1 Actions for Cooperation and Information on Social Security
Coordination
Project Initiative Regulation 883/2004 2.0
Project implemented with the financial support of the European Union
Self-assessment chart to measure the efficiency of the
online services used by Social Security organizations
and institutions to provide information on the
application of Regulation 883/2004
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The views expressed herein are strictly those of the authors. The European
Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information
contained therein.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction ………. p.
5
Purpose of this tool………..
p. 7
Target organizations ………..
p. 7
How the tool is structured ………..
p. 8
Assessment criteria ………. p.
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4 PROJECT CONTACT Project coordinator: Project manager: Xavier COYER General Secretary CLEISS
11 rue de la Tour des Dames 75 436 Paris Cedex 09 – FRANCE Tel. : +33 1 45 26 80 23 Fax : +33 1 49 95 06 50 E-mail : [email protected] Frédéric SANSIER Project Director ADECRI 76 Boulevard Haussmann 75008 Paris – FRANCE Tel.: +33 1 47 42 71 46 Fax: +33 1 47 42 15 43 E-mail: [email protected]
Coordinator for Poland:
Coordinator for Czech Republic:
Agata SZEWCZAK
Head Of International Cooperation Section National Health Fund (NFZ)
UI. Grojecka 136 02 - 390 Warsaw Tel. : +48 (022) 572 60 88 Fax : +48 (022) 572 63 33 E-mail : [email protected] Jitka KONOPASKOVA
Head of EU Coordination and International Relations Department
Czech Social Security Administrator (CSSA)
Krizova 25
225 08 Praha – CZECK REPUBLIC
Tel.: +420 257 062 115 Fax: +420 257 063 032
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Introduction
The May 1, 2010, implementation of the new (EC) regulations No. 883/2004 and 987/2009, the 3rd generation of social protection coordination regulations, has given European citizens a clearer view of how their social rights are maintained in the event of mobility within the EU.
Certain rights, such as, in most cases, to treatment without an upfront fee through the European health insurance card or the opportunity to use periods of employment earned in another European country for retirement, have been strengthened and access to these rights has been made easier and simpler.
Beyond dematerialization, which will benefit users by accelerating communication between institutions (EESSI Project), it is essential that each Member State provides information in addition to that provided by the European Commission at the EU level so that each user can fully the benefit from this process.
Clearly, in order to exercise their rights, and particularly their social rights, citizens must have all the necessary information. This information must be both accessible and understandable by the user. It must be accurate, comprehensive and constantly updated. This is especially true as regards the coordination of European social security systems, a construction of a highly technical and often very complex nature.
All vectors for the dissemination of relevant information should be used: institutional communication, brochures, guidelines and more. However, there is a risk of information overload and confusion. Mechanisms which would improve information with economies of scale between institutions in a single country or between various countries should be identified. Therefore consultation mechanisms at both national and community level are needed. To ensure that information reaches its target, it is essential to rely on modern and popular techniques of communication (Internet, social networks). These modes of communication also have the advantage of being both adaptable and cheap.
The initiative "Regulation 883/2004 - 2.0" is a transnational action implemented in close collaboration between
France, the Czech Republic and Poland, with the support of the DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission in the framework of the call for proposal “Actions for Cooperation and Information on Social Security Coordination” (Ref. VP/2011/004) and aiming to improve information of citizens on their rights and obligations that derive from the EU regulations on social security coordination.
During the first half of 2012, the project participants came together through seminars, workshops and trips back and forth as a way to compare and contrast their respective practices in informing European citizens about the application of the European regulations pertaining to the coordination of the different Social Security Systems.
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Their shared experiences have brought out best practices for the development of Internet services, particularly those used to publicize information via official websites.
The diversity of the project participants, their scopes of action, their status and administrative setup and of the Social Security systems in which they are involved is wholly representative of the diversity that can be observed among the different European Union Member States. With this in mind, we quickly ruled out a “bench marking”-type approach in favor of an operational approach and decided to work collaboratively on a service that could apply to all European Social Security organizations and institutions, whatever the philosophy of their system. We hope that this self-assessment chart will help both to boost citizen awareness of European regulations through each country’s official websites and to promote the sharing of experiences among all of Europe’s Social Security organizations.
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Purpose of this tool
This tool draws on the approach put forward by the Public Administration Common Assessment Framework (CAF), which is based on the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM)’s excellence model and on the model designed by the German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer.
The purpose of this self-analysis chart, which is based on the different experiences reported by each country, is not to set forth one standard ideal model but to offer:
1) A ready-to-use assessment tool that can be used to take stock of the current situation and identify both strengths and areas for improvement.
