OAS Service Improvement Strategy

In 2013, as part of the OAS Service Improvement Strategy, ESDC launched the first phase of automatic enrolment for OAS and since then, more than 500,000 seniors have qualified to automatically receive the OAS pension. The second phase of automatic enrolment launched on October 31, 2016 and, combined with the success of the first phase, brought the number of seniors automatically enrolled each year to over 50 percent.

Pleased with the service he received from the department, Mr. Henry Murphy took the time to send us the following letter:

I am sending you this note to let you know how I appreciated the simplicity for receiving my OAS benefits.  I turned 65 in April 2016 and approximately a year prior...I received a letter from Service Canada advising me that if all of my personal information…had not changed, then I would have no additional steps to take and I would automatically receive my OAS benefit on the month following my 65th birthdate.

I must admit that having previously assisted various individuals in obtaining different government benefits and having to fill out many complex forms and actually having to physically visit a number of government offices, I was a bit incredulous.

I decided to put your office to the test and waited until the end of May 2016, without taking any additional steps to see if things would work out as outlined in your notification. Everything turned out as promised and I was truly surprised that dealing with any level of government had finally been streamlined to the point that the information already on hand was being used and shared between various organizations. I DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO FILL OUT ANY NEW AND IMPROVED e-FORM.

Thank you for the great service and please continue simplifying and streamlining.

Henry Murphy

It is motivation like this from Mr. Murphy that keeps us energized about supporting seniors. We are continuing to work with partners inside and outside government to gather the best ideas to design OAS services of the future. Feedback from service delivery providers, non-governmental organizations, academia, and seniors (and pre-seniors) themselves has helped inform how the automatic enrolment processes and other service areas can be improved upon. It has also led to new ideas being developed and tested to enhance the client experience.

We know Canadians want clear, concise and user-friendly correspondence, simplified and easy-to-follow application forms, a user-friendly online experience, and tools for our partners to support clients. By applying a client-centric and innovative lens to service modernization, we are beginning to close the gap between what we hear from Canadian citizens and what we deliver in the future.

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