EARN 2007 Legal Authority

Legal Authority for 2007 EARN Survey Collection

The Employer Assistance Referral Network (EARN) is a nationwide service designed to provide employers with a technical, educational, and informational resource to simplify and encourage the hiring of qualified workers. Historically, disability programs required employers to do much of the work in the finding and hiring of people with disabilities. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the Department of Labor has designed EARN to alleviate these barriers and do much of the work for the employer.

EARN is a service from the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) of the Department of Labor. This referral service links employers with providers who refer appropriate candidates with disabilities. The service is provided by means of a nationwide toll-free Call Center.

EARN is a service of the Office of Disability Employment Policy which was established pursuant to section 1(a)(1) of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2001 (Pub. L. 106-554) H.R. 5656, see Title I, ``Departmental Management'') 29 U.S.C. 551 et seq.; 5 U.S.C. 301.

This service and the data collection component are authorized pursuant to Pub. L. 106-554 which direct the Office of Disability Policy to provide initiatives such as EARN to ``further the objective of eliminating employment barriers to the training and employment of people with disabilities''.