their likelihood and impact, and establishes risk 

tolerances in a risk profile in accordance with the FRDAA. During FY 2018, DOL conducted a variety of efforts to 

ascertain fraud risk including the Triennial IPERA Review and the annual Entity Level Controls (ELC) Survey of 

agency management and personnel to review financial and internal controls risks. The FY 2018 ELC survey 

canvassed agencies within the DOL with a focus on assessing fraud at an agency and program level. These surveys 

assist in assessing and maintaining a well-informed and fraud-aware culture, and have affirmed the implementation 

of robust antifraud controls including separation of duties and established procedures to prevent and detect fraud. 

In cases of fraud or attempted fraud, the Department has established policies and procedures to identify and prosecute 

cases. DOL employees are responsible for and encouraged to promptly report information that they reasonably 

believe reflects fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or other wrongdoing. All DOL agency heads, supervisors, and 

managers are responsible for ensuring that allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or other wrongdoing are 

reported promptly to the Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG can then determine whether such allegations 

have audit or investigative merit, and is responsible for conducting investigations and audits when appropriate. The 

OIG may conduct its own audit or investigation, refer the matter to another law enforcement or other federal agency, 

or refer the matter to the Secretary of Labor or to a program agency within DOL. If a referral is made to the Secretary 

of Labor or to a program agency within DOL, the OIG may reassume responsibility for such audit or investigation at 

their sole discretion. As part of this process, DOL works to maintain a strong fraud aware workplace culture that can 

identify various forms of fraud, waste, and abuse in ensure prompt reporting of any potential misconduct.

DOL’s OMB Circular A-123 internal control process identifies key controls and practices to mitigate and detect 

fraud in areas such as grants, procurement, beneficiary payments, payroll, and purchase and travel cards. In addition, 

DOL has participated in the FRDAA Working Group to improve sharing and development of data analytics 

techniques, financial and administrative controls, and other best practices and techniques for detecting, preventing, 

and responding to fraud and other improper payments. 

Under OMB Circular A-123, the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) 

programs have been deemed susceptible to improper payments and therefore report separate fraud rates. Each 

program has a mature fraud detection program with implemented prosecution efforts. Potential fraud cases are 

identified, and shared with OIG for review. The FECA program significantly increased its use of data analytics 

within the past year to examine hundreds of medical providers and their billing patterns to look for suspicious 

activity. Specifically, FECA closely monitored medical billing data to identify potential fraud including incentivized 

prescribing and other possible kickbacks, which resulted in over 60 referrals to the Department’s Office of Inspector 

General in the past fiscal year. The use of dashboards and data exploration tools also allowed the program to 

identify potential fraud, waste and abuse in pharmaceutical billing trends that resulted in new controls to curb the 

activity, specifically convenience kits and physician dispensed medication. Less than 1% of medical bill payments 

were improper in FY 2018.
Other Information

(Unaudited)

188 United States Department of Labor

The Federal-State UI program also employs the following strategies to detect fraud:

• The Department has funded an Integrity Data Hub (IDH) to cross-match claimant information against relevant 

data sources to help prevent and detect improper payments. The IDH includes a Suspicious Actor Repository (SAR) 

that enables states to cross-match claims information against key data elements from previously identified and known 

fraudulent UI claims filed in other states. 34 states are currently engaged with the Data Hub with varying levels of 

implementation.

• DOL provided states with claimant and employer messaging tools that can deter continued claims filing after an 

individual returns to work.

• DOL is also working with states to increase their capacity and improve their systems to analyze data that may 

indicate employer schemes to misclassify workers to conceal tax liabilities.

Detailed information can be found in the Payment Integrity reporting section of this AFR. FECA fraud estimation is 

based on properly adjudicated restitution orders which equaled $54.83 million in FY 2018. UI fraud estimation is 

based on fraud established by a proper adjudicating authority (i.e. the courts). The level of “established fraud” in the 

UI program was $ 3.74 million for FY 2018.

In FY 2019 and onward, the Department is committed to ensuring program integrity and advancing our fraud

reduction efforts. DOL plans to continue implementing Enterprise Risk Management procedures and further test key 

controls related to fraud risk.
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 189
Other Information

(Unaudited)

190 United States Department of Labor

Reduce the Footprint

Consistent with Section 3 of OMB Memorandum M-12-12, Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency 

Operations and OMB Management Procedures Memorandum 2013-02, the “Reduce the Footprint” (RTF) policy 

implementing guidance, all Chief Financial Officer Act entities must set annual targets to reduce the total square 

footage of their domestic office and warehouse inventory compared to the FY 2015 baseline.

