FrontLine
FrontLine
National Council of
Social Security Management Associations
Issue 50
In this edition
Special interest articles
• Resolution round-up.......1
• President’s corner............3
• NCSSMA sponsors 5k......4
• Meet your TSC Rep...........7
• NCSSMA history..............7
Recurring articles
• Is my voice being heard....5
• TSC connection................2
• Tips and tricks..................4
• The tech angle...................6
• How do I get involved.......6
“It is better to lead
from behind and to
put others in front,
especially when you
celebrate victory
when nice things
occur. You take the
front line when there
is danger. Then
people will appreciate
your leadership.”
--Nelson Mandela
March 2015
Resolution round-up
Third-party workloads overwhelm field offices
Over the past decade, attorney and third party requests have increased at an
alarming rate. Managers from all over the country are facing tough decisions
as they struggle to maneuver valuable office resources and keep up with the
steady stream of paper flowing from their fax machines and mailrooms.
In October of last year, NCSSMA passed Resolution 7, which pushes for big
changes in agency policy and automation enhancements for processing third
party workloads. These changes include new rules requiring third parties to file
all initial claims online, allowing attorneys access to the electronic folder, and
asking the agency to recognize law firms as legitimate third parties.
“These changes would offer greater efficiency [in] processing this workload and
allow us to redirect resources to other workloads,” said Karen Denton, Chair of
the Disability Committee.
According to a recent survey conducted by NCSSMA, offices are spending an
hour and a half or more per day just sorting the influx of paper claims, appeals,
1695/1696s, and FOIA requests.
In addition, one-third of the paper received by fax and mail consists of
duplicates or second requests. As stated by one frustrated Dallas Region
manager: “The majority of the time, forms are submitted electronically, faxed,
and then mailed to the field office. Not only do we receive them twice, but most
often three times.”
Another issue challenging field offices is incomplete forms. A large majority of
survey respondents said that only half the claims filed by third parties are fully
completed, with a third needing more information in order to proceed with the
application process.
One New York Region manager said it best: “The quality of third party claims
that are not filed on the internet is generally poor. Multiple re-contacts are
often necessary before we can forward the medical to DDS for a decision.”
The survey found that many offices are adjusting to this growing workload
by centralizing it with Rehired Annuitants or Service Representatives. Still,
a third of those who responded work in offices where management is logging,
and in some cases loading, attorney mail in order to allow employees time to
handle other pressing workloads.
Continued on page 2
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
Resolution round-up, continued
TSC connection
Attorney calls to the National 800 Number Network
(N8NN) require patience. First, the TSR will check
SSA records to verify the attorney is the authorized
representative of record. This is where relations with
other components are critical; TSRs must ensure
that claims involving attorney representation are
documented appropriately. After verification, TSRs
may disclose to an authorized representative any
information to which an applicant, claimant, beneficiary,
or representative payee is entitled. The TSC and field
offices/payment service centers share a common
goal: to resolve issues at the first point of contact and
minimize referrals. Attorney calls become complicated
when there are complex outstanding issues such as,
multiple representatives, closed periods of disability,
amended awards, incorrect fee withholding, and issues
that require other component development. Often
questions and concerns such as these are not clearly
articulated by the caller; therefore TSRs query many
records to identify what action is needed for resolution.
By far the most frequent attorney calls are regarding
fees. With an expansion of eServices, this information
could easily be made available to attorneys at the
click of a button. When attorney representatives are
required to file and obtain status online, this will assist
the N8NN and improve compliance with availability
and handle-time set by the Office of Telephone Services. Continued from Page 1
“We have our management load and log all appeals
and faxes that come into the office as the staff cannot
keep up,” said one midsized office manager from the
Denver Region. “Due to sheer volume, we fear faxes
and information getting lost in the shuffle. The amount
of time we all spend chasing down forms and trying to
connect with reps is extremely time consuming.”
As NCSSMA works to find relief on this issue, field
offices are struggling to stay above water with the
growing workloads. Although more than half who took
the survey said they had positive relationships with
their local attorneys, some felt communication was
lacking.
“The enormous amount of third party workload bogs
down our focus on better serving our public,” said one
manager from an overwhelmed office in the Atlanta
Region, “In fact, it diminishes it, and attorneys act as
if we are on their staff working for them.”
Unsurprisingly, this is a growing sentiment among
managers in field offices across the nation.
By Josh Tomaszewski and Susan Toups
New York and Dallas Region
By Steve Merriam
Dallas Region
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
President’s corner
Field Office Telephone Service
• FY 2012: Busy Rate: 7.4 percent; Answer Rate:
82.9 percent
• FY 2014: Busy Rate: 20.1 percent; Answer
Rate: 67.3 percent
The SSA Hiring Roller Coaster!
