Weekly Round Up 9.19.17

High Fives!

Front Row: Haydee Ochoa, Sylvia Amarillas, Shantae Toliver, Claudia Aguas

Back Row: Irfan Choudhery, Bryon Winston, Anna Hunter

Fiesta!

Call Center Team Data

25,991 calls were answered by the call center teams for the month of August 2017.

45 minutes was the average call handling time (interview time).

Local Office Team Data

7,478 clients came were interviewed by the local office teams for the month of August 2017.

46 minutes was the average interview time.

Meet the Experts

Led by LOM Lester Rao and Supervisor Rex McDonald, the OP Unit routinely processes over 1,000 overpayment referrals a month, on average. The dollar value referred for collections is over $375k.

The management team and 12 talented workers review the referrals from OSI and local offices, handle client inquiries, and process ongoing overpayment cases each day.

Meet the Experts

Policy and Regulation

The Overpayment process is spelled out in Policy and Federal Regulations, and overpayments can be caused by a number of factors including client errors in their benefit determination information and/or errors in an ongoing case. Additionally there are overpayments caused by agency errors for both initial eligibility and renewals.

Fraud is also a part of Overpayment cases, but due to the work of FAA staff, OSI, as well as public awareness, SNAP reports that fraud is on the decline nationally.

User Error

Client caused errors make up the slight majority of Overpayment cases, but not by a wide margin. There is a wider span when it comes to overpaid dollars, with client caused errors making up 70% to 90% of the total dollars overpaid on cases referred to the Office of Accounts Receivable and Collections.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

Sometimes these issues can get a bit tricky, and always feel free to call the OP Unit with any questions: 602-774-9277

Quality has been a hot topic in FAA for some time, and Overpayment is also impacted by the quality of work done in local offices and call centers each day.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

"I have no choice."

or, "I had no choice."

"I have no choice."

Successful people always see the options, regardless of the circumstances,” Price says. “To say we have no choice in the matter implies that we perceive ourselves as a victim; that we are less powerful than our environment.” These weak words relieve the speaker of all responsibility.

Successful people say: “I have a choice, “Here are our options,” or, “Let’s imagine all the possibilities.” They know that claiming and exercising the power to choose is the first step toward achieving their goals, she says.

"I should have."

or, "I could have."

"I should have."

The words “should," “could,” and “ought” imply regret, blame, finger-pointing, and fault, whether you say them to yourself or another person. “Successful people don’t wallow in the past, and they rarely regret a decision or action," says Price.” “Even if it’s deemed a failure by others, they accept it as a learning experience that gets them one step closer to their goal.”

Similarly, they avoid: “You should have,” and, “You could have.” “There’s no quicker way to upset a boss, colleague, or customer than to suggest they’re guilty of something (even if they are).” Instead, take a collaborative approach. Say, “Please help me understand why… “or, “Next time may we adopt an alternative approach”

"I can't do that."

"That's impossible," or, "That can't be done."

"I can't do that."

Not only are these words self-limiting, others perceive them as pessimistic, unconstructive, even defeatist, Price explains. “Achievers know there are countless roadblocks on the road to success, barriers that may stall or stump, but never stop them.” They either remove the barrier, or figure out a way to go over, under, or around it.

The words “can’t” or “impossible” rarely enter the minds of successful people. “Instead of throwing in the towel," Price says, “they speak in terms of alternative ways to get the work accomplished: 'What I can do is…,' 'I’m sure there’s a way to…,' 'Instead of___, let’s try___.'”

As the great industrialist Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”

"That's not my job."

"I don't get paid enough for this," or, "That's not my problem."

"That's not my job."

Successful people help others succeed.

As billionaire Warren Buffett says, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

“Think of ‘planting trees’ as your job, “Price says. “If you’re asked to do something by your boss, coworker, or customer, it’s because it’s important to them. Therefore, as a team player, goal No.1 is to figure out how to help them get it accomplished.”

Even if it’s not in your job description, by saying so displays a career-limiting bad attitude. Even if your boss lays an unreasonable request on your desk, reply positively by saying, “Sure, I’ll be glad to help you accomplish that. Given my current tasks of A, B, and C, which one of these would you like to place on the back-burner while I work on this new assignment?”

"But we've always done it that way."

Or, "That's not the way we do it here."

"But we've always done it that way."

Successful people are passionate about innovation, finding a better way of doing something. In fact, Steve Jobs said, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower. “For this reason, effective managers value employees who demonstrate creative thinking, flexibility, and problem-solving skill, Price explains.

“These phrases, in one fell swoop, reveal you are the opposite: stuck in the past, inflexible, and closed minded,” she says. “Even if you disagree with someone’s idea, say instead, “Wow, that’s an interesting idea. How would that work?’ “That’s a different approach. Let’s discuss the pros and cons.”

"It's not fair."

She got a raise, you didn’t. He was recognized, you weren’t. That department is receiving funding, yours isn’t. “Injustices happen on the job and in the world every day,” she says. “Successful people are proactive about issues versus reactive. Instead of complaining or whining, take action: document the facts, build a case, and present an intelligent argument to the person or group that can help you.”

"It's not fair."

"He's a jerk."

"She's lazy," "My job stinks," or, "I hate this company."

"He's a jerk."

Successful people avoid words of judgment, insult, and negativity, says Price. “Regardless of your feelings or the circumstances, avoid making unconstructive or judgmental statements that convey a negative attitude toward people or your job. “If a genuine compliant or issue needs to be brought to someone’s attention, do so with well-documented facts, tact, consideration, and neutrality.

“Nothing tanks a career faster than name-calling or mudsling, “she says. “Not only does it reveal juvenile immaturity, it’s language that may be libel and fire-able. “Successful people choose words carefully to state observable facts and avoid disparaging language.

Yay! What's that again?

A consultative Examination is a medical examination scheduled by the Disability Determination Services Administration (DDSA) with examining physicians of its choosing. Usually, the DDSA tries to obtain evidence from the claimant's own medical sources first. If that evidence is unavailable or insufficient to make a determination, the DDS will arrange for a CE in order to obtain the additional information needed to complete the claimants case.

Yay! What's that again?