WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor, in cooperation with state and local partners, is setting aside funding and will be making grants to assess workforce needs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Florida, and other states in response to Hurricane Irma, the U.S. D.O.L. announced today.<\/p>\n
The department will continue to work cooperatively with states and territories to assess needs as they develop and respond accordingly. U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta has directed the Department to assist the residents and businesses in affected areas. The department has taken the steps set forth below.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by Hurricane Irma,\u201d Secretary Acosta said.\u00a0 \u201cThe Department of Labor is deploying resources to support cleanup and recovery efforts. As Americans, we are strong and will come together to help our friends and neighbors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labor Department activities to assist states and territories include:<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Employment and Training Administration<\/a>\u00a0(ETA) will provide Disaster Dislocated Worker Grants to assess workforce needs. The disbursement of funding will be determined as needs are assessed by state and local partners.<\/p>\n ETA is assisting in administering\u00a0Disaster Unemployment Assistance<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands<\/span>. This assistance may also become available to other states impacted by Hurricane Irma if additional disaster declarations are made.<\/p>\n ETA and the department\u2019s\u00a0Office of Disability Employment Policy<\/a>\u00a0will make funding available from Disability Employment Initiative grants to provide services, medical equipment, and other resources to individuals with disabilities who are affected by the hurricane.<\/p>\n As it did in response to Hurricane Harvey<\/a>, the\u00a0Employee Benefit Security Administration<\/a>\u00a0(EBSA) is temporarily waiving certain requirements and deadlines related to retirement plans and group health plans, and is coordinating with other federal agencies that regulate employee benefit plans on relief for employers, other plan sponsors, and plan participants and beneficiaries affected by the hurricanes. For example, EBSA is working with the Internal Revenue Service to make it easier for workers to get loans and distributions from 401(k) and other retirement plans and to give employers more time to file the Form 5500 Annual Return\/Report for their employee benefit plans.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Veterans\u2019 Employment and Training Service<\/a>\u00a0<\/span>(VETS) is working with its grantees to identify flexibilities and additional funding needs for its programs, including the Departments of Labor for\u00a0Puerto Rico<\/a>, the\u00a0U.S. Virgin Islands<\/a>, and\u00a0Florida<\/a>\u00a0(which administer the\u00a0Jobs for Veterans State Grants<\/a>\u00a0programs); affected\u00a0Homeless Veterans\u2019<\/b>\u00a0Reintegration Program<\/a>\u00a0grantees; and the affected military bases where the Transition Assistance Program\u2019s Employment Workshops are provided.\u00a0VETS\u2019 staff<\/a>\u00a0stands ready to offer\u00a0assistance<\/a>\u00a0to employers, members of the National Guard and Reserves, and members of the National Disaster Medical System and Urban Search and Rescue service who may be deployed in support of rescue and recovery operations.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Wage and Hour Division<\/a>\u00a0will be triaging all calls in the affected areas to continue to provide uninterrupted service to workers and employers.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Office of Labor-Management Standards<\/a>\u00a0(OLMS) plans to issue a special enforcement advisory that would temporarily ease reporting and other regulatory burdens on labor organizations, labor relations consultants, and employers affected by Hurricane Irma. Advisories will be sent by email to OLMS and department stakeholders.<\/p>\n OSHA is actively engaged with the National Response Team and the interagency response to the hurricane and flooding. It is working with the Federal Emergency Management Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies to coordinate strategies for the recovery.<\/p>\n\n
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