Open Government Plan 2.0
Plan Milestones and Completion Report
On April 9, 2012, we launched our refreshed Open Government Plan 2.0. We made several commitments in our plan, and will share our progress with you regularly. Below is our report on milestones.
| Milestone | Projected Completion Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Issue refreshed Open Government Plan and share it with public and employees | April 2012 |
Completed. We posted our Open Government Plan 2.0 on our Open Government portal and shared with employees on April 9, 2012. On September 4, 2012, we published a revision to include updated information and a message from the Acting Commissioner Carloyn Colvin was added in February 2013. |
| Post new high-value datasets/information holdings to Data.gov in 2012, 2013, and 2014 | 2012-2014 |
Completed. Posted:
|
| Test prototype for new public-facing FOIA website | 4th Quarter FY 2012 |
Completed. On 2/11/13, SSA completed testing and review of a new public-facing FOIA website. This site was launched to the public on 2/13/13. |
| Further enhance our FOIA website and reading room | 2nd Quarter FY 2013 |
Completed. On 2/13/13 SSA launched an enhanced FOIA website and published 10 documents to the “proactive disclosures” section of our enhanced FOIA reading room. The reading room is being retitled as the FOIA Library. |
| Explore potential electronic FOIA management solutions with other Federal agencies | 2013 |
Completed.
|
| Launch crowd-sourcing tool, IdeaBench, to collect ideas for enhancements to the eBB tool developed for the hearings offices | End of CY 2012 |
Completed.
|
| Hold public engagements to solicit ideas from the public | 2012-2014 |
Completed.
|
| Collect ideas from the public on improving the open government portal | August 2013 |
Completed. SSA.gov/open portal was redesigned along with the overall agency's responsive web design for optimizing the public's viewing experience at SSA.gov sites. We added additional information based on public feedback. Our site can now be viewed on mobile devices, tablets and smart phones. |
| Hold engagements with advocates regarding agency’s services and programs | 2012-2014 |
Completed.
|
| Test engagement for disability program policy development with public (includes evaluation of type of responses, impact on resources, feasibility of continuing, etc.) | June 2013 |
Completed. We hosted a successful engagement from May 2013 through June 2013 using IdeaScale to solicit ideas on evaluating the disability determination process of the "whole person". We provided public notice of the engagement in the Federal Register, notified all internal SSA stakeholders, and notified all those on the external general medical listings contact list (approximately 110 organizations) about the IdeaScale forum to encourage participation. Sixty-eight users posted 14 ideas and 18 comments about the question. |
| Hold additional engagements on potential areas for regulations changes | January 2014 |
Completed. From November 25, 2013 through January 16, 2014, SSA solicited ideas and comments from the public about the use of genetic information in the disability determination process via an online IdeaScale forum. We posted a notice of the engagement in the Federal Register. We notified SSA stakeholders from an extensive and diverse contact list. We received a total of 8 ideas and 11 comments about the question. |
| Continue to host webinars on topics of value to public | 2012-2014 |
Completed.
|
| Continue to provide information on means to provide feedback | 2013 |
Completed.
|
| Continue to provide the public with the opportunity to comment on our proposed regulations | 2012-2014 |
Completed.
|
| Pilot cloud-based collaboration platform | 2013 |
Completed.
|
| Give open government honor awards for employees to recognize achievements in advancing open government principles | Annually – once each in FY 2013 and FY 2014 |
Completed.
|
| We will post our open government goals and our performance against the goals on our website | 2012-2014 |
Completed.
|
| Review our Agency Performance Plan (APP) to incorporate open government principles and activities | Once Annually |
Completed.
