I-A: Benefit Payments
Pay benefits accurately and timely Other Information:
In fiscal year 2005, 99.62% of all initial recurring railroad retirement benefit payments were accurate. In fiscal year 2005,
the unemployment insurance payment accuracy rate was 98.73% and the sickness insurance benefit payment accuracy rate was 99.94%.
The RRB is committed to ensuring that we pay the right benefits to the right people in a timely manner. We have a number of
measures in place to track the accuracy and timeliness of the actions we take in a year, both in the Railroad Retirement Act
(RRA) and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) programs. The principal indicators of accuracy are the benefit payment
and case accuracy rates in each program. Our long-term performance goal is to meet or exceed 99 percent payment accuracy in
the payments we initiate or manually adjust in a given year. (Payment accuracy is defined as the percentage of dollars paid
correctly as a result of the adjudication action performed.) We also have long-term case accuracy goals (the number of cases
paid without material error/the number of cases paid) of at least 94 percent in RRA cases, and at least 98 percent in RUIA
cases. To accomplish these goals, we will: Monitor payment and case accuracy and identify problems. We will continue monitoring
the accuracy of award actions, looking at performance trends, and identifying problem areas. On an ongoing basis, we use that
feedback to identify opportunities for process improvement, make recommendations for automation initiatives, and identify
training needs. Provide feedback and take additional preventive actions as appropriate. On an ongoing basis, we will also
continue to provide constructive feedback to organizations for their use in enhancing and rewarding individual or group performance.
We will also provide training, as appropriate, to prevent recurrence of human errors. Ensure accurate, up-to-date, accessible
instructions to support our front-line employees as they provide customer support. During the planning period, we expect to:
review and consolidate procedures in an on-line environment; develop on-line, interactive, technical courseware which will
enable us to provide basic and refresher training in adjudication of our Acts; and provide on-line links to detailed procedures
at the desktop to support our employees in handling error-prone or unusual cases. Inform our customers about their responsibilities.
In all communications with our customers, we will provide clear guidance on their responsibilities to provide accurate, complete
information. This will allow them to receive the maximum benefits to which they are legally entitled, while helping the agency
avoid erroneous payments. We measure the success of our efforts to make timely payments by looking at a variety of information,
such as our performance against the Customer Service Plan, and average processing times. One performance goal for timeliness
is to achieve the levels of service outlined in the Customer Service Plan. Our Performance Budget sets yearly targets for
the percentage of customers that will receive service in the time frame specified in the Customer Service Plan. These targets
are revised annually based upon such variables as projected workloads, process capabilities and available resources. To accomplish
these goals, we will: Ensure that the Customer Service Plan is comprehensive and is revised when appropriate. Currently, the
RRB’s Customer Service Plan has a number of timeliness goals for initial retirement, survivor, and disability decisions and
payments, as well as for unemployment and sickness insurance applications and claims. A timeliness goal is also in place for
handling customer inquiries. Progress against our goals is tracked and reported to our customers annually. Over the course
of the planning period, we will review the standards in the plan to ensure that they are consistent with our performance goals,
and expressed in terms that are both useful to our customers and easily measurable. Promote direct deposit for benefit payments.
Lost or stolen checks have caused financial hardship for RRB beneficiaries and additional cost to the agency to resolve claims
and handle additional calls. Direct deposit is a safe, secure, and less costly method of delivering benefit payments. We will
continue to work with Treasury to promote direct deposit for RRB beneficiaries. Monitor key payment workloads. We will continue
to monitor our performance on key payment-related workloads. We will aim to maintain the on-hand balances at the end of the
fiscal year at or below the “normal working balance” -- that is, the number that can reasonably be worked off by existing
staff within the timeliness standard set for that work. To improve our long-term performance in disability timeliness we plan
to: Allocate resources effectively. Since 1998, we have improved the timeliness of rendering disability decisions and plan
to make further progress. During the planning period we will align our staffing resources appropriately from claim handling
areas which have already benefited from automation efficiencies to the disability area which, by its very nature, is more
labor intensive.
Indicator(s):
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