IWS Documented News DAILY POSTINGS

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

NO MESSAGES will be sent until 11 July 2005
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Watson Wyatt (UK)

Is work-life balance a driver for employee turnover? [8 June 2005]
http://www.watsonwyatt.com/news/press.asp?ID=14734

UK, June 8, 2005 - Four out of five employees in the UK say that work-life balance considerations play a crucial role in their decision to stay with or leave their current employer, according to research from Watson Wyatt.

Watson Wyatt's WorkUK Survey ­ conducted from a representative sample of 3,000 private sector workers in the UK ­ found that over 40 per cent of employees are actively considering finding a new job with a different employer, and nearly 80 per cent of employees believe work-life balance to be a very important consideration, if not the key consideration, in deciding to leave for a new job.

"A certain level of turnover can always be expected, indeed it is often perceived as healthy," said Jake Outram, a consultant at Watson Wyatt. "But while it is unlikely that all of the 40 per cent of employees considering changing jobs will actually do so, our research demonstrates that many employers may be neglecting a key factor affecting their employees' attitudes to staying in their positions. It is therefore important that employers understand how their employees, and in particular their high-performers, perceive their work-life balance.'

The Watson Wyatt research also found that the concern with work-life balance is not limited to employees within specific job levels. The response to this issue is almost identical for managers and non-managers.

"Although not a new issue, work-life balance has again been given prominence due to the ongoing debate on the EU working hours' directive," said Jake Outram. "Our research demonstrates the importance that employees place on achieving a sensible work-life balance, and it is evident that employers must focus on measuring the levels of work-life balance within their organisations to enable them to develop strategies that help employees to achieve a greater control over their working lives. This in turn will help organisations retain those staff who make the greatest contribution to their business."

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Geographic Area Statistics: 2003 [7 June 2005]
Issued May 2005
M03(AS)-3
Annual Survey of Manufactures
http://www.census.gov/prod/2005pubs/am0331as1.pdf
[full-text, 153 pages]

AS-3 — Geographic Area Statistics. This report presents similar statistics at the “all manufacturing”
level for the United States, each state, and the District of Columbia. This ASM report presents
2002 and 2003 data at the three- and four-digit North American Industry Classification System
(NAICS) levels for employment, payroll, value added by manufacture, cost of materials
consumed, value of shipments, and total capital expenditures. Data for detailed capital expenditures,
supplemental labor costs, fuels and electric energy used, and inventories by stage of fabrication
are presented at the US and state levels.


CONTENTS
Introduction v
Tables
1. Statistics for All Manufacturing by State: 2003 .....1
2. Statistics for the United States and States by Industry Group: 2003..... 2
3. Supplemental Statistics for the United States and States: 2003 .....93
Appendixes
A. Explanation of Terms A­1
B. NAICS Codes, Titles, and Descriptions B­1
C. Methodology C­1
D. Geographic Notes
E. Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

CBO Testimony
Statement of Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Director
Defined-Benefit Pension Plans: Current Problems and Future Challenges
before the Committee on Finance United States Senate June 7, 2005
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/64xx/doc6414/06-07-PBGC.pdf
[full-text, 14 pages]

[excerpt]
Chairman Grassley, Senator Baucus, and Members of the Committee, I appreciate
the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss questions that the termination
of United Airlines’ pension plans raises about private defined-benefit
pensions in the United States and the issues confronting the Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation (PBGC). Defined-benefit pensions are an important aspect
of labor compensation for millions of people in the United States today, as they
will continue to be for decades to come. Recent experience suggests three key
observations:

# In structuring future policy, it is important to distinguish between the
portion of pension underfunding and resultant PBGC liabilities that is an
unchangeable legacy of the past and the portion of underfunding—and the
attendant claims to be assumed by PBGC in the future—that may be
reduced over time by changes in policy.

# With regard to legacy underfunding, the essential policy question is how to
distribute the costs of the shortfall among shareholders, workers, and,
perhaps ultimately, taxpayers.

# With regard to the future of the defined-benefit pension system, the key
challenge is to design the appropriate mix of incentives for self-insurance
(such as appropriate standards for funding) and for purchased insurance
(such as that provided by PBGC) to ensure that workers will receive the
portion of their compensation promised in the form of a defined-benefit
pension—despite changes in a firm’s fortunes, the growth or decline of an
industry, and the overall performance of the economy.