We all know working for SSA has great rewards, but it
also has major challenges. One of the most significant
challenges SSA experienced over the past decade has
been maintaining good public service during periods
of feast or famine hiring. There was very limited
hiring in the early 2000s. Then, in 2005, SSA hired
for Part D Medicare. The agency experienced another
hiring freeze from 2006 through 2008, followed by
significant hiring in 2009 and 2010, which preceded
another difficult hiring freeze of 42 months from
October 2010 to April 2014. Finally, the agency was
able to do substantial hiring during the second half of
2014 and is projected to hire over 900 positions in the
field and over 300 in the TSCs this year. But, the big
question is -- what happens after this fiscal year?
800 Number Telephone Service
• FY 2012: Busy Rate: 4.6 percent; Time on
Hold: 4 minutes, 14 seconds; Answer Rate:
unavailable
• FY 2014: Busy Rate: 13.5 percent; Time on
Hold: 22 minutes, 3 seconds; Answer Rate:
53.8 percent
These performance indicators show that SSA’s
baseline services declined significantly because of the
hiring freeze following FY 2010. The hiring the agency
did in FY 2014, and will do this fiscal year, should
help to improve the customer service indicators.
We are hearing from the agency and Congress that
the FY 2016 budget and beyond could be very difficult
budget years. Will this translate to another hiring
freeze and a resource famine for years to come?
The message NCSSMA is delivering to Capitol Hill
is that the agency cannot afford to take another step
backward. No matter how harsh the budget realities
are, the public does not deserve to experience the
service degradation they have endured over the past
few years. Our goal is to deliver a message that SSA’s
annual funding should allow us to replace staffing
losses because it takes a number of years to recruit,
train and develop a proficient Claims Representative
(CR) or Service Representative (SR). Roller coaster
hiring does not make sense for our agency.
The message we are trying to deliver to Capitol Hill is
that the SSA resource roller coaster severely damages
the level of service the agency is able to deliver to the
public. Let’s look at a few significant public service
indicators:
Field Office Appointment Availability
• Beginning of FY 2012: 74 percent of customers
could get an appointment within two weeks.
Less than 1 percent waited over a month for an
appointment.
• End of FY 2014: 28 percent of customers
could get an appointment within two weeks.
47 percent had to wait over a month for an
appointment.
I believe SSA is the premier agency in the Federal
government. SSA has a dedicated and proficient
workforce that is very passionate about its desire to
deliver excellent public service. Every dollar invested
in SSA is a tax dollar well spent! NCSSMA will
continue to deliver this message to Capitol Hill so that
SSA is funded at a level the American public expects
and deserves.
Field Office Waiting Times
• FY 2012: Customers waited an average of
18.8 minutes; and 4.8 percent, or 2.15 million
customers, waited over an hour to be served.
• FY 2014: Customers waited an average of
28.2 minutes (50 percent increase) and 13.3
percent, or 5.42 million customers, waited
over an hour to be served.
By Rick Warsinskey
NCSSMA President
“People are not your most important asset.
The right people are.”
--Jim Collins
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
Tips and tricks
NCSSMA sponsors FEEA 5k
The PACS online application has two tools that alert
supervisors and managers of the need for non-routine
actions.
The National Council of Social Security Management
Associations is proud to announce it is a sponsor of
the Third Annual Public Service 5K in Washington,
DC on Sunday, May 10, 2015. This event caps off the
32nd annual celebration of Public Service Recognition
Week (May 3 – 9) and is a fun and visible way for
government employees, friends, and family to show
support for civil servants. Every day dedicated federal
employees are hard at work serving the America
public.
The Automated Email Alerts utility sends you an email
anytime an employee whose plan is assigned to you
has a change in their personnel information such as
their grade, title, organization, or position number.
This option is available by selecting the Email Alert
Settings tab from the PACS app main menu, click the
box that says, “Yes, I wish to receive the automated
email alerts,” then click the save button.
All race proceeds benefit the Federal Employee
Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), a nonprofit organization devoted to helping civilian federal
employees. The 2014 Public Service 5K attracted more
than 400 participants and raised over $45,000 for
FEEA.
The second option reminds you to take a non-routine
action in PACS for an employee. Use the Email
Notification option available within every employee’s
performance plan. Select the “Email-Notification”
link on the left side of the screen, and click the “add”
button to create your customized reminder.