Per Section II.4.8 of OMB Circular A-136, agencies are required to report cost data along with the most recent square 

footage information submitted to the Federal Real Property Profile in their annual AFR. 

Actions to Reduce the Footprint

Overall, the space utilization for DOL personnel in GSA-provided office space is 258.46 square feet per person, and 

represents an opportunity for DOL to achieve both rent savings and a reduction of the total office footprint 

nationwide. As GSA leases commercial space on a competitive basis and sets the rent for federal buildings, DOL has 

little control of the rent and maintenance cost per square foot for each office location. 

Using the initial President’s Management Agenda Real Property Benchmarking Metrics, DOL has identified 

potential space consolidations and co-locations that can result in significant reductions to the DOL office footprint 

and achieve rent savings for the agencies. 

Table RTF 1 reflects the total office and warehouse square footage associated with DOL’s assets subject to the 

Reduce the Footprint policy, as identified by Data Element #3 from Federal Real Property Council’s “Guidance for 

Real Property Inventory Reporting” from the latest available reporting year (FY 2017), and compares it to the FY 

2015 Freeze the Footprint baseline (as assigned by GSA).

15 The reported square footage totals align with agency 

totals confirmed by GSA, and are based on data from the Federal Real Property Profile and GSA’s Occupancy 

Agreement Database. 

Table RTF 2 reflects the annual operating costs, as reported in the most recent Federal Real Property Profile 

submittal for owned and direct lease facilities (direct lease facilities does not include GSA occupancy agreements) 

that are subject to the Reduce the Footprint policy, as identified by Data Element #3 from Federal Real Property 

Council’s “Guidance for Real Property Inventory Reporting” as reported in the most recent Federal Real Property 

Profile submittal.

16 The cost data reported by DOL is based directly on data reported into the latest available Federal 

Real Property Profile database. 

 15 See GSA, Office of Government-wide Policy, Federal Real Property Council, 2017 Guidance for Real Property Inventory 

Reporting (August 21, 2017) p.8. 16 See GSA, Office of Government-wide Policy, Federal Real Property Council, 2017 Guidance for Real Property Inventory 

Reporting (August 21, 2017) p.8.
Payment Integrity

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 191

DOL is continuing to implement a Department-wide strategy to eliminate non-mission dependent space, improve 

utilization rates, and reduce the costs of the properties. DOL has developed a process for internal reviews and 

tracking of all office increases, including monthly meetings with DOL regional personnel and reviews of Request for 

Space submissions.

Co-location, where appropriate, places multiple offices in one location and allows the Department to more effectively 

manage its real property assets. The primary goals are to co-locate DOL facilities, close small offices where feasible, 

and implement the DOL standard of 150 usable sq. ft. per employee. This strategy has resulted in significant savings 

and streamlined the DOL portfolio. 

When DOL identifies an underutilized building or block of space in its inventory and there is no longer a need for the 

asset, DOL will dispose of it to the extent it is cost effective to do so, based upon life-cycle cost analysis. In the case 

of GSA-assigned leased space, DOL will examine all expiring leases and attempt to relocate to more efficient 

quarters in order to eliminate underutilized space from its inventory. For owned/direct-leased assets (primarily Job 

Corps Centers), disposal is a unique challenge given the campus-like nature of the Centers. 

Specific strategies to reduce the FY 2015 baseline include implementing the renegotiated collective bargaining 

agreements as well as the 2017 Department of Labor Manual Series (DLMS) Chapter 2-400 - DOL Space 

Management to reduce per person square footage, increasing telework, and introducing hoteling, all designed to 

increase space use efficiency. DOL is also participating with GSA in Consolidated Portfolio Reviews in the Chicago 

and National Capital Regions and will work closely with GSA in reviewing office space utilization nationwide with 

DOL agencies to identify opportunities to reduce space and co-locate offices.
(Unaudited)

192 United States Department of Labor 

Table CMP 1: Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

Table CMP 1 below describes the Department’s current civil monetary penalties, their authorities, year enacted, latest year of adjustments, current penalty 

level amounts, and additional details (83 FR 7-19 (January 2, 2018)). 

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

§1059(b) 

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 209(b) - Failure to furnish reports (e.g., 

pension benefit statements) to certain former 

participants and beneficiaries or maintain records.

