| Significant reductions in our administrative budget. |
Customer Service; Stewardship |
Possible. |
The Annual Performance Plan will reflect the impact of funding reductions on these goals. To date, the RRB has managed to improve some aspects of operations within budget constraints, using various streamlining initiatives and automation of manual work processes |
| Sudden, unanticipated and significant declines in railroad employment levels. |
Customer Service; Stewardship |
Possible. Payroll taxes are the primary source of financing for railroad retirement benefits. If economic conditions change significantly, rail industry employers may be required to substantially reduce staffing. Currently, we anticipate such action only under a pessimistic employment scenario. |
In the past, declines in railroad employment have resulted in legislation to ensure the solvency of the railroad retirement system. A similar need for legislative changes may arise if there were a dramatic, sudden, unexpected decline in railroad employment. The impact could be mitigated if alternate sources of financing are identified. |
| Major program-related legislative changes. |
Customer Service; Stewardship |
Possible. |
The impact of any legislative changes on the strategic goals would have to be fully assessed |
| Major mission-related or structural legislative changes. |
Customer Service; Stewardship |
Unlikely. There have been several proposals to change the structure of the agency, but none have been introduced into the Congress for several years. |
Legislative changes dealing with the agency's fundamental mission are not anticipated, and their impact would have to be fully assessed if and when proposals are made. |
| Lack of interagency cooperation or support for key operations (e.g., SSA's wage and data exchange, and the Internal Revenue Service's tax collections). |
Customer Service; Stewardship |
Unlikely. As other agencies find themselves operating with fewer resources, there is a possibility that their reductions would impact our services. |
The RRB depends heavily on interagency cooperation and support to carry out many of our functions and services. We will continue to maintain contacts with key agencies to ensure active coordination and support. |
| Loss of public confidence in the railroad retirement system and the ability of the agency to provide necessary services |
Stewardship |
Unlikely. The continued confidence of both railroad employers and employees and the beneficiary population is a critical factor. As customer satisfaction remains high, a loss of public confidence is unlikely, provided administrative funding is not significantly reduced. |
We will continue to monitor the solvency of the funds, and look for ways to ensure administrative efficiencies to keep costs low. We will also continue to monitor our customers' level of satisfaction. |