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Finance, Accounting, and Investment Bureau
Social Security Office

A. Problem Analysis

 1. What was the problem before the implementation of the initiative?
1. Problem and situation prior to the implementation of the project: The Social Security Act passed in 1990 and came into force on March 1, 1991. The Act gradually extended the protection until covered the enterprises with 1 or more employees in 2002. At present, SSO provides 7 benefits to the insured persons in case of non-work related consisting of sickness, maternity, invalidity, death, old-age pension, child allowance, and unemployment benefits. The contribution of 7 benefits are 5% from employees, 5% from employers, and 2.75% from the government. Apart from the compulsory insurance, SSO provided voluntary insurance for the insured persons whose insurance have subsequently ceased due to their cessation of being employees. If they desire to continue being insured, they can be the insured persons under article 39. The insured persons have to pay contributions in part of employers and employees except for unemployment benefits. Moreover in 2011, SSO introduced the new benefit package for the insure persons article 40. This group has never been insured before and they can become voluntary insured persons by paying contributions to the SSO. The insured person under section 40, have to pay contribution for a period of not less than three months during the period of four months before the date of injury or sickness. Invalidity benefits, the insured person have to pay contribution in a period of not less than six months during the period of ten months before being invalid. For death benefits, the insured person must have paid contribution for a period of not less than six months during the period of twelve months before the death except the case that death caused by accident; in such case the insured person must have paid contribution for a period of not less than one month during the period of six months before the death. For old – age (Lump sum) benefits, the insured person must have paid contribution of not over 420 months to be eligible for lump sum allowance. For old – age (pension), the insured person must have paid contribution of not less than 420 months to be eligible for old – age pension. Benefits Option 1. The insured person will be eligible for the following benefits: injury/sickness, invalidity, and death. Option 2. The insured person will be eligible for the following benefits: injury/sickness, invalidity, death, and old age (lump sum) Option 3. The insured person will be eligible for the following benefits: Old age (pension). Option 1+3. The insured person will be eligible for the following benefits: injury/sickness, invalidity, death, and old age (pension). Option 2+3. The insured person will be eligible for the following benefits: injury/sickness, invalidity, death, and old age (pension or lump sum). However, the insured person’s in benefits in pursuance of section 33, 39, and 40, the contribution payment shall be paid in accordance with regulations and conditions prescribed by Law. Operation problem It is found from the procedure of contribution collection under article 39 and article 40; that the service is not delivered to the insured persons throughout the country even though there are 130 SSO offices throughout the country, it is still not enough to serve 1,104,693 of insured persons under article 39 and 1,878,159 insured persons under article 40 that tend to increase continually in both groups. Due to the closed system of SSO operation function, it could only link among SSO offices. To link the SSO system to external agencies, SSO has developed service system through the Internet network using e-service. The e-service is international standard and open system so that the external agencies can access and link data with the SSO to provide services for insured persons. SSO considers that Counter Service co; ltd. is one of the service agency that is ready to provide services on contribution collection to the insured persons because there are more than 9,000 branches all over the country. In addition, SSO foresees that the contribution payment of insured person under article 39 and 40 have no application form so that the evidence of paying contribution is the ID card or SSO card for insured persons under article 39 and booklet of insured person under article 40. Therefore, the SSO can allow other service agencies to receive contributions for the SSO because they don’t need to collect the contribution form for the SSO. At first stage, SSO has already signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Counter Service Co; Ltd. to operate contribution payment via counter service online system. Once a month, the SSO has to send the insured person’s data to Counter Service within the first 5 weekdays of the month for verification process. Counter Service will verify identification card number with the latest database from SSO to prevent mistake. However, the database will be updated only once a month, that some insured persons who have just applied to the system can’t pay contribution at Counter Service unit because their names and relevant information have not shown in the database yet. As a result, they may be confused and unconfident with the online service. The other problem is the monthly period of paying contribution. The insured persons do not realize which month they have already paid for so that they may make a mistake and have to waste their time and money to go to the SSO office in order to correct it. They may not be eligible to gain their benefits and the contribution collection process to SSO will be delayed as well.

