Original Date: 04/07/1997
Revision Date: 04/14/2003

(equipment: Panasonic High Speed Scanner)
Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) has implemented and demonstrated a new computer system designed to automate the processing of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints. The system is called the Paperless EEO Complaint System. EEO Complaints include files which are complex and can contain hundreds or thousands of pages. The data is sensitive and must be protected. Case files must be available for review at various levels in an agency, and must be forwarded to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for hearings. Many complaints could be in process at any given time.

Prior to this system, EEO complaints were processed using a time consuming and costly paper document system. Documents were created manually, stored in cabinets, and transferred by mail. Postage and copying costs were high, and security was a problem. Under the old paper system, it was relatively common for case file documents to be lost or misfiled.

In order to safeguard and reduce the time and cost of handling EEO case files, RIA purchased a computerized system that electronically creates, maintains, and transfers EEO case files. The system was designed by RBP Associates of Landover, MD. The cost of the system in 1994 was approximately $25,000. The system is compatible with the Army’s Equal Employment Opportunity Management and Analysis System that has been used within the Army Materiel Command for the past ten years. The new system runs on a Pentium-based PC with a 4.3 gigabyte hard disk and CD- ROM writer drive. It has a high speed, 40-page per minute scanner, and provides secure transmission over the Internet and encryption on CD-ROM. The system creates CD-ROM disks that can be mailed or transmitted electronically to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. RIA’s EEO office staff tested all aspects of the software module to control scanning, maintenance, and production of paper copies and CD-ROMs of complaint documents and files. The software module was modified to reflect changes needed to correctly process EEO complaints. Modifications were also made to the hardware. Demonstrations were provided to other Army installations.

The Paperless EEO System eliminates reproduction and misfiled or misplaced documents. It provides increased accessibility, greater security, and reduced overall processing costs. Figure 2-8 shows a cost comparison of processing a typical file by the old paper system and the new paperless system. The new system reduced overall processing costs by nearly 70%. It has been recognized as an important business process improvement by the Army Materiel Command, and is being evaluated for future use by other agencies and Army installations.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.