1974 2018 $29 per employee 

per failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C. 1132 

(c)(2)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(2) – Failure or refusal to properly 

file plan annual report; and failure of a 

multiemployer plan to certify endangered or 

critical status under §305(b)(3)(C) treated as failure 

to file annual report.

1987 2018

Maximum 

$2,140 per day 

per failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(4)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(4) – Failure to disclose certain 

documents upon request under ERISA Sections 

101(k) and (l); failure to furnish notices under 

Sections 101(j) and 514(e)(3) - each statutory 

recipient a separate violation.

1993 2018

Maximum

$1,693 per day 

per failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 193

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(5)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(5) – Failure to file annual report for 

Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements 

(MEWAs).

1996 2018

Maximum 

$1,558 per day 

per failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(6)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c) (6) – Failure to provide Secretary of 

Labor requested documentation.

1997 2018

Maximum 

$152 per day not 

to exceed $1,527

per request.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(7)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c) (7) – Failure to provide notices of 

blackout periods and of right to divest employer 

securities.

2002 2018

Maximum 

$136 per day per 

failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(8)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(8) – Failure by an endangered status 

multiemployer plan to adopt a funding 

improvement plan or meet benchmarks; failure of a 

critical status multiemployer plan to adopt a 

rehabilitation plan.

2006 2018

Maximum 

$1,344 per day 

per failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

194 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(9)(A)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(9)(A) – Failure by an employer to 

inform employees of CHIP coverage opportunities 

under Section 701(f)(3)(B)(i)(l) – each employee a 

separate violation.

2009 2018

Maximum 

$114 per day per 

failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(9)(B)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(9)(B) – Failure by a plan to timely 

provide to any State information required to be 

disclosed under Section 701(f) (3) (B) (ii), as added 

by CHIP regarding coverage coordination – each 

participant/beneficiary a separate violation.

2009 2018

Maximum 

$114 per day per 

failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(10) 

(B)(i)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(10)(B)(i) - Failure by any plan 

sponsor of group health plan, or any health 

insurance issuer offering health insurance coverage 

in connection with the plan, to meet the 

requirements of Sections 702(a) (1) (F), (b) (3), (c) 

or (d); or Section 701; or Section 702(b) (1) with 

respect to genetic information.

2008 2018

$114 per day per 

participant and 

beneficiary during 

noncompliance 

period.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 195

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(10) 

(C)(i)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(10)(C)(i) - Penalty for uncorrected 

de minimis violations.

2008 2018

Minimum 

$2,847 per 

participant or 

beneficiary for de 

minimis failures 

not corrected prior 

to notice from 

Department of 

Labor. 

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(10) 

(C)(ii)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(10)(C)(ii) – Penalty for uncorrected 

violations that are not de minimis.

2008 2018

Minimum 

$17,084 per 

participant or 

beneficiary for 

non- de minimis 

failures not 

corrected prior to 

notice from 

Department of 

Labor.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(10) 

(D)(iii)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(10)(D)(iii) - Unintentional failure

overall limitation. 

2008 2018 $569,468. EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

§1132(c)(12)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502(c)(12) – Failure of a CSEC plan in 

restoration status to adopt a restoration plan.

2014 2018

Maximum 

$104 per day per 

failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

196 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

§1132(m)

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Section 502 (m) – Failure to make a proper 

distribution from a defined benefit plan under 

section 206(e) of ERISA.

1994 2018

Maximum 

$16,499 per 

distribution.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C. 

1185d;

42 U.S.C.

300gg–15

29 C.F.R. 

2590.715-

2715(e); 

29 C.F.R. 

2575.1 

through .3

Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 

(ERISA), as amended.

Failure to provide Summary of Benefits and 

Coverage under PHS Act section 2715(f), as 

incorporated in ERISA section 715 and 29 CFR 

2590.715-2715(e).

2010 2018 Maximum 

$1,128 per failure.

EBSA

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsy

s/pkg/FR-2018-01-

02/pdf/2017-28224.pdf

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 C.F.R.

100.3(a)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Regular assessment. General violation of a 

mandatory health or safety standard or violation of 

any other provision of the Mine Act, as amended.

1977 2018 Maximum 

$70,834. MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 197

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

30 C.F.R.

100.3(g)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Regular assessment. Penalty conversion table. The 

penalty conversion table is used to convert the total 

penalty points to a dollar amount.

