Skip to main content

Search

myRRB
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board

 

  • Our Agency
    • Agency Overview
    • Office of the Chairman
      • Chairman
      • Chairman Staff Directory
    • Office of the Labor Member
      • Labor Member of the Board
      • Labor Member Staff Directory
      • Pre-Retirement Seminars
      • Educational Materials
      • Questions and Answers
    • Office of the Management Member
      • Management Member of the Board
      • Management Member Staff Directory
      • 2024 Virtual National Rail Employer Training Seminar (NRETS) Registration (New)
    • Office of Inspector General
      • Office of Inspector General
      • Audit
      • Investigations
      • Hotline to Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse
      • Library
      • Whistleblower Protection Information
    • Organization Chart
  • Benefits
    • Retirement
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Survivor
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Disability
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Unemployment
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Sickness
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Income Tax
      • General Information
      • Downloadable Forms
      • myRRB
    • Medicare
      • General Information
      • myRRB
    • En EspaƱol
    • myRRB
  • Employers
    • Employer Online Services
      • ERSNet Login
      • EFTPS.gov
      • Pay.gov
    • Forms
      • Rail
      • Labor
    • Reporting Instructions
      • Rail
      • Labor
      • Creditable Sickness
    • Publications
      • Employer Exchange Newsletter
      • Program and Circular Letters
      • Additional Information
  • Resources
    • Railroad Jobs
    • Legal Information
      • Board Orders
      • The Federal Register
      • Legal Opinions and Board Coverage Decisions
      • Partition of Railroad Retirement Annuities
      • Administrative Staff Manuals Index
    • Pay Debts Online
    • Office of Equal Opportunity
      • Overview
      • EEO Policies
      • No FEAR Act
    • RRBVision Video Library
    • Appeals
    • Railroad Retirement Handbook
    • Freedom of Information Act
    • Glossary of RRB Terms
  • Financial & Reporting
    • Agency Reports
      • Inventories
      • Plans
      • Reports
    • Financial, Actuarial & Statistical
      • Budget and Financial Reports: Current and Projected
      • Performance and Accountability Reports
      • Earnings Limits, Tax Rates and COLAs
      • Annual
      • Monthly & Quarterly RRA and RUIA Data
    • National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust
      • NRRIT Introduction
      • Background Information
      • Reports
      • Correspondence
    • Actuarial Advisory Committee
  • Newsroom
    • News Releases
    • Media Contact
  • Field Office Locator
  • FAQ

 

Strategic Goal I - Customer Service

 

 

 
  1. Home
  2. Strategic Goal I - Customer Service
 
 
Strategic Goal I - Customer Service

 

IB-5 (May 2014)

Goal I: The RRB Will Provide Excellent Customer Service

Our primary means of providing excellent customer service is embodied in our mission statement to pay benefits in a correct, timely manner. However, in addition to this focus on performance, we also aim to satisfy our customers' expectations for high-quality service by providing a variety of delivery options and personalized attention. This includes expanded use of online, web-based services and a nationwide toll-free telephone number for inquiries and services. The RRB has developed the following objectives to meet this crucial goal.

Pay Benefits Timely

We measure the success of our efforts to make timely payments by looking at a variety of information, with a focus on average processing times. The RRB publishes a Customer Service Plan that outlines a number of timeliness goals covering initial retirement, survivor, and disability decisions and payments, as well as unemployment and sickness insurance applications and claims. In turn, the agency's Annual Performance Plan sets yearly targets for the percentage of customers who will receive service in the time frames specified by the Customer Service Plan. We revise these targets on an annual basis, taking into account projected workloads and available resources.

Progress against these performance targets is tracked on a continuous basis, with the results reported to our customers and stakeholders annually. This includes press releases, inclusion in our Performance and Accountability Report, budget documents, and posting on the agency's website (www.rrb.gov).

In addition to highlighting the timeliness goals mentioned above, the RRB's Customer Service Plan also centers on our fundamental principles of public service: standards, openness, accessibility, accountability and feedback. It is published nationally and posted in each RRB office in order to communicate these standards to our customers and to reinforce them with our employees. We also publish and post the results of our Customer Service goals on an annual basis.