B. Strategic Approach

 2. What was the solution?
2. Who propose the solution and what are the guidelines The Finance, Accounting and Investment Bureau found that there is some incorrect payment at Counter Service unit such as wrong monthly period payment that leads to the intermittent contribution. This will make insured person unable to apply for their benefits because of the insufficient contribution. Some insured person status had been terminated due to the lack of 3 months payment continually or within 12 months they contribute less than 9 months. Finance, Accounting and Investment Bureau gathers all the problem issues that affected insured person both under Section 39 and 40. The meeting, which consisted of Information and Communication Technology Bureau, the Contributions Bureau and Office of Social Security Development of Informal Sector Workers, was held to find the problem solution by analyzing the main reason that evoke the problem to insured person. They found that the insured person data on CD form sending to Counter Service unit was not updated because of the update process will be done only once in a month. So as the description of latest monthly period payment are not shown in the database as well that make the online service system cannot realize the latest month that insured person had paid the contribution. SSO attempts to solve this problem by preparing the supporting appliance project and develop the database system to provide social security service in e-service system. Separating the information service database from the main SSO database is the solution that will lessen the tasks on data processing of computer mainframe. SSO renovate the computer system to be Gateway Server and it will be the database security protection, supporting the e-service system accommodation and preparing for the opened-architecture in the near future.
 3. How did the initiative solve the problem and improve people’s lives?
3. Creative thinking or Innovation According to the database information development, which link to the Counter Service unit via web service (online real-time), will take some time to be developed. So at the beginning, SSO had managed to solve the problem about the communication between Counter Service officer and the insured person to realize the process of contribution payment and to prevent them not paying the wrong monthly period. Counter Service will improve its contribution payment system by adding the warning information to the Counter Service officer to let them ask the insured person which monthly period they want to pay. This will make the communication between Counter Service officer and insured person easier and reduce the mistake in contribution payment. However, it will not be the permanent solution. In the second stage, SSO foresee the important of Thailand social group who had been impacted directly from insured person under Section 39 and 40’s contribution payment and also effected on benefits reimbursement. Therefore, SSO collected and analyzed all the problems and decided to develop the information technology system on insured person database via web service program. This will be applied for adjusting database transferring process. Formerly, SSO sent the database of insured person to Counter Service in Compact Disc form. The data will be updated every month.( Flow chart no.1) The database of insured person under Section 39 and 40 consist of Identical card number, title, their name and surname. Nowadays, SSO adjust the system to link database with Counter Service unit via Web Service which will update the data everyday (the data will consists of Identical card number, title, their name and surname, insured person’s status A (active), the effective date and the monthly period that they can pay (the present month and the previous month). For the database of insured person under Section 40, it consists of identical card number, title, their name and surname, option and the monthly period they can pay (the present month). The data was linked in Online–Real time format so it was the most up-to-date data. Moreover, there have been insured person information added such as insured person’s status, effective date and monthly period the can pay contribution. So this will help Counter Service unit examine the data and receive contribution correctly. This system can protect and make the data reliable. Counter Service can bring this up-to-date data to provide contribution payment service and used it as a protection from disclaimer liability, data confidentiality, system service availability and unusual system inspection. SSO made MOU agreement with Counter Service Co; Ltd. to provide contribution collection using e-service system via web service since 1st May, 2013 and it still goes on servicing continually until now. (flow chart no.2)

