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Kenneth Zawodny, Jr.Associate Director, Retirement ServicesRetirement Services
FY 14-15: Agency Priority Goal
PG1 Retirement claims processing improvements
Priority Goal
Goal Overview
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible for the administration of the Federal Retirement Program covering over 2.7 million active employees and nearly 2.6 million annuitants. This responsibility is shared with agency partners who counsel their employees and administer the initial retirement application process, and submit the employee’s application, with all supporting documentation, to OPM’s Retirement Services. OPM remains committed to improving all areas of retirement case related production by refining and implementing Lean Six Sigma activities, providing needed training and development, and diverting resources to areas needing concentrated efforts. In order to make comprehensive improvements to retirement claims processing, OPM will continue to focus on the following four pillars: People; Productivity and Process Improvement; Partnerships with Agencies; and Partial, Progressive IT Improvements.
Strategies
- People
- Maintain appropriate Legal Administrative Specialists (LAS) staffing levels to back fill individuals who retire; and
- Maintain appropriate Customer Service Specialists (CSS) staffing levels to back fill individuals who retire.
- Productivity and Process Improvement
- Implement Lean Six Sigma Process Improvement Plan; and
- Effectively use of overtime.
- Partnering with Agencies
- Work with OPM-HRS to communicate RS strategies and updates in Chief Human Capital Officers Council meetings;
- Maintain 90 percent or greater accuracy and completeness of incoming claims
- Provide continued feedback to agencies on claims deficiencies
- Partial, Progressive Information Technology Improvements
- Acquire, Customize, and begin to integrate Case Management System;
- Pursue long-term data flow strategy;
- Explore short-term strategy to leverage work agencies do now;
- Review and upgrade systems used by LAS;
- Develop capability to receive electronic retirement applications; and
- Implement the RS Strategic IT Vision through incremental and strategic automation of the process in areas such as retirement calculator.
- The claims inventory is defined as all new pending claims under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), including all non-disability claims and disability claims after a determination has been made that disability retirement under CSRS or FERS is warranted. Other specialty claims and processes, such as Service Credit issues, Court Ordered Benefits, disability retirement determinations or lump sum payments to Federal employees who died while still employed (Death in Service) are not included in this definition. While these claims are important and are tracked separately, they are fundamentally different from the vast majority of our cases.
- Of the nearly 2.6 million retirees and survivors, more than 500,000 users have active Services-On-Line (SOL) accounts. In FY 2013, more than 352,000 users accessed SOL to conduct retirement business. SOL is our on-line tool to process standard post retirement activities such as address changes and other account maintenance functions. OPM is already gathering e-mail addresses of new retirees through the application process, but is also involved in numerous outreach activities to bring awareness to and encourage retirees to use Services-On-Line.
Progress Update
OPM processed 70 percent of pending claims within 60 days in FY 2015, and 79 percent within 60 days in FY 2014, below the target of 90 percent. The overall average processing time for retirement claims was 56.2 days in FY 2015, with an average of 42.3 days for claims processed in less than 60 days and 88.6 days for claims processed in more than 60 days. OPM typically receives a surge of retirement claims at the beginning of the calendar year. In FY 2015, the surge included approximately 30,000 new claims, exceeding projections and stretching from January into February. In previous years, OPM has hired additional staff at the beginning of the fiscal year to offset the increased workload. Due to resource constraints, OPM was not able to use this approach in FY 2015.
Of the 1.9 million annuitants, more than 513,000 unique users accessed Services Online in FY 2015, an increase of nearly 40 percent from the baseline of 367,000, exceeding the target of 25 percent. As of the end of FY 2015, an average of 87.7 percent of retirement applications submissions that OPM received were considered complete. This is an increase over the FY 2014 rate of 84 percent, but short of the target of 95 percent. Data is posted on the OPM website: http://www.opm.gov/about-us/budget-performance/strategic-plans/agency-au...
Additional highlights are described below.
- OPM’s claims processing accuracy rate was 94.0 percent as of August 2015, using a weighted average (FY 2015 target was 95 percent).This rate remains unchanged from the FY 2014 rate of 94 percent.
- OPM achieved a FY 2015 call handling rate of 72.0 percent. In FY 2015, OPM received approximately 1.9 million retirement program customer service calls, approximately 200,000 additional calls when compared with FY 2014. In FY 2015, OPM handled an additional 96,000 calls when compared with FY 2014. Due to high call volumes, however, the overall call handling rate decreased from the FY 2014 rate of 76 percent.
- In FY 2015, four individuals from the United States Postal Service (USPS) came to Boyers for six weeks during the surge to provide assistance on the front end processes. In FY 2016, four individuals from USPS and seven from the Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS) will be coming to Boyers for four to six weeks during the surge to once again provide assistance on the front end process.
- In FY 2015, OPM delivered six webinars that received more than 20,000 views. Because the webcasts are hosted online, they continue to provide training to benefits officers on key topics related to retirement. The webinars are available at: https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/benefits-officers-center/training/.
- The 2015 Annual Training Survey was emailed to more than 1,100 HR specialists, and 228 respondents completed the survey. Of the respondents, 38.7 percent have watched a Webcast in the last 12 months, 45.4 percent have received their training from Benefits Officers Training and Development, and 39.7 percent prefer in person training. Seventeen percent of respondents would like to receive training in retirement benefits and 13.5 percent would like Social Security training.
- OPM expanded agency human resources and payroll office access to the Retirement Data Repository via Data Viewer.
OPM will continue to focus on improving retirement claims processing, and has set a new retirement services case processing Agency Priority Goal for 2016-2017.
