Our goals and objectives

In accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 and related guidance, Federal agencies must develop and update strategic plans every 3 years. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has submitted its Strategic Plan, outlining performance goals for the years 2009-2014 to Congress and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and also posted it to the agency website at www.rrb.gov.

The RRB’s plan lays out specific goals and objectives for the agency in support of its mission, and shows how we plan to achieve them.

In developing this plan, the RRB solicited input from our stakeholders, including various customers in the railroad community, Congress, OMB and other Federal agencies with whom we interact. The RRB’s two main goals under the plan are summarized as follows.

Provide Excellent Customer Service

Our objectives under this goal are to pay benefits in an accurate and timely manner while providing a range of choices in service delivery methods and personalized attention. The agency aims to achieve this goal to a large extent by expanding availability of online services and making enhancements to the toll-free telephone system (1-877-772-5772) implemented in early 2009.

Serve as Responsible Stewards for Our Customers' Trust Funds and Agency Resources

Our objectives are to ensure that trust fund assets are projected, collected, recorded, and reported appropriately; ensure the integrity of benefit programs; and ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and security of operations. We will also treat our employees with the respect they deserve and ensure that funds appropriated for agency operations are used for the intended purposes.

A related effort is to effectively carry out the responsibilities of the RRB with respect to the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust (NRRIT). These responsibilities include reviewing the NRRIT’s monthly reports, annual management reports, and annual audit reports of its financial statements. The RRB also has periodic meetings with NRRIT leadership to fulfill its obligations in this area.

Management Strategies

We will support these activities by effectively managing information technology to improve service and cost-effectiveness; developing and implementing human capital and succession plans to create a diverse, stable workforce while maximizing employee performance and potential; enhancing information security and financial reporting; and effectively using competitive procurement to obtain the best value in contracting and spending.

Our commitment

In order to ensure achievement of strategic goals, the Government Performance and Results Act and OMB guidance provide that each agency will develop annual performance budgets, which are submitted along with the agency’s budget requests. The annual performance budget demonstrates the linkage between the agency’s strategic goals and its performance goals to be achieved during the budget year.

The RRB’s Strategic Plan identifies broad performance goals for key work areas, along with the standards for measuring success. Using the performance-based approach outlined in the Strategic Plan, we develop annual performance budgets, which are designed to make continual, measurable progress on our objectives. We also monitor our performance throughout each year and make adjustments, as needed, to achieve the desired results.

We will also monitor our Strategic Plan and update it as needed. At a minimum, the plan will be updated every 3 years as required to reflect a new 5-year planning period.

Vision for the future

The RRB of the future will continue to be customer-focused, quality-driven, and fiscally responsible. Our overall mission and responsibilities as a Federal agency will remain unchanged, even though our organization may be smaller in terms of staff and budget resources. We will continue to use creativity, automation and innovation to continue to deliver best-in-class service while ensuring cost-effective, efficient operations.

The RRB’s Strategic Plan will guide us as we continue our long and distinguished tradition of excellent customer service. In many instances, direct customer feedback will shape our planning efforts and enhance our responsiveness as we attempt to maintain our customer service levels as a standard of excellence within the Federal government.

Our customers will have a broad range of choices for conducting their business with the agency. In addition, our internal culture will reflect a strong commitment to our employees and continual learning.

The agency has a proven track record of carrying out its plans and achieving results. Given sufficient resources, this Strategic Plan will help us continue this tradition. Our ultimate measure of success will be the sustained satisfaction level of our customers and our ability to respond to their needs and concerns.