2) An adaptable guide. Insofar as the criteria can be deleted, other criteria can be added and weighted according to the importance attributed to them, the chart can be used to help draw up a communication strategy with clearly established priorities.
Target organizations
This self-assessment chart is intended for all of the European Union Member States’ public Social Security organizations and institutions. It has been specifically designed for those involved in each country’s Social Security decision-making or operational implementation processes who work directly with the citizens covered by the European regulations on Social Security system coordination and are seeking to boost the efficiency of the information publicized on their official websites.
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How the tool is structured
The self-assessment chart breaks down into 5 criteria: these are the main aspects used to analyze the performance of the Internet services provided by the Social Security organizations and institutions:
- 4 “enabler” criteria relating to the organization’s resources. These determine the type of work the organization does and the approach it has adopted to reach its target goals
- 1 “results” criterion designed to assess the impact of the organization’s approach and of the services the organization has made available to citizens.
Organization Communication strategy Human resources Institutional partnerships Internet Website Citizen/ Customers oriented results Enablers Results
Innovation and learning
Each criterion then breaks down into subcriteria: these are the main points to consider when assessing the efficiency of the organization’s strategy and of the Internet services it provides.
Prior to using this self-assessment chart, it is essential to get a thorough and accurate picture of the organization being assessed, its position, and its role with regard to the country’s entire national social security system, in addition to its scope of action and its functional and operational relationships with all of its national and European partners. This “taking stock,” which is crucial prior to any project designed to assess the organization’s efficiency and boost its development, has often already been done through previous projects. As a result, this self-assessment chart is based on the assumption that this “picture” has already been put together and that the different criteria can be analyzed based on this existing information.
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This self-assessment chart is designed to provide organizations with: - An assessment based on tangible evidence
- An opportunity to identify and highlight improvements
- A way to ensure consistency in setting priorities as well as a consensus as to the next steps to improve the organization
- A connection between their goals and the strategies or resources needed to achieve them - An opportunity to promote and share best practices with other organizations
- A way to measure improvement over time through regular self-assessments
Correlations inherent to the model
There is a correlation between the left-side and right-side portions of the model: the underlying premise is one of a cause-effect relationship between the enablers (causes) and the results (effects), and that it is possible to learn from the effects in order to work on the causes.
It is also important to consider the correlation among the enablers: the quality of the results is largely determined by the nature and intensity of the relationships among the enablers and any self-assessment must take a look at these relationships.
Finally, the tool offered here is generic and designed to be applicable to any type of Social Security organization or institution. This means that some organizations may find some of the criteria or subcriteria it contains not to be appropriate or high-priority. As a result, the chart is designed to adapt to each specific situation: certain criteria can be excluded from the analysis while others can be added in.
Importance of evidence and measurements
In order to self-assess and improve, organizations need accurate information on the various services they perform. The necessary information can often only be collected and put to work when they do their first self-assessment. This is why the tool offered here should be considered an initial measurement instrument, as it identifies the areas in which it is crucial for measurements to be taken.
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Assessment criteria
The first three criteria (strategy and planning, human resources and partnerships between institutions) pertain to the various strategic and operational priorities as well as the resources the organization is devoting to the development and expansion of its official website.
The fourth criterion (website) is used to analyze the structure and content of the organization’s website with regard to the information provided to citizens/ customers on social security system coordination.
The fifth criterion (Citizen/ customer results) is designed to assess the actual impact of the communication strategy and of the information made available to the target audiences by the organization’s website.
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Criterion 1: Communication strategy
Definition:
In order to fulfill their roles and implement their vision as to efficiently informing citizens on social security system coordination, organizations need a clearly defined strategy that is focused on the parties involved, maintains a consistent balance between the public sector’s policies and goals and the other parties’ requirements, and is supported by a continuously optimized resource and process management system. Strategy is laid out through plans with measurable goals and objectives.
This criterion analyzes the steps the organization has taken to draw up, implement and update its online strategy to provide official information on European social security system coordination regulations.
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Analytical chart
Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
1.1 Is your communication and information strategy formally drawn up ?
1.2 If so, does it include a specific section dedicated to your organization’s website ?
1.3 Does your organization have an overall communication strategy that includes the development of internet services?
1.4 Is the management team informed of and involved in the development of your organization’s website?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
1.5 Does your organization take a forward-thinking approach in order to incorporate the latest online communication tools into its communication strategy?
