The goal of the Office of the Chief Information Officer within the Department of Labor is to provide outstanding IT solutions and support to ensure the Department and its 27 agencies fulfill their mission. This mission includes providing critical services to the American public, and this task could not be fulfilled without OCIO’s expertise and dedication. Within this group of exemplary employees, Martin Zhu is a standout. Through Martin’s management and leadership, an essential IT system was improved to provide a faster and more accurate processing of payments for injured and disabled workers.   

 

Martin Zhu led the project to transition the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs’ main processing system from an expiring third-party contract to an in-house OCIO service. The unstable system Martin inherited needed a lot of data clean-up and “bug” fixes. Martin’s determination and creativity helped him overcome these challenges and provide remarkable solutions for OWCP. Benefits to the public include faster and more accurate payments, easier processing with digital signatures and file sharing, and improved communications between agents and payees.  

 

Martin’s solution adjusted yearly compensation for disability and related death claimants and their beneficiaries for nearly 1,500 payees and ensured retroactive claimant payments were correctly calculated. The system improvements ensured greater accuracy, and drastically reducing instances of over and under-payment. Martin’s efforts have led to easier access and smoother processing of workers’ compensation claims and injured and disabled claimants now have faster and more accurate payments. 

 

Martin’s dedication and creativity in providing solutions resulted in a massive benefit to the system’s users. He provided stellar service to both OWCP and the system’s users and demonstrated a level of service to America’s workers that OCIO always strives to achieve.