For workers employed by a company that provides a defined-benefit plan, the
promised annuity is often a substantial part of their compensation and an
important aspect of their planned retirement income. However, the long period
between when the compensation is earned and when the annuity is paid increases
the potential for adverse economic events in the interim. Therefore, in the absence
of a system of insurance, the availability of benefits from defined-benefit plans
depends on the adequate funding of those benefits.

AND MUCH MORE....including GRAPH....

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Human Rights Campaign Foundation

The State of the Workplace for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans
http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Get_Informed2&Template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=27214
[full-text, 43 pages]

See press release
Monday, June 6, 2005
NEW HRC REPORT REVEALS CORPORATE AMERICA LEADING IN PROTECTING GAY AND TRANSGENDER EMPLOYEES
http://www.hrc.org/Template.cfm?Section=Press_Room&CONTENTID=27229&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm

‘Corporate America knows that fair treatment is not just the right thing to do ­ it’s good for the bottom line,’ said HRC President Joe Solmonese.

WASHINGTON ­ In spite of recent boycotts from religious political groups against businesses like Disney and Ford Motor Company, U.S. businesses are leading the way in granting protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender families through expanded domestic partner benefits and non-discrimination policies, according to a new report by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.
AND MUCH MORE.....

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Letter from HRC President Joe Solmonese
and the HRC Business Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Chapter I: 2004: A Year of Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Chapter II: Employer-Provided Domestic Partner Health Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Chapter III: Domestic Partnership Benefits in Public Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Chapter IV: Employer Policies Covering Sexual Orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter V: Laws Covering Sexual Orientation Discrimination . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Chapter VI: Employer Policies Covering
Gender Identity or Expression . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Chapter VII: Laws Covering Gender Identity and/or Expression Discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36
Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
HRC Business Council . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

[Thanks to Shirl Kennedy at Docuticker for the tip]

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:        June 7, 2005


New Research From EBRI:
How an Initiative to Expand Health Care Coverage In Muskegon, MI, Has Fared After More Than 5 Years
http://www.ebri.org/prrel/index.htm
[This press release will appear at the URL above soon].

WASHINGTON, DC­The nonpartisan Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) today published a detailed examination of a unique community-based initiative to expand health care coverage to uninsured workers at small firms in Muskegon, MI.

Known as Access Health, the initiative began in 1999 with ambitious goals: enrolling 500 businesses and 3,000 residents in a “three-share” partnership involving employers, employees, and the community of Muskegon, a fairly typical Midwestern town with a faltering economy and a population with worse-than-average health outcomes. The initiative is now in its sixth year, twice as long as originally envisioned.

“It is remarkable that it prevailed at all when one considers the barriers and obstacles that any such project would face,” the study says. Some of the area’s special qualities, including Muskegon’s strong sense of community in the face of hard times and the community’s access to a wide range of individual and institutional skills, “probably kept the project going whereas it would have fizzled out in other places,” the study adds.

By the end of 2004, Access Health had enrolled more than 420 businesses and was providing health care services to 1,150 individuals, including inpatient and outpatient services, primary and preventive care services, emergency room care, and prescription drugs. The plan calls for employers and employees each to pay 30 percent of the cost of coverage and the community to pay the remainder. It was begun with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in an attempt to fill a well-documented void in health care coverage: workers employed by small businesses that do not offer health insurance.

Written by Paul Fronstin, director of the EBRI health research and education program, and Jason Lee, director of research and policy at the National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation (NIHCM Foundation), the 29-page case study is published in the June 2005 EBRI Issue Brief entitled “The Muskegon Access Health ‘Three-Share’ Plan: A Case History” http://www.ebri.org/store/ebriib.htm  or http://www.ebri.org/ibs/. The full report is available on EBRI’s Web site at www.ebri.org

The study examines the planning that went into the formation of Access Health and the obstacles that had to be overcome in program development such as benefit design, eligibility, coverage, and financing­especially funding the community’s share.