1978 2018

Minimum 

$132,

Maximum 

$70,834.

MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 C.F.R.

100.4(a)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Unwarrantable failure and immediate notification. 

Penalty for any citation or order issued under 

section 104(d)(1) of the Mine Act. 

2006 2018 Minimum 

$2,361. MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 C.F.R.

100.4(b)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Unwarrantable failure and immediate notification. 

Penalty for any order issued under section 104(d) 

(2) of the Mine Act.

2006 2018 Minimum 

$4,721. MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 C.F.R.

100.4(c)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Unwarrantable failure and immediate notification. 

Penalty for failure to provide timely notification to 

the Secretary under section 103(j) of the Mine Act. 

2006 2018

Minimum 

$5,903,

Maximum 

$70,834.

MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

198 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

30 C.F.R.

100.5(c)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Determination of penalty amount; special 

assessment. Failure to correct a violation for which 

a citation has been issued under Section 104(a) of 

the Mine Act.

1977 2018 Maximum 

$7,673. MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 C.F.R.

100.5(d)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Determination of penalty amount; special 

assessment. Any miner who willfully violates the 

mandatory safety standards relating to smoking 

standards.

1977 2018 Maximum 

$324. MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 C.F.R.

100.5(e)

Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine 

Act).

Determination of penalty amount; special 

assessment. Violations that are deemed to be 

flagrant under section 110(b)(2) of the Mine Act. 

2006 2018 Maximum 

$259,725. MSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 C.F.R.

1903.15(d)(1) 

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 

Act).

Penalty per willful violation under section 17(a) of 

the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(a).

1970 2018

Minimum 

$9,239,

Maximum 

$129,336.

OSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 199

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 C.F.R.

1903.15(d)(2)

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 

Act).

Penalty per repeated violation under section 17(a) 

of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(a).

1970 2018 Maximum 

$129,336. OSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 C.F.R.

1903.15(d)(3)

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 

Act).

Penalty for a serious violation under section 17(b) 

of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(b).

1970 2018 Maximum 

$12,934. OSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 C.F.R.

1903.15(d)(4)

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 

Act).

Penalty for an other-than-serious violation under 

section 17(c) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(c).

1970 2018 Maximum 

$12,934. OSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 C.F.R.

1903.15(d)(5)

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 

Act).

Penalty for a failure to correct a violation under 

section 17(d) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(d).

1970 2018 Maximum 

$12,934 per day. OSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 C.F.R.

1903.15(d)(6)

Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH 

Act).

Penalty for a posting requirement violation under 

section 17(i) of the Act, 29 U.S.C. 666(i).

1970 2018 Maximum 

$12,934. OSHA

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

200 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

33 U.S.C. 

930(e)

20 C.F.R.

702.204

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation 

Act.

Failure to furnish and or falsifying. Knowingly and 

willfully fail or refuse to send any report required 

by §702.201, or knowingly or willfully make a 

false statement or misrepresentation in any report.

1927 2018

Maximum 

$23,426 for each 

failure, refusal, 

false statement, or 

misrepresentation.

OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

914(g)

20 C.F.R.

702.236

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation 

Act.

Failure to report termination of payments. Failure 

to notify the district director that the final payment 

of compensation has been made as required by 

§702.235.

1927 2018 $285. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

948(a)

20 C.F.R.

702.271(a)(2)

Longshore and Harbor Workers’ Compensation 

Act.

Discrimination; against employees who bring

proceedings, prohibition, and penalty.

1972 2018

Maximum

$2,343,

Maximum 

$11,712.

OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

30 U.S.C. 942

20 C.F.R.

725.621(d)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Failure to file required reports. 1969 2018

Maximum 

$1,426 for each 

failure or refusal.

OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 201

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(2)(i)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. Failure to secure 

payment of benefits for mines with fewer than 25 

employees.

1978 2018 $139 per day. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(2)(i)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. Failure to secure 

payment of benefits for mines with 25-50 

employees.

1978 2018 $278 per day. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(2)(i)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. Failure to secure 

payment of benefits for mines with 51-100 

employees.

1978 2018 $417 per day. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(2)(i)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. Failure to secure 

payment of benefits for mines with more than 100 

employees.

1978 2018 $555 per day. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

202 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(4)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. Failure to secure 

payment of benefits after 10th day of notice.

1978 2018 $139 per day. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(5)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. Failure to secure 

payment of benefits for repeat offenders.

