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GAO-16-28R 1 (2015-10-30)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaajjv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 October 30, 2015 The Honorable Bob Corker Chairman Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate The Honorable Johnny Isakson United States Senate Workers' Compensation: Health Benefit Programs for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers and for Employees of U.S. Agency for International Development Contractors Peace Corps volunteers commit to 2-year assignments in communities around the world, where they support Peace Corps' mission to help host countries meet their needs for trained personnel with a goal of promoting mutual understanding between the United States and citizens of other nations.1 Volunteers work on projects such as teaching English, strengthening farmer cooperatives, or building sanitation systems. As of September 2014, more than 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 140 countries since the program began in 1961. After completing their service with Peace Corps, volunteers typically return to the United States.2 Returned volunteers who sustain illnesses or injuries or aggravate preexisting illnesses or injuries connected to their Peace Corps service are eligible for health and other benefits under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) program-a workers' compensation program administered by the Department of Labor (DOL).3 In contrast, employees of contractors for certain other federal agencies that conduct work overseas, such as the Department of State, Department of Defense, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), are eligible for health and other benefits for service-connected illnesses or injuries or the aggravation of preexisting illnesses or injuries through a separate workers' compensation program administered by DOL, under the Defense Base Act (DBA).4 Under DBA, federal agencies pay for insurance by reimbursing their contractors and subcontractors for the cost of 1Other volunteers, called Peace Corps Response Volunteers, include professionals with at least 10 years of work experience and medical professionals who typically volunteer for short-term specialized assignments overseas. 2Returned Peace Corps volunteers are those volunteers who have completed their service with, or officially separated from, the Peace Corps. 35 U.S.C. §§ 8101 et seq. Health benefits for volunteers who are still active with Peace Corps are provided through a separate mechanism by Peace Corps. This report will only focus on and discuss the health benefits provided to returned volunteers through the FECA program. 4Act of August 16, 1941, ch. 357, 55 Stat. 622, as amended and codified at 42 U.S.C. §§ 1651-1655. DBA insurance is an extension of the Longshoreman and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act and is intended to provide equivalent coverage for persons working outside of the United States. For purposes of this report, we use the term service- connected illnesses or injuries to describe the general scope of coverage under DBA and FECA. Although the two programs use different definitions, coverage determinations generally depend on whether the injury or illness is connected to one's work. GAO-16-28R Workers' Compensation Health Benefits Page 1

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