Assessing the status of the project now, the study says its analysis “paints neither a rosy nor a bleak picture” of the initiative, while offering these observations:
   * Access Health has not reached its enrollment goals. But, the authors note, “Initial enrollment goals should not be used to judge the success or failure of the program. The weak national economy that developed after the introduction of Access Health likely had a large impact on employers’ ability and need to offer health benefits.”
   * Views of participating employers and workers were very positive. At the end of 2004, many employers offering Access Health generally believed that it has had a positive impact on employee recruitment and retention. “Workers who were interviewed generally like Access Health, but not all workers see value in the program. As a result, some workers who are eligible for Access Health continue to choose to be uninsured.”
   * While offering a “comprehensive array of health care services,” Access Health manages to remain affordable by placing some specific limits on coverage. For instance, health care services are provided only within Muskegon County. Routine dental, vision, and hearing exams are not covered. Work-place injuries and injuries and treatment for automobile accidents are not covered, nor are organ transplants and certain treatments for burns.

Access Health continues to face challenges, the study says. Its greatest financial vulnerability is the uncertain future of the community’s share, which comes from federal funds that “could be reduced or redirected” in the future, the study says. “In addition, state fiscal problems could result in fewer matching dollars, which has the potential of affecting Access Health sustainability.”

The study concludes: “Given the special conditions that existed in Muskegon, clearly it could not be duplicated measure-for-measure elsewhere. Nevertheless, other communities may be able to learn from Access Health and build their own type of multi-share program.”

Founded in 1978, EBRI’s mission is to contribute to, encourage, and enhance the development of sound employee benefit programs and sound public policy through objective research and education. EBRI is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy research organization based in Washington, DC. EBRI does not lobby and does not take positions on legislative proposals.

###

PR# 702
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

European Monitoring Centre on Change (EMCC) -- BY COUNTRY
http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/country.htm

   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/austria.html >Austria
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/belgium.html>Belgium
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Bulgaria
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Cyprus
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Czech Republic
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/denmark.html>Denmark
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Estonia
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/finland.html>Finland
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/france.html >France
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/germany.html>Germany
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/greece.html >Greece
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/hungary.html>Hungary
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/iceland.html >Iceland
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/ireland.html>Ireland
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/italy.html >Italy
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/japan.html>Japan
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Latvia
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/liechtenstein.html>Liechtenstein
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Lithuania
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/luxembourg.html>Luxembourg
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/netherlands.html >Netherlands
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/norway.html>Norway
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Malta
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/poland.html>Poland
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/portugal.html >Portugal
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Romania
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/slovak_republic.html >Slovakia
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/slovenia.html>Slovenia
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/spain.html >Spain
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/sweden.html>Sweden
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/switzerland.html >Switzerland
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/notimplemented.htm>Turkey
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/united_kingdom.html >United Kingdom
   * < http://www.emcc.eurofound.eu.int/indexes/country/united_states.html >USA
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm

Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report, January to December, 2004
Crime in the United States [7 June 2005]
http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/2004/04prelim.pdf
[full-text, 18 pages]

Crime in the United States (CIUS) is an annual publication in which the FBI compiles volume and rate of crime offenses for the nation, the states, and individual agencies. This report also includes arrest, clearance, and law enforcement employee data.

UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS For Release January-December 2004 June 6, 2005

The number of violent crimes reported to law enforcement agencies in the United States decreased 1.7 percent in 2004 when compared to 2003 data. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. The number of property crimes reported in 2004 declined 1.8 percent when compared to figures reported from the previous year. Property crimes include burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft. Arson is also a property crime, but data for arson are not included in property crime totals. Reports of arson declined 6.8 percent in 2004 compared to the number of reports in 2003.
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

JOB OPENINGS AND LABOR TURNOVER:  APRIL 2005 [7 June 2005]
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.nr0.htm
or
http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/jolts.pdf
[full-text, 13 pages]

  The job openings rate was essentially unchanged in April at 2.7 percent,
while the hires rate decreased to 3.4 percent, and the total separations
rate was unchanged at 3.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the
U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  This release includes estimates
of the number and rate of job openings, hires, and separations for the
total nonfarm sector by industry and geographic region.

Job Openings

   On the last business day of April 2005, there were 3.7 million job
openings in the United States, and the job openings rate was 2.7 percent.
(See table 1.)  The job openings rate was little changed in April, but has
generally trended upward since September 2003.  In April, the job openings
rate decreased in the construction sector and increased in professional
and business services.  The job openings rate did not change significantly
in any of the regions.

AND MUCH MORE...including TABLES....

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________



Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 65 No. 4
(released May 2005)
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/index.html

Printed copies of this document are scheduled for release in mid-June 2005.