Next Steps
No Data Available
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Performance Indicators
Claims Inventory
Ratio of complete retirement submissions received from agencies
90 percent of claims within 60 days
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
Retirement Services with support from the Chief Information Officer and Congressional, Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs
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Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
SG7 Improved Retirement Benefit Service
Statement:
Ensure that Federal retirees receive timely, appropriate, transparent, seamless, and accurate retirement benefits.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Increase the percentage of all retirement data from agencies according to the required standard.
Increase the percentage of retirement applications prepared through information systems that meet established standards and have been certified by OPM.
Description:
- Establishing shared responsibility among OPM offices and agencies to ensure consistent information, tools, and counseling to employees.
- Establishing government-wide data elements and standards spanning the employee life-cycle for management and receipt of timely and accurate employee data required for retirement.
- Establishing and enforcing standards for information systems used for management of retirement counseling and application preparation, and application transmittal.
- Promulgating policy harmonization and standards across Government and issue requirement for all agencies and payroll centers to provide data in an appropriate format.
- Continuing agency audits to improve quality of retirement submissions.
- Engaging employees across the employee life cycle in preparation for retirement.
Statement:
Exceed established targets on processing retirement and survivor claims accurately as published in the Annual Performance Report.
Improve the level of customer satisfaction as measured by customers satisfied with overall retirement services.
Exceed the targets established to reduce improper payments in the retirement program as outlined in the annual Agency Financial Report.
Description:
- Investing in information technology tools and solutions such as the development of a full case management and workflow capability to facilitate payment of accurate and timely benefits payments.
- Using performance measures to ensure quality customer service.
- Strengthening quality assurance processes, policies, and procedures.
- Ensuring continued focus on addressing and reducing improper payments.
- Using all tools available including the CARE Team, the LAS survey and the Customer Service Survey to identify customer service trends and prioritize areas where change is needed
- Delivering optimal customer service experiences by improving processes.
- Implementing best practices for receipt and use of electronic data.
- Issuing data standards for agencies and payroll providers and investing in the capability to receive data in appropriate standards.
- Issuing data standards for electronic application.
Statement:
Train and certify agency benefit/retirement officers who have not been trained on retirement services
Description:
- Developing an agency benefit officers’ service delivery model emphasizing shared responsibility for benefits/retirement among employees, OPM and agencies.
- Defining standards for agency benefit officers, measuring their results, and recognizing them for exceptional customer service.
- Develop training certification for agency benefit/retirement officers on retirement services.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
Reduce Federal retirement processing time by making comprehensive improvements and move toward electronic processing of all retirement applications. Starting July 1, 2014, process 90 percent of cases in 60 days or less. By the end of FY 2015, increase the use of services on-line by 25 percent (from a baseline of 367,000 annuitants), and increase the percentage of complete cases received from agencies to 95 percent or greater (from a baseline of 89 percent) with the long term goal of 100 percent of cases received as complete.In addition, by FY 2015, OPM will develop capabilities to receive electronic retirement applications.
Description:
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible for the administration of the Federal Retirement Program covering over 2.7 million active employees and nearly 2.6 million annuitants. This responsibility is shared with agency partners who counsel their employees and administer the initial retirement application process, and submit the employee’s application, with all supporting documentation, to OPM’s Retirement Services. OPM remains committed to improving all areas of retirement case related production by refining and implementing Lean Six Sigma activities, providing needed training and development, and diverting resources to areas needing concentrated efforts. In order to make comprehensive improvements to retirement claims processing, OPM will continue to focus on the following four pillars: People; Productivity and Process Improvement; Partnerships with Agencies; and Partial, Progressive IT Improvements.
Strategic Objectives
Strategic Objective:
Statement:
Exceed established targets on processing retirement and survivor claims accurately as published in the Annual Performance Report.
Improve the level of customer satisfaction as measured by customers satisfied with overall retirement services.
Exceed the targets established to reduce improper payments in the retirement program as outlined in the annual Agency Financial Report.
Description:
- Investing in information technology tools and solutions such as the development of a full case management and workflow capability to facilitate payment of accurate and timely benefits payments.
- Using performance measures to ensure quality customer service.
- Strengthening quality assurance processes, policies, and procedures.
- Ensuring continued focus on addressing and reducing improper payments.
- Using all tools available including the CARE Team, the LAS survey and the Customer Service Survey to identify customer service trends and prioritize areas where change is needed
- Delivering optimal customer service experiences by improving processes.
- Implementing best practices for receipt and use of electronic data.
- Issuing data standards for agencies and payroll providers and investing in the capability to receive data in appropriate standards.
- Issuing data standards for electronic application.
Agency Priority Goals
Statement: Reduce Federal retirement processing time by making comprehensive improvements and move toward electronic processing of all retirement applications. Starting July 1, 2014, process 90 percent of cases in 60 days or less. By the end of FY 2015, increase the use of services on-line by 25 percent (from a baseline of 367,000 annuitants), and increase the percentage of complete cases received from agencies to 95 percent or greater (from a baseline of 89 percent) with the long term goal of 100 percent of cases received as complete.In addition, by FY 2015, OPM will develop capabilities to receive electronic retirement applications.
Description: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is responsible for the administration of the Federal Retirement Program covering over 2.7 million active employees and nearly 2.6 million annuitants. This responsibility is shared with agency partners who counsel their employees and administer the initial retirement application process, and submit the employee’s application, with all supporting documentation, to OPM’s Retirement Services. OPM remains committed to improving all areas of retirement case related production by refining and implementing Lean Six Sigma activities, providing needed training and development, and diverting resources to areas needing concentrated efforts. In order to make comprehensive improvements to retirement claims processing, OPM will continue to focus on the following four pillars: People; Productivity and Process Improvement; Partnerships with Agencies; and Partial, Progressive IT Improvements.