  • Customer Responsibilities

    The RRB communicates with our customers about actions they can take to ensure that they receive payments in a correct, timely manner when eligible for benefits. For example, some benefits are subject to reduction based on payments from another party, income thresholds and life changes (i.e., marriage, divorce, death, and children becoming adults). We provide our customers with periodic reminders that contain clear guidance on their responsibilities to provide accurate, complete information and notify us of changes in status. Timely updates will allow customers to receive the maximum benefits to which they are legally entitled while helping the RRB avoid erroneous payments.

    One occurrence that can delay receipt of payments is lost or stolen checks sent through the mail. While this does not happen on a widespread basis, such events not only cause financial hardship for our beneficiaries but additional costs to the RRB and other agencies of the government in terms of investigating and resolving claims. As a result, we will continue to work with Treasury to promote direct deposit as this is a safe, secure and less costly method of delivering benefit payments. The agency currently pays almost 96 percent of all benefits in this manner.
  • Employer Responsibilities

    Information provided by rail employers is the basis for the benefits paid to employees and retirees. For this reason, during the planning period, we will continue to secure timely, accurate and efficient reports of railroad service and compensation. We will continue to work closely with employers to ensure that they are aware of their responsibilities and given the support needed to carry them out.

Provide a Range of Choices in Service Delivery Methods

To meet our customers' needs and expectations, we must provide services in ways that are accessible and convenient to all of them, including the elderly and those with impairments. Past surveys have shown that the telephone was the preferred means of obtaining service in most cases. At the same time, we have expanded the number of service delivery choices available through the Internet for those who prefer self-service online. As a complementary objective, we will take advantage of technological developments that will not only satisfy our customers but improve our internal processes as well.

Nationwide toll-free service, which was implemented during fiscal year 2009, is a key component of our plan because it provides us with the ability to dynamically route phone calls among our offices based on logical business rules and customer needs. This service provides our customers with faster response times and allows agency management to more effectively balance and share workloads among offices. During this planning period, we will work to expand the functionality and services offered through the toll-free number (877-772-5772 or 877-RRB-5RRB). These enhancements will be geared to making more self-service options available in a secure manner through the interactive voice response feature now offered through the toll-free system.
 
We will also develop additional self-service options via the Internet, including the ability to send and transmit benefit-related data in a secure manner. This will include services for current or potential beneficiaries, as well as railroad employers. The RRB will continue to make improvements to its Employer Reporting System (ERS) to increase the amount of information relative to railroad compensation, employment and service that employers can exchange with the agency through the Internet. ERS enhancements will streamline the process by consolidating or reducing the number of forms to be submitted and providing links to allow employers to receive certain bills and recover payments through Treasury's Pay.gov website.

Our level of performance under this objective will be measured by the number of new service delivery options and access points we offer during the planning period, formal surveys and informal feedback, and utilization of online services.

  • Paperless Processing

    The RRB will continue to expand paperless processing to increase efficiency and productivity. Our document imaging system has improved agency processing by making information more accessible and improving the ability of managers to assign and monitor work in a more effective manner. After first implementing this system at headquarters, the RRB expanded this technology to its nationwide network of field offices that provides front-line customer service. We are currently evaluating the use of imaging to optimize our disability program to improve efficiency and service.

    The RRB will also continue to improve its automated systems to reduce referrals that require time-consuming and labor-intensive manual handling.
To view and download PDF documents, you need the free Acrobat Reader. We recommend using the latest version. Viewers with visual disabilities can go to Adobe's Access Website for tools and information that will help make PDF files accessible.
Get Adobe Acrobat Reader
 
  
To view and download PDF documents, you need the free Acrobat Reader. We recommend using the latest version. Viewers with visual disabilities can go to Adobe's Access Website for tools and information that will help make PDF files accessible.
 
 
 
 
JobsRailroad Jobs
 
Hotline Fraud Hotline
RSSField Office Locator
 

 

 
 
RRB Seal
U.S. Railroad Retirement Board
William O. Lipinski Federal Building
844 North Rush Street
Chicago, IL 60611-1275
Toll Free: (877) 772-5772
TTY: (312) 751-4701 

 

Privacy Policy
Policies & Links
Site Map
Contact Us
RRB Careers
Website Feedback

 

PlainLanguage.gov
Data.gov
USA.gov
RRB @ Data.gov

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Freedom of Information Act
No FEAR Act Data
Office of Special Counsel
Plain Writing @ RRB
Open Gov @ RRB
Office of Inspector General

 
 

Last updated: 09/22/2021