C. Execution and Implementation

 4. In which ways is the initiative creative and innovative?
4. Strategy and implementation In order to conform to the SSO’s vision “Moving towards high-performance organization on providing the comprehensive social security services, Maintain the stability of the Funds”, SSO emphasis on the service development under its core value of “Having service mind, Cooperation, Commitment to success moral and honesty” by studying the real needs of the insured person, providing the accessible channel to educate the insured person on the social security, listening to their comments on SSO’s contribution payment system. Contributions payment procedure is important for the insured persons because it becomes affect to their quality of life in the future. Thus, the high quality contributions payment unit which could facilitate the insured persons is really needed. Therefore, contributions payment methods must be accurate, fast and clear service information enough for insured persons to reach. In addition, the performance evaluation and satisfaction survey of insured persons in various fields need to be conducted to improve for proper service offering. In developing and implementing good quality of service, SSO has undertaken the studies of current law, related regulations and conditions of contribution payment for the insured persons under Section 39 and 40. In addition, Official Information Act, B.E. 2540, has been studied whereas routine job performance and the existing conditions and problems were analyzed. Staff had to studied requirements for contributions payment of the insured persons by searching for information on various issues related to the system. Staff explores the possibilities of developing an appropriate system which will enhance the effectiveness of strategies for implementation in order to meet proper information systems. The new system should provide requirement analysis especially on the issues related to the need of the insured persons, the application and its utilization, the advantages and disadvantages of the current system as well as the total cost in developing the new system. In addition, executive summary is needed to present for decision making. According to system design, the working team on system development has to make the design details in various parts of the information system such as input the job performance, result and personnel related to the new system in order to set the guidelines on the provision of equipment for using in developing a new system. Providing the system acquisition, the team will set the components of the system in terms of equipment and instruction as well as the required services. For the system implementation and maintenance, the team will control and supervise the equipment installation of the new system by performing the tests on new system operation to make sure whether it can perform in accordance with the designed format and SSO requirement. And the most important factor is the achievement of new system development be able to launch as planned and then be able to operate instead of the old system in time. Also, criteria must be defined in the assessment and maintenance of the system regularly to improve their performance and maintenance so that the new system can be very effective. However, the development of the network database system of the insured person associated with non SSO agencies will be required to have the requirements for an outside agency that non SSO agencies have to request information services through web services in SOAP model (Simple Object Access Protocol) which is XML-based. Protocol for exchange the information via Web Service Gateway, the service requestors have to identify the actual IP to make policy firewall. The service requestors have to keep log for web service. If SSO ask for checking the usage of social security number, the service units have to identify date time and name of insured person suddenly. After getting the notification letter from SSO, service requestor will be responsible for performance and costs in the linkage of network installation and use of network services. The information provided by SSO is the default data for external units to consider the contribution payment of insured person under Section 39 and Section 40 only not include the payment gateway. Moreover, SSO has to set the conditions on system development accordance to the contributions payment of the insured persons Section 39 and Section 40 with the external units. In the part of system development, SSO has to provide the information about data processing system of the insured persons Section 39 and Section 40.
 5. Who implemented the initiative and what is the size of the population affected by this initiative?
5. Who is consistently involved in taking action? The core agencies who are involved in taking action are the Social Security Office and the Counter Services Co; Ltd. The Divisions concerned in the SSO consist of Finance and Accounting Bureau, Contributions Bureau, Social Security Article 40 and Communication Development Bureau and Information Technology Bureau. The Finance and Accounting Bureau as the core agency who develop payment channel through Banks and any other service agency for convenient and fast access in contribution collection. The Bureau arranged meetings to discuss how to receive contributions design and method of transfer data among the Counter Services Co; Ltd. and divisions concerned. If any problems occur, the insured persons will inform the SSO area office / Provincial SSO / SSO Branch Office, then, they will inform the Bureau to solve the matter and design prevention mechanism. In part of Contributions Bureau and Social Security Article 40 Development Bureau, they have responsibilities to send the insured persons database to the network leader who collect contribution for the SSO, therefore, they have to analyze what information they need to send to the Counter Services Co. Ltd while the Information and Communication Technology Bureau has responsibility to link the SSO database with the Company to operate contribution collection for the SSO.
 6. How was the strategy implemented and what resources were mobilized?
6. Resources The SSO has to prepare resources for the operation such as database of the insured persons article 39 and 40 (the database of the insured persons article 39 consists of effective date, name, family name, period of payment, return code, number of ID card 13 digit, status, initial and the database of the insured persons article 40 consists of family name, initial, name, status, method of payment, date of payment, payment period, amount of payment), personnel on IT and contributions collection, budget for database linking through web service, hardware, software, methodology and technique, technology system, organization infrastructure, project management. It is important to select suitable company. The SSO carefully selected the Counter Services Co. Ltd due to its readiness to link insured person database with the SSO web service and its ability to provide service throughout the country.
 7. Who were the stakeholders involved in the design of the initiative and in its implementation?
7. Output success of the operation SSO has the units for contributions payment for the insured persons under article 39 and article 40 throughout the country. Thus, there are sufficient units for 1,104,693 insured persons under article 39 and 1,878,159 insured persons under article 40. The units receiving the contributions are Counter Service Co., Ltd. which has 9,000 branches throughout the country and open 24 hours.
 8. What were the most successful outputs and why was the initiative effective?
8. Systems for monitoring and evaluation the service development SSO evaluates the satisfaction of the insured persons based on the statistics of paid contributions that are increased, publicizes the insured persons the knowledge on contributions payment service, data analysis and result of the operation, and improves the weakness of what the insured persons are not satisfied to respond with their needs and expectation.
 9. What were the main obstacles encountered and how were they overcome?
9. Obstacles and Overcoming The SSO has developed the e-service system in contribution collection, employer registration and inquiry service for the insured persons and external agency. Architecture of the SSO database is the closed system while the information demand from the internal and external agencies is quite high. The SSO, therefore, solved this problem by increasing the capacity of computer mainframe and separated the enquiry system from the main database. During implementation, it was found that the number of insured person database increased, then, the SSO added more services. The other problem is about lack of knowledge and understanding of the insured persons how to pay contributions at the counter services, then, the SSO emphasizes on public relations to make understanding among insured persons, the officer of SSO Province Office, Area Office all over the country.

