oregon employment department overpayment recovery unit a study of practices and processes to...
TRANSCRIPT
Oregon Employment Department
Overpayment Recovery Unit
A study of practices and processes to increase recovery
Overpayment Recovery Unit
November 2009-Start of process improvement
• Issue with private sector/government• Majority of time is spent ‘Working-in-the-Business’• Running on the treadmill trying to keep up and you
cannot jump off• The need?• ‘Work-on-the Business’• Look at your processes/practices• Why do you do things the way you do?
Processes/Practices Researched and Improved
• Staffing structure• Suspended Overpayments• Warrant and garnishment process• Credit Card payment process• Team lead• Standardization of training• Reducing tracking codes• The Future of Recovery at OED
Organizational Chart
• November 2009• 10 Revenue Agent 1’s-digits 0 thru 9• 2 Revenue Agent 2’s-BK’s & Convictions• 2 Office Specialist 1’s-Support staff• Supervisor
• December 2009• 11 Revenue Agent 1’s-digits 0 thru 9 & suspended accounts• 1 Revenue Agent 2-BK’s & Convictions• 2 Office Specialist 1’s-Support staff• 1 Team Lead• Supervisor
Suspended Overpayments• Auto suspend after 3 years and no payment
activity• What we found out?• Many accounts in suspense were warranted had
assets and we were not working them• The extra RA1 due to Organizational change
allowed us to devote collection activity to these accounts.
• Start of collection activity-December 15, 2009
Suspended Overpayment Results
• Jan. 15, 2010 $14,722• January 30, 2010 $24,305• June 30, 2010 $419,771• January 3, 2011 $775,205• SOIL(State tax refund intercept) $958,524• CY 2011 $657,143• Inception thru Feb. 1, 2012 $1,505,166• RA1-Suspended accounts, refunds, misapplied payments
and SOIL posting-50/50
Recovered
Warrant & Garnishment Process
•12 to 15 Step Process from initiation of Civil Action until Garnishment Response
•Process required maximum effort on the unit’s part for a 30-60 day response
•2009-10,000+ Warrants and Garnishments for $3.5 million in recovery
Current Civil Action Process
•3 Steps
•From initiation of Civil Action to Response is 10-20 days
•2011-15,677 Warrants and Garnishments for $5.2 million in recovery
•Each month for last 4 months-$500K+
•On pace to recover $6 Million + for 2012-Doubled since 2009
Civil Action Recognition
Civil Action Recognition
Credit Card Recovery Process
• 2009 Philosophical Change
• Credit Card payments took top priority
• $$ in the Bank
• Included Cashier’s Cheques to boost individual totals
• Trophy and certificates each month
Credit Card Recovery Recognition
Credit Card Recovery Results
• 2009-$1.9 Million• 2011-$3.1 Million-40% increase• 2011-Average number of transactions/month-1,143• January 2012-$339K and 1,295 transactions• February 2012-$413K and 1,523 transactions• Records for unit, however, at 3 minutes per call it
equates to 76 hours.• Implemented recurring payments in November 2011-
currently have 189 recurring accounts established.
Overall Recovery Recognition
Introduction of Team Lead• January 2011 introduced Team Lead• Responsibilities include:• Escalated calls• Training• New employee orientation• Assessing work flow/processes• Assigning work load• Warrant & garnishment approvals• Assist with monthly reports
Standardization of training• Our current policy/training manual
Standardization of Training
Standardization of Training
Standardization of training
Standardization of training
Queue Management
• Follow-Up Codes
• 00-LIQUIDATED-ZERO BALANCE
• 99-Check DOJ status
• Everything in-between: overwhelming
• Currently using 45 Follow-up Codes
The Future of Recovery at OED
• Process Improvement Group• OED Website payment processing• Predictive Dialer• UC TOP
The Future of Recovery at OED• Proud to be a P.I.G.-Process Improvement Group• Meet bi-weekly to discuss process improvements• Ideas come from the unit• Decide which ideas have merit• Prioritize them• Implement them• Train on them• Update the Policy Manual to include the new
process
The Future of OPR at OED• On-line payment ability at OED website• Credit card/ACH payments• Designed for claimants and employers• Move away from the need to have one on one
conversations with claimants to take a payment• Free RA’s time to skip trace and set up voluntary
payment arrangements• Make it easy for claimants and employers to pay us-
24/7
The Future of Recovery at OED
• Predictive Dialer• Washington currently using this system since
2001• Reduce the number of out-bound calls and
increase the number of in-bound calls• Program to make contact with us and payment
reminder messages• Track the results from the predictive dialer
The Future of Recovery at OED
• Participation in UC TOP• Currently working on Safeguard Procedure
Report• Agency Profile submitted• Test in September 2012• Implement by Tax Year 2013• $?? Million to Submit• Recovery Expectations: $3-5 million per year
Contact information
• Oregon Employment Department• Kevin McCarron• Overpayment Recovery Manager• UI Benefits• (503)947-1375• (503)947-1376 FAX• [email protected]