1.6 Does your organization take a “customer focused” approach to communication?
1.7 Does your organization communicate through a wide range of channels?
(Social networks, call centers, traditional mail, email, newsletters, training, awareness days, press conferences).
1.8 Is it using enough channels to communicate?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
1.10 Have different approaches been adopted for foreign users of your website as opposed to your country’s citizens?
1.11 Does your communication strategy take account of the issue of applicable legislation?
1.12 Has your organization identified priority target groups?
1.13 If your organization deals with a number of social risks, have specific communication strategies been drawn up for each of these risks?
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Criterion 2: Human resources
Definition:
In order to provide members of the public with relevant internet information that meets their needs and expectations, organizations may work with their partners to bring together a wide range of professional skills and expertise.
This criterion is intended to determine whether the organization’s current and planned resources are in line with its strategic objectives in such a manner as to be identified, developed, rolled out and put to the best possible use.
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Analytical chart
Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
2.1 Has everyone involved in your organization’s internet communication been clearly identified?
2.2 Has their role in developing the official website been defined?
2.3 Are there enough people involved, and do those involved possess all of the necessary skills?
2.4 Does your organization have a team or a structure that brings together everyone involved in your website communication?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
2.5 Do you have a committee or editorial board in charge of elaborating the information that appears on your website?
2.6 Has your organization determined how frequently meetings should be held among the various people involved in your internet communication?
2.7 Has your organization designated a special contact person for issues related to the development and management of your website?
2.8 Does your organization have its own technical staff dedicated to the management of your website?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
2.9 Does your organization have a general email address to receive requests?
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Criterion 3: Partnerships between institutions
Definition:
An extremely large number of national and international institutions in direct contact with citizens are bound by the application of the European regulation on social security system coordination. The complex nature of many of the Member States’ social security systems and the large number of institutions involved call for ever-stronger partnerships and close working relationships among each of them. This criterion is intended to evaluate the efficiency of the organization’s partnerships with the other key national and international partners involved in social security as well as the consistency and complementary nature of the initiatives that have been rolled out to provide information to citizens.
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Analytical chart
Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
3.1 In your opinion, does your website link satisfactorily to other sites with information on social security systems coordination?
3.2 Does your website make links to the specific information provided by the Commission website?
3.3 Do you link sufficiently/systematically to other websites when yours does not provide enough information?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
3.5 If not, is there a country-by-country inventory of this information available in translation on the other websites?
3.6 Does your organization work closely with your country’s other organizations to ensure that the information publicized is complete and consistent?
3.7 Are your country’s other organizations that are directly and indirectly bound by the application of this regulation made aware of the content of your website?
3.8 Do you insure the consistency of the information provided by your website and the one provided by the other institutions?
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Criterion 4: Website
Definition:
A wide range of websites are fully or partially dedicated to European social security coordination. These vary by country, by type of organization and by the scope assigned to each institution.
Nonetheless, there are shared issues when it comes to site structure, content and ergonomics. This criterion is intended to assess the relevancy of the web services offered with regard to the identified requirements.
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Analytical chart
Subcriteria Yes/no Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
4.1 In your opinion, does your website provide sufficient information?
4.2 Is there any other issues related to the application of European regulations that should be further developed on your website?
4.3 Are these issues already available on other institutional website ?
4.4 Are life-situations described on your website?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
4.6 Do you offer a glossary of terms?
4.7 Do you offer videos that explain Social Security coordination in simple terms?
4.8 Do you offer concrete examples to illustrate theoretical situations?
4.9 Do you provide visuals/samples of the portable documents?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
4.11 Does your website have a FAQ section?
4.12 Is the content liable to interest foreign speakers grouped together and identified in a dedicated section (such as “international” or “foreign users”)?
4.13 Can this section be identified easily from your homepage (e.g. by flags)?
4.14 Has your website been evaluated for good understanding of content among target users?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
4.16 Are you satisfied with your website’s ergonomics?
4.17 Is it easy and intuitive for a user to find useful information on the application of European regulations?
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Criterion 5: Results among citizens/ customers
Definition:
It is essential to get a thorough grasp of the information citizens/customers expect on the consequences of the application of European social security system coordination regulations in order to efficiently manage the information supplied through an organization’s online services.