D. Impact and Sustainability

 10. What were the key benefits resulting from this initiative?
10. Outcome after developing payment service After developing payment service, at least two main points could be improved. First, more channel of payment for IPs to choose in all regions. Beside almost 130 offices of social security offices and branches located through the country, there are 9000 of 24 hours-opened counter services joined in this project. These additional choices were much more enough to facilitate IPs to meet their requirements so no dissatisfaction result, errors on period of payment or even double payment within one mount were found. It is found that most of insured persons, especial insure persons section 39 and 40, not only could easily access thru counter services but could save individual travelling cost from home to SSO as well. According to the statistic, contribution payment through counter service is increasing continually. Comparing number of insure persons to transaction shown at counter service, it is found that in 2013 while number of IPs section 39 is 124,810, there are 240,738 transactions among this group. The number of insured persons section 40 is 2,045,576, the transactions of this group are 1,699,686. The second point is basic data accessibility could be managed separately. The prior data system of insured person has been operated thru computer mainframe that caused the delayed on data processing. New initiative on separating services data from computer mainframe is not only for security purpose but also help the maintenance on service data system be easier and encourage new approach for data management as well.
 11. Did the initiative improve integrity and/or accountability in public service? (If applicable)
11. Sustainability and transfer of knowledge The linkage between individual data on closed system and the Web service made the payment service more develop than prior method. Normally SSO got the insured person data from employers who submit electronic data/Compact Diskette to SSO then SSO used them as basic data to cross-check the eligibility for paying benefits to insured persons. SSO is now considering more appropriate networks to help support easier access of insured person on paying contribution such as thru Bank or other possible channel. Currently, there are some ongoing negotiations to render Memorandum of Understanding between SSO and non SSO agencies or our network. Therefore, this new initiative is as the good tool for system linkage and the integration of working among networking in new service development projects. Insured persons in rural area are considered as vulnerable group who hardly access to SSO service system. This new approach brings about facilities, accessibility and more choices for them to release their burdens on financial cost. It is as long term facilities that could help their livelihood meet long term quality of life and sustainability. With the principal to guarantee benefits for insured persons under Social Security Scheme, it could relief difficulties to all workers. As long as workers are under the scheme they can assure that they could get social protection. They could meet good quality in term of economic, health, environment, employment and security with enough income. Moreover, coverage under the scheme could support their future life to live in society independently.
 12. Were special measures put in place to ensure that the initiative benefits women and girls and improves the situation of the poorest and most vulnerable? (If applicable)
12. Lesson learned and Suggestions Our successes on developing the services on contribution payment of insured persons are from the contribution among all staff of SSO who attempt, dedicate and intend to plan, develop, adjust and share their spirit of work in this project. All information and knowledge applied in this project were really accurate and updated that working team could analyzed, finalized and completed the project. The training program for staff on operation, inspection and maintenance of system are well prepared to support the new initiative in term of IT change in the near future.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Social Security Office
Institution Type:   Government Agency  
Contact Person:   Ms. Wipaporn Meesang
Title:   Director  
Telephone/ Fax:   +(66) 2956 2456/+ (66) 2968 7549
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   finance_rec@sso.go.th  
Address:   88/28 Moo.4
Postal Code:   11000
City:   Muang
State/Province:   Nonta-buri
Country:  

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