1978 2018 $417 per day. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

33 U.S.C. 

933(d)(1)

20 C.F.R.

726.302(c)(6)

Black Lung Benefits Act.

Determination of penalty. The maximum daily base 

penalty amount applicable to any violation of 

§726.4.

1978 2018 Maximum 

$2,852. OWCP

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

40 U.S.C.

3702(c)

29 

C.F.R. 5.8(a); 

29 C.F.R.

5.5(b)(2)

Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act 

(CWHSSA).

Failure to pay laborers and mechanics at a rate not 

less than one and one-half times their basic rate of 

pay.

1962 2018 $26 for each 

calendar day. WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 203

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

2005(a)

29 C.F.R.

801.42(a)

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA).

(1) Requiring, requesting, suggesting or causing an 

employee or prospective employee to take a lie 

detector test or using, accepting, referring to or 

inquiring about the results of any lie detector test of 

any employee or prospective employee, other than 

as provided in the Act or this part.

(2) Taking an adverse action or discriminating in 

any manner against any employee or prospective 

employee on the basis of the employee's or 

prospective employee's refusal to take a lie detector 

test, other than as provided in the Act or this part.

(3) Discriminating or retaliating against an 

employee or prospective employee for the exercise 

of any rights under the Act.

(4) Disclosing information obtained during a 

polygraph test, except as authorized by the Act or 

this part.

(5) Failing to maintain the records required by the 

Act or this part.

(6) Resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating, or 

interfering with an official of the DOL during the 

performance of an investigation, inspection, or 

other law enforcement function under the Act or 

this part.

(7) Violating any other provision of the Act or this 

part.

1988 2018 Maximum 

$20,521. WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

204 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

211(d)

29 C.F.R.

530.302 (a),(b)

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Homeworker.

Violation of recordkeeping, monetary, 

certificate or other statutes, regulations or 

employer assurances.

1938 2018

Minimum 

$20,

Maximum 

$1,026.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C. 

216(e)(1)(A)(i)

29 C.F.R.

579.1(a)(1)(i)(A

);

29 C.F.R.

570.140(b)(1)

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Child labor. 

(1) Violation of child labor standards (sections 212 

or 213(c)). 

1938 2018

Maximum 

$12,529 for each 

employee.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C. 

216(e)(1)(A)(i)

29 C.F.R.

579.1(a)(1)(i)(B

);

29 C.F.R.

570.140(b)(2)

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Child labor.

(2) Violation of child labor standards (sections 212 

or 213(c)), for each such violation that causes the 

death or serious injury of any employee under the 

age of 18 years, which penalty may be doubled 

where the violation is a repeated or willful 

violation.

1938 2018

Maximum 

$56,947 for each 

such violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C. 

216(e)(2)

29 C.F.R.

578.3(a); 

29 C.F.R.

579.1(a)(2)

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Minimum Wage 

and Overtime.

Repeated or willful violation of section 206 or 207

of FLSA, or section 6 (minimum wage) or section 

7 (overtime) of the Act.

1938 2018

Maximum 

$1,964 for each 

such violation. WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 205

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

29 U.S.C.

2619(b)

29 C.F.R.

825.300(a)(1)

Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA).

Willful violation of posting requirement.

1993 2018

Maximum 

$169 for each 

separate offense.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1288(c)(4)(E)(i)

20 C.F.R.

655.620 (a)

Immigration & Nationality Act (D-1).

Violation of the attestation or 20 CFR 655 subparts 

F or G related to utilizing alien crew for longshore 

activities in U.S. ports.

1952 2018

Maximum

$9,239 for each 

alien 

crewmember.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

206 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

8 U.S.C.

1182(n)(2)(c)(i)

20 C.F.R.

655.810(b)(1)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-1B).

(1) A violation pertaining to strike/lockout 

(§655.733) or displacement of U.S. workers 

(§655.738).

(2) A substantial violation pertaining to notification 

(§655.734), labor condition application specificity 

(§655.730), or recruitment of U.S. workers 

(§655.739).

(3) A misrepresentation of material fact on the 

labor condition application.

(4) An early-termination penalty paid by the 

employee (§655.731(c)(10)(i)).

(5) Payment by the employee of the additional 

$500/$1,000 filing fee (§655.731(c)(10)(ii)).