|
| Milestone | Projected Completion Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Roll-out new, more secure user ID/password protocol | End of CY 2012 |
Completed. We implemented “my Social Security” on the agency’s website on May 1, 2012. We provided secure access to the Online Statement on May 1, 2012. |
| Include additional services behind the new user ID/password protocol | 2012-2014 |
Completed. We implemented new services on January 5, 2013 that allow beneficiaries to check their benefits, obtain a benefit verification letter and change their address or direct deposit information. We plan to put additional services behind the new user ID/password protocol in the future. |
| Explore new survey tools and approaches to more timely, detailed customer feedback | 2012-2014 |
Completed. We have implemented an American Customer Service Index (ACSI) survey geared toward smartphone users on our mobile Supplemental Security Income (SSI) wage reporting application. The pilot began in December 2012 and the national rollout began August 2013. We explored Call Center ACSI from 2011 through 2013 to assess customer satisfaction with the agency's national 800 number. We decided to pursue a CARE 2020 post-call survey feature. |
| Establish and use customer service standards to enhance online services | 2012-2014 |
Completed. Our quarterly American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score average will remain above the level considered as a "top performer" (80) by ACSI. |
| Continue to use customer service metrics for all of our service channels | 2012-2014 |
Completed. We routinely review and report our ACSI eService Customer Satisfaction scores to management and analyze customer feedback from the ACSI surveys to identify and help prioritize changes. We conduct annual surveys to measure customer satisfaction with each of our major service delivery channels: in-person service in our field and hearing offices and at Social Security Card Centers; telephone service on our national 800 number and in field offices; and online transactional services on our website, including initial claims, appeals and post entitlement services. We update the Social Security Administration Data on Overall Customer Satisfaction on Data.gov with our survey results each year. |
| Begin testing streamlined and secure access to our online services | FY 2013 |
Completed. We expanded “my Social Security” in the second quarter of FY 2013 as described above |
| Collect customer feedback to measure customer satisfaction and identify opportunities for improvement | 2013 |
Completed. We are conducting a survey of customers who were unable to establish an online account to determine their level of satisfaction with service they sought via the in-person and telephone channels. We will use feedback to improve our internal Registration and Customer Support functionality. We expect preliminary results by the end of the fiscal year. |
| Milestone | Projected Completion Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Expand exchange of medical records through health IT to various medical networks and providers in 13 states | End of FY 2012 |
Completed. |
| Continue outreach effort to onboard an additional 2-3 medical providers and connect with VA and DoD on the Nationwide Health Information Network (NwHIN) | End of FY 2013 |
Completed. This effort is now known as eHealth Exchange. Efforts are ongoing to capture, prioritize, and implement requirements (technical and policy) for this exchange. In FY 2013, we expanded exchange with four additional partner organizations, bringing the total exchanges to 20 providers in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Ongoing efforts will be outlined in our 2014 Open Government Plan. |
| Milestone | Projected Completion Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Nationwide expansion of DoD/SSA Interim Health Data Sharing Initiative | End of CY 2012 |
Completed. Nationwide expansion began in April 2012, and was completed in August 2012. |
| Pilot health IT exchange with other Federal agencies using NwHIN | December 2012 |
Completed. Revised completion date is December 2014. We continue our ongoing efforts with DoD and VA to determine how to extract and package clinical data SSA needs and to validate patient authorizations electronically. We expect to continue and complete this activity by the end of CY 2014. Ongoing efforts will be outlined in our 2014 Open Government Plan. |
| Milestone | Projected Completion Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Available for claimants filing online | April 2012 |
Completed. |
| Available for claimants who file an online disability appeal | August 2012 |
Completed. Expanded eAuthorization (form SSA-827) to first-party appeals filed online. Allows adults filing an Internet Disability Report - Appeal (i3341) on their own behalf to electronically sign and submit the SSA-827. Effective December 2012, adult claimants can use our attestation process to sign and submit form SSA-827 during in-office or telephone interviews. |
| Explore alternative for third party filers | FY 2013 |
Completed. The telephone and in-person attestation process is available when a third party completes an online application or appeal forms. |
| Developing a business process for childhood claims | FY 2013 |
Completed.
|