Our goals and objectives

Under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993, the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, and related guidance, Federal agencies must update their strategic plans every 4 years. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has posted its most recent Strategic Plan, outlining performance goals for the years 2012-2018, 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 the underlying plan, the RRB solicited input from our stakeholders, including various customers in the railroad community, Congress, the Office of Management and Budget (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 through expanded use of online, web-based services and our nationwide toll-free telephone number (1-877-772-5772).

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

Our objectives are to fulfill our fiduciary responsibilities by running the agency in an efficient, effective manner, treating our employees with the respect they deserve, and ensuring that the trust funds are safeguarded and used for their 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, as well as our staff resources in order to maintain a diverse, stable workforce that maximizes employee performance and potential. We will also strive to enhance information security and financial reporting, and use competition in contracting to obtain the best value.

Our commitment

In order to ensure achievement of strategic goals, the GPRA statutes 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 4 years as required by law.

Vision for the future

The RRB will continue to be customer-focused, quality-driven, and fiscally responsible. While our overall mission and responsibilities as a Federal agency will remain unchanged, we will use creativity, innovation, and technology to deliver best-in-class service in a cost-effective, efficient manner.

The RRB's Strategic Plan will guide us as we continue our long and distinguished tradition of excellent customer service. Our customers will have a broad range of choices for conducting their business with the agency, and direct customer feedback will shape our efforts and enhance our responsiveness as we attempt to maintain customer satisfaction.

In addition, our internal culture will reflect a strong commitment to our employees and continual learning at all levels. Given the percentage of employees eligible for retirement, succession planning will focus on knowledge transfer with a renewed emphasis on filling entry-level positions.

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.