|
|
 
Agency Budget Summary
Department of Labor
I. Resource Summary
II. Methodology
- Adult and Youth Training Grants drug resource levels are derived by estimating the drug incidence among Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) and Workforce Investment Act (WIA) participants using data from the 1995 National Household Survey, and applying the average program cost per participant to estimate the total substance abuse prevention costs for the Adult and Youth programs. Each year, the participant unit costs and number of participants are updated to reflect the latest actual data. The Job Training Partnership Act is repealed in FY 2000 by the Workforce Investment Act, which also contains Adult and Youth programs. Participation in these job training programs is recognized as not only a means to gaining employment but also as a means to deter drug and alcohol abuse.
- The Job Corps Program administers the Alcohol and Other Drugs of Abuse (AODA) component which consists of a comprehensive drug prevention and intervention program for all Job Corps participants. Estimated Job Corps cost formulations are based on estimated expenses for enrollees drug testing, counseling, education and referral to treatment.
- Funding in the Departmental Management account supports the continued operation of the DOL's internal required Drug-Free Workplace Program and maintenance of its outreach andinformation dissemination activities known as the Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace program. Funding levels are determined based on the Department's previous experience with these programs.
III. Program Summary
- The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) administers the Adult and Youth Employment and Training Grants under the Job Training Partnership Act (FY 1998 and 1999) and under the Workforce Investment Act for FY 2000. These programs require individual assessments for each program participant and specifically encourage outreach activities aimed at individuals who face severe barriers to employment such as drug and alcohol abuse. Program goals include coordination of JTPA programs with other community service organizations, such as drug and alcohol abuse prevention and treatment programs. JTPA also authorizes the Jobs Corps AODA component to screen trainees for drug and alcohol problems and provide prevention and intervention services.
- The Job Corps program provides alcohol and drug testing and counseling to students with substance abuse problems. These services consist of both short-term individual and group counseling for those students who test positive for alcohol and other illicit drugs, and where appropriate, medication to counteract substance related symptoms. However, when more intensive and long-term treatment is required, the student is returned home with a referral to an appropriate health facility for treatment.
- The Welfare-to-Work (WTW) initiative targets welfare recipients who face multiple barriers to employment, such as school dropouts, substance abusers, and those with a poor work history - and who are long-term welfare recipients (30 months or more) or who face termination from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) within 12 months. ETA is also funding the Federal Bonding Program (FBP), which enables former substance abusers and others with a criminal background to qualify for fidelity bonding at no cost to the employer or employee.
- DOL funds its Drug-Free Workplace Program, which includes employee education, supervisory training, employee drug testing, and an employee assistance program for Department employees and their family members.
- DOL's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-free Workplace, a program to raise awareness about the negative impact of substance abuse on workplace safety, health and productivity, consists of two program components, the Small Business Initiative (SBI) and the Substance Abuse Information Database (SAID). SBI enlists national trade and professional associations to distribute industry-specific information developed by DOL to their members and to encourage and support businesses to implement programs. SAID is an on-line, searchable collection of documents that are useful in developing workplace prevention programs including sample policies, training and educational materials, and information on applicable federal and state laws and regulations and contact information for local resources.
IV. Budget Summary
1999 Program
Goal 1: Educate and enable America's youth to reject illegal drugs as well as the use of alcohol and tobacco.
- The total drug control request for Goal 1 activities for FY 1999 is $29.9 million.
- While the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and its program operators do not operate drug prevention or treatment programs, the JTPA and WIA allows and encourages certain activities concerned with substance abuse prevention. Decisions on which participants are provided what types of services under JTPA are reserved for states and localities. The WIA is fully implemented in FY 2000. In that program year, youth activities for year-around and summer jobs are consolidated. Grantees must spend 30 percent of the youth funds on out-of-school youth. Thus, the substance abuse budget for this component increases above FY 1999 for that reason. More at-risk youth will be served.
- The Job Corps Alcohol and Other Drugs of Abuse (AODA) component, now operational in all centers, is considered an important step forward in identifying alcohol and substance abusers and assisting them in combating their abuse problem.
Goal 3: Reduce health and social costs to the public of illegal drug use.
- The total drug control request for Goal 3 activities for FY 1999 is $47.8 million.
- Goal 3 focuses on providing treatment opportunities for those with addictions and promoting adoption of drug-free workplace programs. JTPA/WIA program activities which target adult participants and which may include referral to treatment support this goal. While it is important to note that JTPA and WIA are job training programs and not substance abuse treatment programs, the transitioning of the disadvantaged, low-income and unemployed into self-sustaining employment sometimes requires dealing with a participant's substance abuse by providing prevention education/counseling and referral services for individuals at risk of abusing drugs or alcohol. The WIA adult activities will be more universal than under JTPA, with services available to all, not just the disadvantaged. However, the disadvantaged and low-income individuals will have preference in receiving services.
- The Departmental Management account, which supports the Department's internal drug free workplace program and its Working Partners information dissemination activities, also supports Goal 3 by contributing to the promotion of drug-free workplace programs.
2000 Request
- Funds requested in FY 2000 total $77.7 million, approximately the same program level as FY 1999. No new initiatives are proposed for FY 2000.
V. Program Accomplishments
- Job Corps has strengthened student enrollment procedures by implementing a "Zero Tolerance for Violence and Drugs" policy. Students who are detected as not being drug-free by the end of a 30-day probationary period will be terminated from the program and cannot re-enroll for a period of six months. Re-application to this program must be accompanied by evidence of a negative drug test.
- The Welfare-to-Work initiative targets approximately 20 percent of the adult welfare population who are most at risk of long-term welfare dependancy. A major feature of the new initiative is that at least 70 percent of grant funds are to be spent on recipients who face multiple barriers to employment such as substance abuse.
- The Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace program develops, collects, and disseminates information to work organizations to encourage the implementation of drug-free workplace programs. Over 2 million copies of various DOL workplace substance abuse materials have been distributed. These materials are also now accessible via DOL's Working Partners' Web site which receives more than 350 hits per week and is listed on the White House's home page as a Commonly Requested Federal Service. This site has been expanded, refined, enhanced, and includes access to all of DOL's workplace substance abuse materials, particularly the recently developed Drug-free Workplace Advisor, which is an interactive expert system enabling users to receive non-regulatory guidance about the Drug-free Workplace Act of 1988.
- Working Partners' Small Business Initiative (SBI) has succeeded in reaching more than 400 association executives and 500,000 employers. Approximately 200 Small Business kits are requested per month and many more are accessed via the Web site.
- Conversion of the Working Partners' Substance Abuse Information Database (SAID) from a disk format to a fully searchable Web site that is free and accessible to anyone on the Internet has allowed DOL to continually update and expand the materials available on SAID. Approximately 300 hits to SAID are received weekly and the number of documents entries has grown to over 300.
|
