Description - FY 15 Abandoned iClaim Survey

DOCUMENTATION FOR THE GENERIC CLEARANCE

OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEYS

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Abandoned iClaim Survey

SSA SUB-NUMBER: C-04

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITY:

BACKGROUND

The Social Security Administration (SSA) website provides the public with an online application for retirement, Medicare, or disability benefits (iClaim). Through a survey presented online, SSA solicits immediate feedback from individuals who successfully complete their iClaim. However, a small group of individuals start to file their application online, but give up and complete the application with the help of an SSA employee over the telephone or in person. Because SSA cannot reach the individuals who abandon their iClaim through the online survey, we plan to conduct a separate survey by telephone with this population. The proposed survey seeks to understand why applicants abandon their iClaim. This information will help SSA improve the online experience for our customers and remove any barriers to successfully completing an online application.

SURVEY

Description of Survey

The questionnaire, which draws from previous surveys we have administered, gathers insight into applicants’ experience working on the online application and seeks to understand why they did not finish it. It also solicits attitudes about creating an online account with the agency, and about using various online features the agency is considering adding.

The Abandoned iClaim Survey questionnaire includes the following questions:

• Question 1 asks sampled individuals whether they had help completing the online application.

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• Question 2 asks sampled individuals to explain why they did not finish their application for benefits online.

• Question 3 asks sampled individuals how they heard about the online application.

• Questions 4 – 14 gather more information about sampled individuals’ experiences trying to complete the online application. We ask them to rate various aspects of the online application including the clarity and helpfulness of the explanations provided and the ease of answering the questions presented. We also ask sampled individuals whether they contacted SSA for help with their online application and how they made those contacts. Sampled individuals who sought assistance rate the ease of contacting SSA and the helpfulness of the assistance SSA provided. The survey also includes questions about the amount of time spent on the application, and solicits an overall rating of the ease of filing for benefits.

• Question 15 asks how sampled individuals would prefer to conduct their future business with the agency.

• Questions 16 – 18 solicit sampled individuals’ attitudes about creating a my Social Security online account for conducting future business with the agency online. We also ask those who are less inclined to create a my Social Security account for the main reason why; this will help us identify their most important concerns which we could address through service enhancements and targeted marketing.

• Questions 19 – 21 ask sampled individuals’ about their likelihood to use various online help features the agency is considering adding, such as online chat, click‑to‑talk, and secure email.

• Question 22 asks for sampled individuals’ education level as a means of identifying differences in the attitudes and expectations for service among various subgroups. Other demographic information such as the age and sex of sampled individuals is available from SSA records.

Statistical Information

Sample Selection

Based on management information, we estimate that about 72,000 individuals per year start an iClaim for retirement, Medicare, or disability benefits, but give up and complete their application with the help of an agency employee over the telephone or in person. Using the agency system that maintains these records, we will select a random sample of 1,500 individuals who abandoned their iClaim and filed an application through a traditional channel. Because applicants for retirement/Medicare and disability benefits have a different online experience, we plan to stratify the sample and select an equal number (750) from these two groups so we can compare their responses.

Methodology

We will send all sampled individuals a written pre-notification letter advising them that they have been selected for the survey. We will include both the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Privacy Act explanations in the prenotice letter. An SSA‑approved contractor will conduct the survey by telephone. The contractor will translate the survey questionnaire into computer‑assisted interviewing (CATI) software so that interviewing and data input of the individual’s responses occur simultaneously. The CATI software also ensures that we ask only questions pertinent to the individual’s circumstances, allowing for complicated question paths while still minimizing response burden.

Response Rate

SSA will take the following steps to maximize the response rate for this survey:

• The contractor will send a prenotice of selection for the survey so that sampled individuals are aware that the telephone contacts are legitimate.

• The contractor will make at least 15 attempts to reach the sampled individual in an effort to obtain the highest possible response rate;

• In addition to daytime hours, the contractor will make call attempts in the evenings and on the weekend;

• The contractor will arrange callbacks and leave messages for the sampled individual as necessary, and provide a toll-free number for return calls to encourage participation.

• The contractor will make appointments so the survey can be conducted at the sampled individual’s convenience.

Using this methodology in previous telephone surveys of similar populations, we achieved response rates of 82 percent among retirement applicants and 78 percent among disability applicants. We anticipate a similarly good response rate (80 percent for retirement/Medicare; 75 percent for disability) in the upcoming survey. Note that SSA routinely conducts a non-responder analysis to identify any significant differences in the responder and non-responder populations, as well as their potential impact on the survey results.

Sampling Variability

The key variable for this survey is overall satisfaction with the ease of filing the application, i.e., the percent giving a rating of very easy or somewhat easy (VE/SE). Based on prior surveys of similar populations, we estimate a satisfaction rate of about 95 percent VE/SE among retirement and Medicare applicants and 65 percent VE/SE among disability applicants. Assuming a 80 percent response rate for the retirement/Medicare stratum, our proposed sample size is large enough to provide a sampling variability at the 95‑percent confidence level of +/-1.7. With an estimated response rate of 75 percent for the disability stratum, our proposed sample size is large enough to provide a sampling variability of +/-3.8. Both sampling varibilities are adequate for the intended purpose of the survey.

SSA’s Office of Quality Review (OQR) will perform all sampling and data analysis. Dan Zabronsky, Director of SSA’s Division of Modeling in the Office of Quality Improvement, will provide statistical support. Dan’s phone number is (410) 965-5953.

IF FOCUS GROUP MEMBERS WILL RECEIVE A PAYMENT, INDICATE AMOUNT (No more than $25 can be authorized under OMB rules):

We will not compensate participants for this survey.

USE OF SURVEY RESULTS:

Social Security will use the results of this survey to help improve the online experience for our customers and to help remove barriers to online filing.

BURDEN HOUR COMPUTATION (Number of responses (X) estimated response time (/60) = annual burden hours):

Number of Responses: 1,500

Estimated Response Time: 10 minutes

Annual Burden Hours: 250 hours

NAME OF CONTACT PERSON: Deborah A. Larwood

TELEPHONE NUMBER: 410-966-6135