Approach to Increase Efficiency to Alleviate Delays in the Welfare Disbursement of Government Agency in Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

      This paper study aims to investigate 1) the current situation and causes of delays in the disbursement of welfare payments by the Office of Government Agency in Khon Kaen Province, and 2) strategies to address the delays in welfare payment disbursement. This is a qualitative study that involved brainstorming sessions with a target group of 37 financial officers who involved in the welfare disbursement process. The data gathered from the brainstorming and in-depth interviews were analyzed to identify causes using a Cause-and-Effect Diagram.

      The study found that 1) the current situation regarding welfare payment disbursement is delayed by more than 20 working days. The main causes of the problem are (1) unclear communication, (2) lengthy approval processes, and (3) waiting for decisions from executives. 2) To address these issues, three projects were developed: (1) a training program to develop the administrative officials of the Office of Government Agency in Khon Kaen Province, titled "Financial and Accounting Operations Development Course"; (2) a training program for prosecutors, "Utilizing Rights to Claim Welfare Payments and Document Preparation for Welfare Payment Claims" ; and (3) a project to monitor the implementation results. After implementing all three projects, the total time for welfare payment disbursement decreased from 29,145 minutes (approximately 20 days) to 14,565 minutes (approximately 10 days), significantly improving efficiency and speed in the welfare payment disbursement process, resulting in an overall reduction of operational time by 50%.