(6) Violation of the requirements of the regulations 

in this subpart I and subpart H of this part or the 

provisions regarding public access (§655.760) 

where the violation impedes the ability of the 

Administrator to determine whether a violation of 

sections 212(n) or (t) of the INA has occurred or 

the ability of members of the public to have 

information needed to file a complaint or 

information regarding alleged violations of sections 

212(n) or (t) of the INA.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$1,848 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 207

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

8 U.S.C. 

1182(n)(2)(c)(ii)

20 C.F.R.

655.801(b)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-1B). 

Any employer to engage in the conduct described 

in paragraph (a) of this section. Such conduct shall 

be subject to the penalties prescribed by sections 

212(n)(2)(C)(ii) or (t)(3)(C)(ii) of the INA and 

§655.810(b)(2).

1952 2018 Maximum 

$7,520. WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1182(n)(2)(c)(ii)

20 C.F.R.

655.810(b)(2)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-1B).

(1) A willful failure pertaining to wages/working 

conditions (§§655.731, 655.732), strike/lockout, 

notification, labor condition application specificity, 

displacement (including placement of an H-1B 

nonimmigrant at a worksite where the 

other/secondary employer displaces a U.S. 

worker), or recruitment.

(2) A willful misrepresentation of a material fact 

on the labor condition application; or 

(3) Discrimination against an employee 

(§655.801(a)).

1952 2018

Maximum 

$7,520 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

208 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

8 U.S.C.

1182(n)(2)(c)(iii

)

20 C.F.R.

655.810(b)(3)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-1B).

(1) A willful failure pertaining to wages/working 

conditions (§§655.731, 655.732), strike/lockout, 

notification, labor condition application specificity, 

displacement (including placement of an H-1B 

nonimmigrant at a worksite where the 

other/secondary employer displaces a U.S. 

worker), or recruitment.

 (2) A willful misrepresentation of a material 

fact on the labor condition application.

 (3) Discrimination against an employee 

(§655.801(a)).

1952 2018

Maximum 

$52,641 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(c)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Violation of the work contract or a requirement of 

8 U.S.C. 1188, 20 CFR part 655 subpart B, or the 

regulations in this part.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$1,692 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(c)(1)

 Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Willful violation of the work contract, or of 8 

U.S.C. 1188, 20 CFR part 655, subpart B, or the 

regulations in this part, or for each act of 

discrimination prohibited by §501.4.

1952 2018 Maximum 

$5,695. WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 209

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(c)(2)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Violation of a housing or transportation safety and 

health provision of the work contract, or any 

obligation under 8 U.S.C. 1188, 20 CFR part 655, 

subpart B, or the regulations in this part, that 

proximately causes the death or serious injury of 

any worker.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$56,391 per 

worker.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(c)(4)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Repeat or willful violation of a housing or 

transportation safety and health provision of the 

work contract, or any obligation under 8 U.S.C. 

1188, 20 CFR part 655, subpart B, or the 

regulations in this part, that proximately causes the 

death or serious injury of any worker.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$112,780 per 

worker.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(d)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Violation for failure to cooperate with a WHD 

investigation.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$5,695 per 

investigation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

210 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(e)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Violation for laying off or displacing any U.S. 

worker employed in work or activities that are 

encompassed by the approved Application for 

Temporary Employment Certification for H-2A 

workers in the area of intended employment either 

within 60 days preceding the date of need or during 

the validity period of the job order, including any 

approved extension thereof, other than for a lawful, 

job-related reason.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$16,917 per 

violation per 

worker.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1188(g)(2)

29 C.F.R.

501.19(f)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2A).

Violation for improperly rejecting a U.S. worker 

who is an applicant for employment, in violation of 

8 U.S.C. 1188, 20 CFR part 655 subpart B, or the 

regulations in this part.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$16,917 per 

violation per 

worker.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1184(c)(14)

29 C.F.R.

503.23(b)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2B).

For violation of any provisions of §503.16 related 

to wages, impermissible deductions or prohibited 

fees and expenses, the Administrator, WHD, may 

assess civil money penalties that are equal to the 

difference between the amount that should have 

been paid and the amount that actually was paid to 

such worker(s).

1952 2018

Maximum 

$12,383 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustment

(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 211

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

8 U.S.C.

1184(c)(14)

29 CFR 

503.23(c)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2B).

For violation related to termination by layoff or 

otherwise or has refused to employ any worker in 

violation of §503.16(r), (t), or (v), within the 

periods described in those sections, the 

Administrator, WHD may assess civil money 

penalties that are equal to the wages that would 

have been earned but for the layoff or failure to 

hire.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$12,383 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

8 U.S.C.

1184(c)(14)

29 C.F.R.

503.23(d)

Immigration & Nationality Act (H-2B).