Reassessing the Relationship Between Disability Insurance and Workers' Compensation
by James B. Lockhart III
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p1.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p1.pdf
[full-text, 2 pages]


Workers' Compensation, Social Security Disability Insurance, and the Offset: A Fact Sheet
by Virginia Reno, Cecili Thompson Williams, and Ishita Sengupta
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p3.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p3.pdf
[full-text, 4 pages]

This article offers a brief summary of the workers' compensation and Social Security Disability Insurance programs. Information highlighted includes the differences between the two programs' types and terms of coverage. It compares the differing patterns in workers' compensation and Social Security disability benefits as a percentage of wages over the past few decades and considers the potential causes for such trends. The article also explains the offset provision included in the 1965 Social Security Amendments, the intention behind the offset, and how and when offsets are applied.

Workers' Compensation: A Background for Social Security Professionals
by Ann Clayton
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p7.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p7.pdf
[full-text, 9 pages]

This article provides a brief history and background of workers' compensation programs for occupationally injured and ill workers in the United States. It presents the basic principle involved in workers' compensation and briefly discusses the disability benefits to which workers are generally entitled. It also discusses why there are settlements in this disability program and the availability of information about the amounts paid in workers' compensation cases for obtaining an offset for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits paid to the worker. Finally, the article explains the rationale behind the public policy on coordination of Disability Insurance and workers' compensation in the new paradigm of disability and return to work.

Compensating Workers for Permanent Partial Disabilities
by Peter S. Barth
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p16.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p16.pdf
[full-text, 8 pages]


There is substantial variability in how state workers' compensation laws provide benefits to workers who have a permanent partial disability. The basic approaches used by the states can be classified into four groupings, although important differences exist within each group. Depending on the approach used, workers with similar injuries can receive substantially different amounts of benefits. Because compensating permanent partial disabilities frequently involves contention, the matters in dispute will depend on the approach used to determine benefits. The continuation of such differences in approach suggests that the states have not found a single "best practice" for determining what such benefits should be.


Benefit Adequacy in State Workers' Compensation Programs
by H. Allan Hunt
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p24.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p24.pdf
[full-text, 7 pages]

This article summarizes several different methods used to measure the adequacy of wage replacement in state workers' compensation systems in the United States. Empirical research casts serious doubt on benefit adequacy, especially in the case of more serious disabilities.

The Fraction of Disability Caused at Work
by Robert T. Reville and Robert F. Schoeni
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p31.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p31.pdf
[full-text, 7 pages]

Disability has high societal and personal costs. Various disparate federal and state programs attempt to address the economic and social needs of people with disabilities. Presumably workplace injuries and accidents are an important source of disability. Yet separate public policies and research literatures have evolved for these two social problems­disability and workplace injuries­despite their relatedness. This article seeks to document the overlap between these two phenomena in estimating the proportion of the disabled population whose disability was caused by workplace injury, accident, or illness using the Health and Retirement Study of 1992. The results point toward the need for initiatives to reduce disability that focus on work-related causes, which are a common pathway to disability, and that may result in substantial savings in federal programs.

Design and Implementation Issues in Swedish Individual Pension Accounts
by R. Kent Weaver
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p38.html
or
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4/v65n4p38.pdf
[full-text,  19 pages]

Sweden's new multipillar pension system includes a system of mandatory fully funded individual accounts. The Swedish system offers contributors more than 600 fund options from a variety of private-sector fund managers. However, in the most recent rounds of fund choice, more than 90 percent of new labor market entrants have not made an active choice of funds and thus have ended up in a government-sponsored default fund.

The Swedish system offers a number of lessons about implementing a mandatory individual account tier. Centralized administration keeps administrative costs down but requires considerable lead time. A very large number of fund options are likely to be offered unless strong entry barriers are in place. Engaging new labor market entrants in fund choice is likely to be difficult. A significant percentage of those making an active fund choice may choose funds that are very specialized and risky. Finally, special care must be devoted to designing a default fund and continual consumer communication.

