I Am No Longer the Deputy Head of the Social Security Service: Arsen Ohanyan

The Deputy Head of the Social Security Service (SAS), former activist Arsen Ohanyan, announced on his Facebook page: "Dear friends, I am no longer the Deputy Head of the Social Security Service. By order of Minister Zarouhi Batoyan, based on the requirement of Article 9, Clause 8 of the RA Law on 'Public Service' and considering the letter from the Head of the Social Security Service of the Republic of Armenia dated July 15, 2019, I have been relieved of my duties. I present to you a portion of my work and changes that have taken place over the past 10 months, highlighting the important ones.

First, I coordinated the 'Information Technology' department, the 'Public Relations' department, and the section for inquiries from foreign states and organizations, as well as the operation of the Regional Centers for Comprehensive Social Services.

Upon assuming my role:

1. I immediately undertook to update the Service's information server system, which is essential for the pensions, benefits, and other payments of around 560,000 beneficiaries in our state, and for the normal functioning and provision of information of the service. Approximately 90% of the technical specifications for a completely new primary and backup server system have been designed and are ready. I emphasize that the design work was carried out jointly with our Service's IT specialists through internal efforts, as the alternative would have meant involving a company through a tender, spending several million drams, and it remained unclear whether the compiled technical specifications would provide any specific competitive advantage to a particular company.
2. Together with the Chief Secretary Vanik Babajanyan, we established a shift system for the Service's IT specialists, ensuring that at least one of them would always be in the Service building to respond quickly to server disruptions. Previously, these specialists worked remotely without being on-site.
3. I took over the coordination of the inquiries section from foreign states and organizations, since my colleagues in other deputy positions refused to work with this section due to the personal issues with the head of that department. Within a few months, we achieved visible progress in that section, significantly reducing tensions and issues related to human relations.
4. I instructed to relocate all Service systems, except for one, to the Service's IT environment, as they were previously in an IT environment created by a foundation that catered to state needs but periodically caused issues. Before my departure, I was still negotiating with the head of that foundation to relocate the last remaining system to the Service's IT environment.
5. I participated in the creation of a new website, already chosen by the Service before my appointment, and documented several shortcomings, which I ordered to be corrected. As a result, the creation of the website accelerated, which I regard as crucial for the transparency of the Service's work, as I cannot imagine how public relations were maintained for a system with several hundred thousand beneficiaries for so many years without it.
6. I raised the issue of purchasing a backup server for one of the Service's important systems, as there was no free space left in the server system for archiving. Various objective and subjective reasons (such as bureaucracy and parliamentary elections) delayed the acquisition of this device, but it has now been purchased and will be operational in a few days, resolving this element of institutional memory.
7. After discussions with the head of the Financial Department and receiving a positive conclusion from the former head Arman Boshyan, I took over the commitment to gather the Service's mobile phones and to refuse that service, as they were seldom used, often damaged or lost, and employees frequently had to recharge them out of their own pockets to call citizens. Instead, I ordered to activate the ability to call mobile numbers from landlines wherever necessary, solving the problem of quickly connecting with citizens; this has also saved several million drams.
8. I reached an agreement with the leader of the above-mentioned foundation for the re-activation of the Service's support center, which had ceased to operate due to personal issues between the former head H. Sahakyan and the head of the foundation. After the reactivation of the support center, the entire process that occurred before was transitioned to an electronic format which significantly increased the responsiveness to resolving issues.
9. As a result of reactivating the cooling system of network device boxes, we have ensured the technical security of the system; previously, for unknown reasons, the cooling devices had been turned off, leading to overheating and causing malfunctions or slow operation of the devices.
10. I ordered the start of the purchasing process for an Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR), which would connect to two power lines of the Service, automatically switching the second line on in the event of the first line being disconnected. For incomprehensible reasons, after the second line was run for the Service, an AVR had not been acquired. The Service now has this device and it is operational.
11. I took charge of the process of updating the Service's computing and networking technology, much of which was about 5 to 7 years old and physically and morally worn out. Currently, the technical specifications and price inquiries for computers, printers/scanners, and switches are ready. I hope new equipment will be acquired and alleviate the burdens on the Service and its employees.

This list is ongoing, but I will limit myself to this for now. I have placed particular importance on effective work with the territorial divisions, which the heads of those divisions can attest to. I have spared no official or personal efforts to find solutions to any issues or requests of the administrative building and territorial divisions, and have done everything within the law to ensure the basic working conditions for employees, sometimes even out of my own pocket.

I will discuss the details of my dismissal later. Thank you to my supporters and the employees who have sent their wishes.