System Simulation Data Collection

The Operations Research Staff of the Social Security Administration has undertaken the development of a computer simulation of the claims process in its network of district offices. The objective is to obtain a means of evaluating alternatives of providing the same or equivalent service to the public with less waiting time, less elapsed time, or reduced demands on district office employees. To obtain the data necessary to describe the district office claims process to the simulation program, an integrated horizontal-longitudinal data collection was designed that had an auxiliary managerial value.