Any other violation that meets the standards 

described in section 503.19.

1952 2018

Maximum 

$12,383 per 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

29 U.S.C.

1853(a)(1)

29 C.F.R.

500.1(e)

Migrant and Seasonal Agricultural Worker 

Protection Act (MSPA).

The Act empowers the Secretary of Labor to 

enforce the Act, conduct investigations, issue 

subpenas and, in the case of designated violations 

of the Act, impose sanctions. As provided in the 

Act, the Secretary is empowered, among other 

things, to impose an assessment and to collect a 

civil money penalty.

1983 2018

Maximum 

$2,443 for each 

violation.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)
Other Information

(Unaudited)

212 United States Department of Labor

Statutory 

Authority Penalty Name and Description Year Enacted

Latest Year 

of 

Adjustment 

(via Statute 

or 

Regulation)

Current Penalty 

(Dollar Amount 

or Range)

Bureau

Name

Location for Penalty 

Update Details 

41 U.S.C.

6503(b)

41 C.F.R. 50-

201.3(e)

Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (PCA).

Any breach or violation of any of the foregoing 

representations and stipulations shall render the 

party responsible therefor liable to the United 

States of America for liquidated damages, in 

addition to damages for any other breach of the 

contract per day for each person under 16 years of 

age, or each convict laborer knowingly employed 

in the performance of the contract.

1936 2018

$26 per day for 

each person under 

16 years of age or 

each convict 

laborer knowingly 

employed.

WHD

https://www.ecfr.gov/

83 FR 7, 15-19

(January 2, 2018)

For EBSA’s specific penalty amounts, please refer to Location for Penalty Update Details.
(Unaudited)

FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 213

Grants Oversight and New Efficiency Act (GONE Act)

Summary table GONE Act 1 below describes the Department's grant and cooperative agreement awards (awards) and 

balances for which closeout has not yet occurred but for which the period of performance has elapsed more than two 

years based on the FY 2017 reporting date with zero dollar and undisbursed balances as reported in the U.S. 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Payment Management System (PMS) as of September 30, 2018. 

*

The expiration age is calculated based on the FY 2017 reporting date.

The above summary table displays the Department’s awards for which the period of performance has elapsed more 

than two years in the Health and Human Services, PMS. The majority of those awards held have been 

administratively closed out in the Department’s Financial Management System upon required work associated with 

the awards have been completed. In addition, the Department awards shown in PMS include disbursed contracts that 

are outside the scope of GONE Act reporting.

The Department has robust procedures and dedicated resources to ensure the timely closeout of awards after the 

period of performance. In FY 2018, the Department has closed out 94 percent or 5,245 of the 5,601 awards reported 

in FY 2017. Forty-seven percent or 169 of 356 remaining awards are contracts that are outside the scope of the 

GONE Act reporting. The Department is continuing to aggressively work with HHS to expedite the closeout of the 

remaining 187 awards in PMS. Close out for these awards was delayed mainly due to financial reporting 

reconciliation. 

 Awards Amount Awards Amount Awards Amount Awards Amount

Total Zero Dollar Balances 5 - 51 - 137 - 193 -

Total Undisbursed Balances 73 $2,506,233.19 52 $3,924,239.49 38 $2,006,581.52 163 $8,437,054.20

Total Zero Dollar and Undisbursed Balances 78 $2,506,233.19 103 $3,924,239.49 175 $2,006,581.52 356 $8,437,054.20

Awards with Zero Dollar and Undisbursed Balances as reported in PMS*

Description 2-3 Years >3-5 Years > 5 Years Total
214 United States Department of Labor 

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Featured Initiatives

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Department of Labor Agency Pages

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Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/

Employee Benefits Security Administration http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/

Employment and Training Administration http://www.doleta.gov

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Occupational Safety and Health Administration http://www.osha.gov/

Office of Disability Employment Policy http://www.dol.gov/odep/

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs http://www.dol.gov/ofccp/

Office of Labor-Management Standards http://www.dol.gov/olms/

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DOL Regulations Search http://www.regulations.gov

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FY 2018 Agency Financial Report 215