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Analytical chart
Subcriteria Yes/No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
5.1 Have your target user groups been fully identified? ( eg : Partner organizations or institutions, Employers, insured individuals, the media, Researchers, Clerks, Other)
5.2 Do you know the proportion of connections to your site from foreign countries?
5.3 Do you know of a foreign category of visitors liable to be interested in your content?
5.4 Have you identified the expectations of these foreign visitors?
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Subcriteria Yes / No Priority level for the
organization (high, medium, low)
Actions to be rolled out
5.6 Do you use a variety of sources to gather user feedback? (eg Focus groups, Direct exchanges with website visitors - forum, social networks, individual conversations, Online user surveys, Email analysis, Other)
5.7 Does your organization take into account the questions asked by your clients to further develop your website?
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The Main Project's Partners:
CLEISS (Centre of European and International Liaisons for Social Security) – France
Brief presentation The Cleiss is the French hub organization involved in implementing EU Regulations on the coordination of social security systems and bilateral agreements, on behalf of public authorities and Social Security organizations. All risks and schemes are taken into account. Thus:
- it provides the French Government with its expertise for the negotiation and implementation of Social Security international agreements and European regulations and makes their approach easier for individuals and companies; - it is the relevant body for the examination of all exemption agreements or
exceptional agreements for workers posted abroad.
- it acts as an intermediary between French and foreign Social Security institutions and between these institutions, individuals and companies, providing administrative assistance in order to solve more easily any financial or legal problem.
- it provides these institutions help with recovery and settlement of claims and debts, related to health care expenses between States, making thus a positive financial contribution to the Social Security results and to the balance of payments of our country, ranging from 150 to 250 million Euros a year.
- it meets the translation needs of all concerned social security agencies and authorities; in this respect it is the first public translator, 50 000 pages a year being translated on average from 26 languages ;
- it issues an annual statistical report showing all financial and human movement between the concerned States under the coordination of regulations for international Social Security.
The "Cleiss" acts as a liaison body between the French Social Security Institutions and their foreign counterparts by implementing Community Regulations and bilateral or multilateral Social Security agreements. It is a French public national institution, mainly funded by the French Social Security Schemes. It has a prominent position within the Social Security system owing to its international role.
31 NFZ (National Health Fund) – Poland
Brief presentation The National Health Fund (Narodowy Fundusz Zdrowia – NFZ) is a public administration unit which finances health benefits in kind for the persons insured within the framework of the public health care system. The Fund consists of the Central Office and 16 regional branches. The International Affairs Department in the Central Office of the Fund performs functions of the liaison body for health benefits in kind in Poland, while regional branches act as competent institutions, institutions of place of stay and of place of residence.
Upon the accession of the Polish Republic to the European Union, i.e. 1 May 2004, the International Affairs Department has performed tasks of the Polish liaison body for health benefits in kind, which result from the Coordination Regulations, in particular such as providing access to health benefits in kind and settling the costs of those benefits.
The Department consists of the following divisions: Coordination and International Cooperation Division, Settlements, Planning and Analysis Division, Scheduled Treatment Abroad Division. The tasks of the Coordination and International Cooperation Division include ensuring mutual, direct contacts with other liaison bodies in EU/EFTA Member States, informing beneficiaries about their rights and obligations under the regulations on the coordination of social security, cooperating with regional branches of the Fund in solving current problems with regard to the implementation of the coordination provisions, organizing international cooperation in matters related to coordination, cooperating with national and foreign institutions as well as scientific research units, coordinating actions regarding the implementation of Community provisions, cooperating with the Administrative Commission for the Coordination of Social Security Systems and carrying out training for employees before their being posted to diplomatic and consular posts.
The tasks of the Settlements, Planning and Analysis Division include, among others, coordinating settlements of costs of health benefits in kind, monitoring expenditure related to the provision of health benefits in kind to beneficiaries in other EU/EFTA Member States, monitoring of expenditure made by other EU/EFTA Member States, cooperating with regional branches of the Fund in solving current problems with regard to the implementation of the coordination provisions, cooperating with the Audit Board, preparing analyses regarding the implementation of the coordination provisions by the Fund, coordinating of the reimbursement procedure regarding the costs of benefits incurred by the Fund’s insured persons during a stay in other EU/EFTA Member States.
The main tasks of the Scheduled Treatment Abroad Division include examining applications for scheduled treatment abroad, and covering the costs of transportation related to this treatment - submitted to the President of the National Health Fund, as well as making the necessary substantive arrangements and preparing draft decisions of the President of the National Health Fund with regard to granting or refusing consent to scheduled treatment abroad.
32 CSSA (Czech Social Security Administration) - Czech Republic
Brief presentation The Czech Social Security Administration (CSSA) is a unique state sector financial administration institution and, with annual revenues and expenditure totalling almost CZK 715.583,- billion (e.g. EUR 28.624,- billion) in 2011, is the largest such body in the Czech Republic.