FEEA is a remarkable organization whose mission is
to assist federal employees whenever and wherever
the need arises. FEEA sponsors an annual scholarship
competition and administers special scholarships for
nearly 300 students who lost a parent in the Oklahoma
City tragedy, the terrorist attacks on U.S. embassies,
and at the Pentagon on 9/11. FEEA’s Emergency
Assistance Program provides loans to help federal
employees with unforeseen emergencies such as
furloughs, catastrophic weather events, or a death in
the family.
By Brian Walker
Atlanta Region
Please help FEEA sustain the programs that matter
most to federal families. Go to www.FEEA.org/
GIVE and make a donation today. Thank you for
your support!
By Joe Dirago
New York Region
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no
one thinks of changing himself.”
--Leo Tolstoy
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
Is my voice being heard?
Since 2010, field office managers have resiliently met
the challenges of fewer staff and increased workloads.
In an effort to assist with these workloads, OPSOS
created the Workload Support Units (WSU) to assist
field offices with the internet. Initially WSUs were
only processing iRIBs; now, they are piloting the
processing of iDIBs/SSI.
of iDIBs/SSI. In addition, OPSOS now has plans in
place to email online applicants soon after filing in
an effort to direct them to the WSUs, eliminating the
need for contact with the local field office.
So, is your voice being heard? Absolutely! Thanks
to NCSSMA, the concerns of many managers were
communicated directly to the ACOSS and DCO,
resulting in positive changes to both the short-term
and long-term plans for the WSU.
In the course of adapting to this new process, several
challenges have surfaced. Does the following scenario
sound familiar: A number holder files online for
retirement after hearing that appointments are 4560 days out. As iClaims are promoted as the faster
way to file, the claimant expects their application to
be processed shortly, or at the very least to hear from
someone in a reasonable amount of time if additional
information is needed. If this expectation is not
met, the claimant calls or visits the local field office,
sometimes multiple times. If proofs are needed, the
number holder submits them to the local field office
who routes them to the WSU. In an effort to
resolve public service issues, many field offices end
up requesting control of the claim from the WSU.
Consequently, many of us wonder how exactly this
new process is helping the public and our overall
work process.
By Dan Combs
Denver Region
Attention: Civilian
Federal Employees
What do 42,000 of
your co-workers
know that
you don’t?
To address these problems and
concerns
regarding the WSU’s processing of iRIBS, iDIBs
and the SSI application, NCSSMA sent letters to
the ACOSS and DCO, and has had several followup communications. Agency executives responded
by widening the scope of the WSUs to pilot noninternet workloads and reevaluating the processing
Visit our updated
website to find out!
“You are not a drop in the ocean.
You are the entire ocean in a drop.”
--Rumi
waepa.org
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
How do I get involved?
The tech angle
“The Best Way to Predict the Future is to
Invent It!”
Our featured ASC, Perry Bonnema, has 11 years
experience. She currently works in the Denver
Region. Perry was recently interviewed by our very
own FrontLine writer, Peggy Murphy.
The title of this article is a quote, attributed to Alan
Kay, which embodies what NCSSMA is trying to
accomplish. NCSSMA is committed to working with
Social Security executives to strengthen and improve
the agency and its processes. How do we do that? It
starts with the support of our members. Members
have planned and organized regional and national
management association meetings, met with regional
executives to share information, served on a variety
of national committees, management and program
committees, attended regional and national meetings,
and raised concerns to legislators. If current NCSSMA
members can build on the accomplishments of our
past members, the future we are trying to create looks
bright indeed. Thank you for your help in building a
great future!
Here is the inside dialogue held with Perry:
Peggy: What has been the biggest change in the use
of technology since you have been an ASC?
Perry: Almost everything can be done remotely now. When I started, the ASCs in our region were traveling
to each office at least once per quarter to work on
various issues. With all of the remote tools, very little
travel is needed anymore unless we have a big project
to work on in an office. Peggy: How do you envision the Social Security
office of 2025? Perry: I think many people will be working from
home at least a couple of days per week. There will
still need to be staff in the office for walk-in traffic,
but that might be handled on a rotational basis. I
would think a lot more correspondence will be done
electronically as younger generations are more and
more comfortable with technology. I think we will continue the trend where fewer and
fewer things will need to be printed – eventually
including applications and closeout letters. The norm
may become delivering these things via an electronic
means rather than printing them out on paper. Even
signatures can be captured electronically and it would
make sense for the agency to start collecting them that
way.
By Peggy Rogers
Kansas City Region
“If I had asked people what they wanted, they would
have said faster horses.”