Acronyms

AFR Agency Financial Report

ARRA American Recovery and 

Reinvestment Act

BAM Benefit Accuracy Measurement

BLDTF Black Lung Disability Trust Fund

BLS Bureau of Labor Statistics

BPC Benefit Payment Control

CAP Corrective Action Plan

CBO Congressional Budget Office

CIO Chief Information Officer

COLA Cost of Living 

Allowance/Adjustment

CPIM Consumer Price Index-Medical

CPI-U Consumer Price Index-Urban

CPP Clean Power Plan

CSEOA 

Community Service 

Employment for Older 

Americans

CSRS Civil Service Retirement System

CY Current Year

DFEC Division of Federal Employees’ 

Compensation

DMF Death Master File

DM&R Deferred Maintenance and 

Repairs

DNP Do Not Pay

DOE U.S. Department of Energy

DOL U.S. Department of Labor

DVOP Disabled Veterans Outreach 

Program

EB Extended Benefits

EBSA Employee Benefits Security 

Administration

EEOICPA

Energy Employees 

Occupational Illness 

Compensation Program Act

ERISA Employee Retirement Income 

Security Act

ES Employment Service

ESAA Employment Security 

Administration Account

ETA Employment and Training 

Administration

EUC Emergency Unemployment 

Compensation

EUCA Extended Unemployment 

Compensation Account

FASAB Federal Accounting Standards 

Advisory Board

FAUC Federal Additional 

Unemployment Compensation

FCI Facilities Condition Index

FEC Federal Employees 

Compensation

FECA Federal Employees’ 

Compensation Act

FERS Federal Employees Retirement 

System

FFMIA Federal Financial Management 

Improvement Act

FLSA Fair Labor Standards Act

FMFIA Federal Managers’ Financial 

Integrity Act

FUA Federal Unemployment 

Account

FUTA Federal Unemployment Tax Act

FY Fiscal Year

GAAP Generally Accepted Accounting 

Principles

GAO U.S. Government 

Accountability Office

GSA U.S. General Services 

Administration

HVRP Homeless Veterans’ 

Reintegration Program

ILAB Bureau of International Labor 

Affairs

IP Improper Payments

IPERA Improper Payments Elimination 

and Recovery Act

IPERIA Improper Payments Elimination 

and Recovery Improvement Act

IPIA Improper Payments 

Information Act

IT Information Technology

JVSG Jobs for Veterans State Grants

LVER Local Veterans Employment 

Representative

MSHA Mine Safety and Health 

Administration

NASWA National Association of State 

Workforce Agencies

NCFMS New Core Financial 

Management System

NDNH National Directory of New 

Hires

NIOSH National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health

OCFO Office of the Chief Financial 

Officer

OCIO Office of the Chief Information 

Officer

ODEP Office of Disability Employment 

Policy

OFCCP Office of Federal Contract 

Compliance Programs

OIG Office of Inspector General

OJC Office of Job Corps

OLMS Office of Labor-Management 

Standards

OMB Office of Management and 

Budget

OPM U.S. Office of Personnel 

Management

OSH Act Occupational Safety and Health 

Act

OUI Office of Unemployment 

Insurance

OWCP Office of Workers’ 

Compensation Programs

PP&E Property, Plant, and Equipment

PY Prior Year/Program Year

RECA Radiation Exposure 

Compensation Act

RMO Responsible Mine Operator

SAM System for Award Management

SBR Statements of Budgetary 

Resources

SCOTUS Supreme Court of the United 

States

SCSEP Senior Community Service 

Employment Program

SCSIA Statements of Changes in 

Social Insurance Amounts

SFFAS Statement of Federal Financial 

Accounting Standards

SIDES State Information Data 

Exchange System

SOSI Statements of Social Insurance

SSA U.S. Social Security 

Administration

SWA State Workforce Agency

TAA Trade Adjustment Assistance

TAACCCT

Trade Adjustment Assistance 

Community College and Career 

Training

TOP Treasury Offset Program

UC Unemployment Compensation

UCFE Unemployment Compensation 

for Federal Employees

UCX Unemployment Compensation 

for Ex-Service Members

UI Unemployment Insurance

U.S.C. United States Code

USCA U.S. Court of Appeals

USERRA

Uniformed Services 

Employment and 

Reemployment Rights Act

USPS United States Postal Service

UTF Unemployment Trust Fund

VETS Veterans’ Employment and 

Training Service

WB Women’s Bureau

WHD Wage and Hour Division

WIA Workforce Investment Act

WIOA Workforce Innovation and 

Opportunity Act