The Tribune

The National Insurance Board (NIB) yesterday unveiled a new digital upgrade aimed at eliminating bottlenecks such as the recent 266,000-strong contribution backlog.

The social security system announced the launch of the Employer’s Self-Service (ESS) portal, an internet-based solution that will enable companies to manage their contribution payments and compliance in a manner that eliminates bureaucracy and red tape.

The portal is a website where Bahamian employers can log-on from anywhere, and at any time, to manage their NIB accounts. They will be able to submit the “c10” contribution forms; make contribution payments using a debit/credit card (Visa or Mastercard only); and manage their employee register.

NIB, in a statement, said the reforms will digitise and simplify the process of submitting c10s and making contribution payments. It added that this will eliminate long lines and unnecessary trips to NIB for employers, while aiding the social security system by eliminating contribution backlogs since employers can upload information directly into the system.

Manual data entry by NIB personnel will also cease, with the portal placing employers in control and simplifying the process. “Our goal is to eliminate contribution backlogs, which is expected to result in a higher level of compliance in the future,” NIB said.

“Contributions are at the heart of NIB’s operations, and are used to accurately calculate benefits and determine claim eligibility. In May 2018, the board commenced the ‘v3’ stabilisation project. Since then, some 260,000 c10s was placed in the backlog processing system.

“These represent backlogs from April 2016 to October 31, 2018, of which some 245,000 have been digitised and about 188,000 of these have been posted to employer and employee accounts. With the implementation of a special initiative geared toward reducing the accumulation of excess contribution forms, this number was significantly reduced.”

Nicola Virgill-Rolle, NIB’s director, added that the roll-out and eventual full implementation of the Employer Self-Service portal was part of its newly-developed five-year strategic plan, called Towards a Sustainable NIB 2019-2024: Creating a World Class Organisation.

“At NIB, we recognise the need to effectively deliver services to our customers whether it is in-person, online or via telephone. NIB is therefore committed to customer engagement with the use of customer-centric technology for an overall positive customer experience,” Mrs Virgill-Rolle said.

NIB said 41 companies are participating in the portal’s test phase, which began yesterday with training for the first nine firms. It is expected to last for a three-month period. The 41 employers included in the pilot programme represent small, medium-sizes and large companies with varying numbers of employees and contribution payment amounts.

By working with a cross-section of employers during the test stage, NIB is able to analyse how different employers interact with the system. At the end of the pilot programme, employers will be able to share key findings as a result of the experience gained from using the portal to manage their NIB accounts.