The full report is available at < http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v65n4//OACT/TR/TR05/ >.
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

World Economic Forum (WEF)

Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender Gap [16 May 2005]
http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gender_gap.pdf
[full-text, 23 pages]

See Press Release [16 May 2005]
World Economic Forum Launches New “Gender Gap Index” Measuring Inequality between Women and Men in 58 Countries
http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/World+Economic+Forum+Launches+New+%E2%80%9CGender+Gap+Index%E2%80%9D+Measuring+Inequality+between+Women+and+Men+in+58+Countries


16 May 2005 - Geneva, Switzerland

REPORT FINDS SWEDEN AND OTHER NORTHERN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES DO BEST ­ THE UNITED STATES (17), SWITZERLAND (34), JAPAN (38), BRAZIL (51), INDIA (53) AND TURKEY (57) DO LESS WELL

The World Economic Forum is releasing today the first ever study that attempts to quantify the size of the “gender gap” in 58 countries.

Entitled Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global Gender Gap, the report measures the size of the gap between women and men in five critical areas based on UNIFEM’s (United Nations Development Fund for Women) findings of global patterns of inequality between men and women:
1) economic participation ­ equal remuneration for equal work; 2) economic opportunity ­ access to the labour market that is not restricted to low-paid, unskilled jobs; 3) political empowerment ­ representation of women in decision-making structures; 4) educational attainment ­ access to education; 5) health and well-being ­ access to reproductive healthcare.

The study ranks Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland at the top of the list, as the countries with the smallest “gender gap.” Characterized by strongly liberal societies, with an impressive record of openness and transparency in government, and comprehensive safety nets that provide security to vulnerable groups in the population, women in these countries have access to a wider spectrum of educational, political and work opportunities and enjoy a higher standard of living than women in other parts of the world. While no country has yet managed to eliminate the gender gap, the Nordic countries have succeeded best in narrowing it and, in a very clear sense, provide a workable model for the rest of the world.

The report covers all 30 OECD countries and 28 other emerging markets. The study uses a large number of “hard data” indicators drawn from international organizations and qualitative information from the Forum’s own Executive Opinion Survey. The study measures the extent to which women have been able to achieve full equality with men in a number of critical areas.1

“The Forum has undertaken this study in order to facilitate the work of governments, aid agencies and NGOs by providing a benchmarking tool to assess the size of the gender gap in these countries, ranking them according to the level of advancement of their female population and identifying successes and failures, based on economic, political, educational and health-based criteria. Our aim is essentially to allow countries to identify their strengths and weaknesses in an area of critical importance for the development process and to provide opportunities for countries to learn from the experiences of others that have been more successful in promoting the equality of women and men,” said Augusto Lopez-Claros, Chief Economist and Director of the Global Competitiveness Programme at the World Economic Forum.

AND MORE....

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

ILO Director-General says global jobs crisis puts democracy, freedom at risk
Says creating trillions in growth, but only a trickle of jobs is unsustainable
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005/26.htm


Monday 6 June 2005 (ILO/05/26)

GENEVA (ILO News) - The huge gap between the trillions in wealth but only a trickle of jobs being created by the global economy poses a growing threat to international security, development and democracy and must be addressed urgently, International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General Juan Somavia said today.

"This global jobs crisis is the most pressing political issue of our time", Mr. Somavia told more than 3,000 government, worker and employer participants in the ILO's < http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005//public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc93/index.htm >93rd International Labour Conference here. "The warning light is blinking on today's global economy."

Citing ILO data illustrating the contrast between a healthy global growth rate of 5 per cent and a disappointing expansion in employment of only 1.7 per cent in 2004, Mr. Somavia said: "In other words, world output increased by nearly US$ 4 trillion - yet global unemployment was reduced by only 500,000".

"Trillions in wealth creation, a trickle of jobs", Mr. Somavia said. "The global jobs crisis is putting security, development, open economies and open societies all at risk. This is not a sustainable course."

The ILO Director-General told Conference delegates that the global economy has evolved into "an ethical vacuum - with policies that many feel are organized too much around market values and too little around human values. The overall effect is more insecurity and less freedom".

Mr. Somavia said concern was growing worldwide over the imbalance between globalization and growth and job creation. This was illustrated, he said, by the fact that more than one billion people are unemployed or considered working poor, with almost half the world's labour force living on less than US$ 2 per day.

He also said that up to nine out of 10 people in some countries were working in the "unorganized, unprotected, unstable" informal economy and that less than half the young people available for work worldwide were holding jobs last year.

"We must repair the disconnect between economic growth and job creation, rebalance priorities, revalue work and target the right investment policies", Mr. Somavia told the tripartite delegates. "We must move employment and decent work fully into the mainstream of the international development debate."

