The Department of Defense Pipeline Program is a reemployment initiative designed to return recovering employees to productive duty as soon as they are medically able. This is done by providing over-hire authority to DoD installations and agencies, and funding for salary and benefits for the first year. Pipeline removes the budget and staffing constraints that have historically presented barriers for installations seeking to reintegrate recovering employees back into the workforce.

For more information on the program, read the Department of Defense Pipeline Reemployment Program Guide and the Pipeline Brochure, both provided by the Civilian Personnel Management Service.

Funds are reallocated from DoD Component budgets to a specific fund in the Civilian Personnel Management Services (CPMS) budget. The Deputy Under Secretary for Civilian Personnel Policy monitors and oversees the program to ensure compliance and results. CPMS Injury & Unemployment Compensation Division manages the program to ensure appropriate return-to-work processes are performed.

The hiring installation is responsible for Full Time Equivalent (FTE) allocation and funding after one year from the date the employee begins an approved Pipeline position. Normal attrition allows Installations to use vacated FTE positions and associated funds to cover expenses of Pipeline employees after Pipeline funding is expended. For more information about the program, including FAQs and Tools You Can Use, visit the DoD Pipeline Program Web site.

Pipeline reduces the amount of compensation an agency pays yearly resulting from recovering workers. It helps achieve indirect cost savings by minimizing the replacement and training costs incurred when employees are on workers’ compensation rolls. These indirect costs can equate to approximately 6.5% of salary and benefit costs.

Since December 2004, more than 130 DoD installations have tapped into Pipeline funding to offer more than 640 injured workers the opportunity to return to work, realizing a potential lifetime cost avoidance of more than $420 million.

Pipeline Program Metrics that highlight the project status and savings can be found on the Pipeline Web site.