As an organisational component of the state the CSSA is subordinate to the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA). The head of the CSSA is Director General Prof. JUDr. Vilém Kahoun, Ph.D.
The CSSA had a total of 8.772 employeesas of 31.12.2011. Most of the workforce, including those in management positions, were women. Women made up 88.19% of the workforce.
As of 31.12.2011 it administered the affairs of more than 8,5 million clients, over 2,9 million of whom are pensioners. The CSSA pays out over 3,5 million pensions.
The CSSA, either alone or through employers, pays out sickness benefits, maternity benefits, compensatory benefits in pregnancy and maternity and attendance allowance for practically the entire working population of the Czech Republic. The CSSA contributes more than a third of the state budget’s revenues through the collection of social security insurance premiums and contributions to the state employment policy.
One component of the CSSA is the medical assessment service (MAS), which assesses individuals’ health and capacity to work for the purposes of sickness and pension insurance as well as for all other social security benefits payed out by other Czech competent instituions. It also scrutinises doctors’ assessments of temporary work incapacity.
Under the EU’s coordination regulations the CSSA is the liaison body and competent institution with regard to sickness and maternity benefits in cash, pensions and determinating legislation applicable. Most of the enquiries received by the CSSA concerned pension matters and most of the submitted applications were for a
determination of the applicable legislation. The CSSA pays out pensions to more than 70 countries and implements 15 international social security agreements with non-EU countries.
In 2010 the CSSA dealt with a total of 209,010 submissions dealing with social security in relation to EU countries, countries of the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland. There was a 0.1% increase in these actions from 2009 to 2010. Of the total number of submissions, 74,608 were applications and 116,128 enquiries. On average, CSSA employees processed 17,418 submissions with an international element a month.
33 ADECRI (Agency for the development and coordination of international relations) - France
Brief presentation ADECRI is a non-profit organisation created in 1995 by the French National Social Security Funds to promote French international actions in the field of Social security and to provide an effective and reliable tool to enter into large-scale international programmes for the reform, development or reengineering of foreign Social Security systems but also to develop partnerships between the French organizations and others from partner countries
Chaired by Mr Jean-Marie SPAETH, President of The French National Centre for Advanced Social Security Studies, its board of Directors composed of all the Presidents of the main French national social security organisations and representatives of the Ministry of social affairs and of the Ministry of Internal affairs
34 Other institutional partners
OTHER INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS CNAV (National
Pension Fund) - France
Created in 1945 and covering over 70% of the population, the CNAVTS (Caisse nationale d’assurance vieillesse des travailleurs salariés - National Old Age Pension Fund for Salaried Workers) is the largest scheme of France’s social security system. It manages the basic pensions of private-sector salaried workers, including a contribution to the “compensation” mechanism (system of financial solidarity between schemes to offset demographic and economic disparities). Website: http://www.lassuranceretraite.fr CCMSA (Central Agricultural Mutual Insurance Fund) - France
The CCMSA (Caisse centrale de Mutualité sociale agricole) is the French central fund in charge of the management of the agricultural scheme and administers the statutory and complementary social welfare for the entire agricultural sector (some 4 million people including farmers, agricultural workers and their families).
This scheme covers all aspects of social welfare: sickness and maternity, industrial injury, family benefits, old-age pensions.
They are thus “one-stop-shops” for health and welfare coverage in the agricultural sector. They also fill the role of collecting the withholdings of their members.
Website: http://www.msa.fr RSI (Social Scheme for
Self-employed Workers) - France
The Social Security Scheme for the Self-Employed (RSI) is a French mandatory Social Security scheme which guarantees health coverage and pensions for the self-employed. Created from the fusion of three networks (health, pension for craftsmen and shopkeepers) on July 1st 2006, the Social Security Scheme for the Self-Employed is since January 1st 2008, the only social representative in the field of contributions and personnal contributions of the independant entrepreneur
Website: http://www.le-rsi.fr CNAF (Family
Allowance ) - France The fundamental purpose of the Family branch is to help families -more than 10 million beneficiaries- by taking into account a certain numbers of factors, such as caring for, paying for and accommodating children, housing, recreation and education.
Its missions is to pay social and family legal allowances to 11 million beneficiaries - a budget of 58 billion euros for legal family and social allowances - a budget of 5 billion euros for local social development and assistance The Family branch is a national network with :
- A national agency (CNAF) which sets national policies
- 102 local agencies (Caisses d'Allocations familiales or CAF) located throughout France
- 35.000 workers