Noting that "work is at the epicenter of the economic, political and social concerns of people," the ILO Director-General said the Organization had responded to the global jobs crisis by reorienting its agenda toward a focus on the ILO's core values, re-energizing its operations and promoting its decent work agenda.

Mr. Somavia cited growing support for the decent work agenda. This support was manifested in such forums as the < http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005//public/english/bureau/inf/event/ouagadougou/index.htm>African Union Extraordinary Summit on Employment and Poverty last September, the ILO's < http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005//public/english/bureau/inf/event/budapest/index.htm >European Regional Meeting in Budapest last February, recent Latin American Heads of State meetings, and the European Union's Commission Social Agenda. In addition, he said that the 2004 report of the < http://www.ilo.org/public/english/bureau/inf/pr/2005//public/english/fairglobalization/index.htm>World Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization had prompted worldwide debate on making globalization fair and had received the support of the United Nations General Assembly in a resolution adopted last September.

The annual International Labour Conference agenda also reflects this support, Mr. Somavia noted, citing such initiatives as: efforts to help youth to find decent jobs "and ensure that we don't have a 'lost generation'"; describe and propose solutions to employment problems of workers facing "terrible limitations (and) extremely hard" conditions for themselves and their families in the occupied Arab territories; address the "open wound" of forced labour on the global economy; develop a robust new framework for occupational health and safety standards; finalize a comprehensive new standard for the world's fishing industry; review the impact of standards on hours of work; and scrutinize ILO member States on their application of conventions and standards.

The ILO Director-General said that making decent work a global goal requires three interlinked sets of actions:
   * "building our collective capacity" by strengthening trade unions, employers' organizations and ministries of employment, labour and social affairs;
   * strengthening the ILO's efforts to promote decent work at the national and regional level to equip the ILO to contribute more effectively to national priorities; and
   * moving employment and decent work fully into the mainstream of the development debate by putting growth, investment and jobs at the centre of international cooperation.
"Our decent work agenda is key to accelerating the progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals", Mr. Somavia said. "Macroeconomic, financial, trade, investment and labour policies must converge making decent work an objective of policy-making, rather than a hoped-for result. We cannot do it alone. But it cannot be done without us. If we have the will to play that role, these things can be done."

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Private Pensions: Government Actions Could Improve the Timeliness and Content of Form 5500 Pension Information. GAO-05-491, June 3.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-491
or
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05491.pdf
[full-text, 61 pages]
and
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05491high.pdf

What GAO Found
Detailed information on private pension plans is reported on the Form 5500,
and Labor, IRS, and PBGC use the information for compliance, research, and
public disclosure purposes. Information collected on the form includes basic
plan identifying information as well as detailed information including assets
and liabilities, insurance, and financial transactions. The principal users of
Form 5500 Reports­Labor, IRS, and PBGC­use the reports primarily as a
compliance tool to identify actual and potential violations of the Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 and the Internal Revenue Code.
Other federal agencies and policy researchers also use Form 5500
information.

Statutory reporting requirements, processing issues, and current Labor
practices affect the timeliness of the release of Form 5500 information,
resulting in a 3 year lag, in some cases, in releasing certain usable
computerized Form 5500 information to the non-principal federal agencies
and others. First, under the current statutory reporting requirements, filers
can have up to 285 days after the end of the plan year to file their Form 5500.
Second, 98 percent of filings are in a paper format. These take more than
three times as long as electronic filings to process and have twice as many
errors. Third, the release of the Form 5500 information in the research file­
the Form 5500’s most practical form­is further delayed because Labor waits
until all filings for that plan year are processed, which can take up to 2 years.
Despite the efforts of Labor, IRS, and PBGC to improve its content, the Form
5500 lacks key information. These agencies have taken certain steps to
improve the content of the Form 5500, such as reviewing the Form 5500
annually to ensure that the form is collecting all the information required by
law. However, the form still lacks key information that could better assist
Labor, IRS, and PBGC in identifying and tracking all plans over time and
monitoring multiemployer plans. Federal and private sector researchers also
told us the form could collect better plan financial information, such as
40l(k) plan fees. In addition, federal agency officials told us certain
information could be reported earlier than the current filing deadline, such
as information on a plan’s funding status, as well as its assets and liabilities.
_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