By Peggy Murphy
Denver Region
--Henry Ford
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
NCSSMA history runs deep
Meet your officers
Dorrie Pedalino
TSC Representative
East Brunswick New Jersey TSC
NCSSMA’s history is beyond rich.
NCSSMA
newsletters, from 1973 to present, show that the
organization has consistently pursued matters that,
from a management perspective, are best for the
agency, its employees, and the American public. Steve
Bauer, National Council President from 1984-1986 said
it well: “…we routinely ask ourselves, unconsciously
perhaps, several questions. Is what we are doing true
to stated program purposes? For example, does it meet
the needs of our beneficiaries and recipients? Is it an
efficient utilization of resources? Is it effective? Is it
practical? Does it protect the rights of the beneficiary?
Does it protect the trust funds? Is it accessible to the
entire American public?”
Thank you for appointing me as the NCSSMA TSC
representative. I am pleased to have the opportunity
to work with the association on a number of timely
and important areas. You have my commitment to
serve the TSCs’ best interests and to be a focused and
purposeful advocate on issues that are TSC-related and
matter most to the agency. Having held every position
in the TSC, i.e. Teleservice Representative, Technical
Advisor, Operations Supervisor, and Manager, I have
a unique perspective and I am familiar with the impact
of agency initiatives as they relate to the operation of
TSCs and service delivery to the public.
Members of management have always been well
positioned to answer Steve’s questions by virtue of
the immediate and unfiltered feedback they receive
from the public. From its beginning, in 1970,
NCSSMA gave community-based managers a means
of dialogue with agency leadership. As recorded in
a May 1974 newsletter, when SSA was implementing
the SSI program, field managers channeled numerous
suggestions through NCSSMA and SSA adopted many
of them. A few of those suggestions over the years
included postponing redeterminations, reclassification
of field positions and hiring of additional administrative
aids. From then to now, the agency has grappled with
the perennial issues of service delivery, management to
staff ratios, program simplification, systems problems,
delayering, automation, etc. and NCSSMA has been
there every step of the way to provide the perspective
of front-line management in field offices, teleservice
centers and other components. NCSSMA and SSA
leadership have the same goal in mind – working to
serve the American public in the best way possible.
Editor’s note: In our last edition we introduced each
of our newly elected officers. Dorrie was appointed to
the vacant TSC representative position in December.
NCSSMA Officers
President - Rick Warsinskey
Vice President - Charlene Morales
Secretary - Jari Frassenei
Treasurer - Debby Banikowski
If you’d like to dig deeper into NCSSMA’s roots, read
some of the archived MASS Media and FrontLine
newsletters. The work chronicled in those newsletters
reminds us that we stand on the shoulders of giants.
We should be proud to be a part of NCSSMA and work
for SSA.
TSC Representative - Dorrie Pedalino
Executive Officer - Joe Dirago
Immediate Past President - Scott Hale
By Michael McHugh and Peggy Rogers
Chicago and Kansas City Regions
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015
FrontLine
FrontLine is produced by the NCSSMA
Communications Committee
NCSSMA Executive Committee
Lisa Chrabolowski
NESSMA President
Tim Crews (Chair)
Shanna Hardin (Deputy Chair)
Valerie Fisher
NYRMS President
Shane Van Matre
Tim Crews
PRMA President
Claude Murdy
Jimmy Mendoza
David Lescarini
ARMA President
Tonya Mouw
Kenneth Tash
CSSMA President
Monique Theriot
Peggy Rogers
Monique Theriot
DRMA President
Taberlee Reid
Jerry Nelson
KCMA President
Maria Schlosser
Judi Lange
DRSSMA President
Sythera Pride-Paulus
Luis Salas
SFRMA President
FrontLine’s Editorial Review Board
Rick Warsinskey, NCSSMA President
Christopher Detzler
NWMA President
Charlene Morales, NCSSMA Vice President
Washington Representative
RACHEL EMMONS
Phone: (202) 547-8530
Fax: (571) 312-2333
[email protected]
Rachel Emmons, Washington Representative
Albert Alvarez, DM Odessa, TX
Clayton Wood, ADM, Florence, AL
Disclaimer
The views expressed in FrontLine by contributors represent solely the views of the respective contributors.
Staff editorials reflect the views of the editors, and should not be assumed to reflect the formal positions or
views of the National Council or the Social Security Administration.
FrontLine Editor: Shanna Hardin, DM, Whiteville, NC
FrontLine Deputy Editor: Shane Van Matre, OS, The Dalles, OR
Visit us online at www.NCSSMA.org
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Issue 50 • March 2015