****************************************
Stuart Basefsky                   *
Director, IWS News Bureau                *
Institute for Workplace Studies *
Cornell/ILR School                        *
16 E. 34th Street, 4th Floor             *
New York, NY 10016                        *
                                            *
Telephone: (607) 255-2703                *
Fax: (607) 255-9641                       *
E-mail: smb6@cornell.edu                  *
****************************************

IWS Documented News Service
_______________________________
Institute for Workplace Studies                   Professor Samuel B. Bacharach
School of Industrial & Labor Relations           Director, Institute for Workplace Studies
Cornell University
16 East 34th Street, 4th floor                    Stuart Basefsky
New York, NY 10016                        Director, IWS News Bureau
________________________________________________________________________

Federal Disability Assistance: Wide Array of Programs Needs to be Examined in Light of 21st Century Challenges. GAO-05-626, June 2.
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-626
or
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05626.pdf
[full-text, 47 pages]
and
Highlights - http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d05626high.pdf

[excerpt]
Results in Brief:
More than 20 federal agencies and almost 200 programs serve people with
disabilities in a multifaceted and complex manner. About half of these
programs serve only people with disabilities, while the rest serve people
both with and without disabilities. Together these programs provide a
wide range of assistance such as employment-related services, medical
care, civil protections or legal services, education, and monetary support.
Multiple agencies administer programs that provide similar types of
assistance, but these programs often serve different populations of people
with disabilities because of varying eligibility criteria. For example, the
Department of Education and the Department of Veterans Affairs have
separate programs that provide vocational rehabilitation services to
American Indians and veterans, respectively. In fiscal year 2003, over
$120 billion in federal funds were spent on programs that only serve
people with disabilities, with over 80 percent of these funds spent on
monetary support.2 Although insufficient data were available to estimate
the total additional funds spent on people with disabilities by programs
that also serve people without disabilities, this amount is significant given
that benefit payments in fiscal year 2002 for people with disabilities for
two such programs alone—Medicare and Medicaid—amounted to about
$132 billion.

The challenges cited most frequently in our recent survey of nearly 200
programs serving people with disabilities are largely consistent with
several of the key findings from our past reports that led GAO to place
federal programs supporting people with disabilities on its high-risk list.
Our past work examining the federal government’s disability programs—
particularly those administered by SSA and VA—revealed challenges these
programs face in a variety of areas including ensuring timely and
consistent processing of applications for assistance, ensuring timely
provision of services and benefits, interpreting complex eligibility
requirements, planning for growth in the demand for program benefits and
services, making beneficiaries or clients aware of program services or
benefits, and communicating and coordinating with other federal
programs serving individuals with disabilities. Our recent survey of nearly
200 programs serving people with disabilities indicates that many of these
programs face challenges similar to those we have previously identified.
For example, in responding to our survey, 54 percent of the programs that
provide medical care and 46 percent of the programs that provide
employment-related assistance reported that planning for growth in the
demand for assistance was a major or moderate challenge. In addition,
53 percent of the programs that provide monetary support to people with
disabilities reported that interpreting complex eligibility requirements was
a major or moderate challenge.

Over the past several years, GAO has identified the need to reexamine and
transform federal disability programs to better position the government to
meet the new challenges and changing expectations of the 21st century.
We have identified several key factors that are important to consider in
assessing the need for, and nature of, program transformations including
(1) program design issues, particularly those affecting individual work
incentives and supports; (2) fiscal implications of proposed program
changes, such as their affordability and effects on federal and state
spending and tax revenues; and (3) feasibility of implementing program
changes, which would include considering whether appropriate processes
and systems are in place including those related to the planning and
management of human capital and information technology. In addition to
considering these factors, it is also important that some mechanism be
established for looking across programs to assess their overall
effectiveness and integration and whether they achieve similar or
complementary goals.

_____________________________
This information is provided to subscribers, friends, faculty, students and alumni of the School of Industrial & Labor Relations (ILR). It is a service of the Institute for Workplace Studies (IWS) in New York City. Stuart Basefsky is responsible for the selection of the contents which is intended to keep researchers, companies, workers, and governments aware of the latest information related to ILR disciplines as it becomes available for the purposes of research, understanding and debate. The content does not reflect the opinions or positions of Cornell University, the School of Industrial & Labor Relations, or that of Mr. Basefsky and should not be construed as such. The service is unique in that it provides the original source documentation, via links, behind the news and research of the day. Use of the information provided is unrestricted. However, it is requested that users acknowledge that the information was found via the IWS Documented News Service.

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