DSS OVERVIEW

DSS – Distribution Support System

DSS is a comprehensive, flexible agent and agency system capable of
computing and distributing commissions.

Includes :
• Licensing/Agent Verification
• Agency/Agent Information
• Advance Commission
• New Business and Administrative Interfaces
• Commission Calculations
• Reversion
• Vesting
• Commission Recovery
• Commission Reporting
 DSS – Distribution Support System

• Agents' Accounts
• Agents' Statements
• Accounting
• Asset Based Commissions
• Designation of Payees
• Earnings Accumulations
• Transaction History by Agent and Policy
 DSS – Distribution Support System

Commission Recovery :

A Recoupment of Advance is required to recover unearned commission

from an agent due to the following events:
• Billing Option Code change
• Full Surrenders
• Duration-based Recoupment
• Cancellations
• Producer Group Change (CPW)
• Agent Hierarchy Change (CPH)
• Agent Hierarchy Replacement (CHR)
 DSS – Distribution Support System

Commission Recovery :

A Chargeback of Commissions is a charge to the agent for earned

commissions. Chargebacks occur when a transaction is processed against a
policy that surrenders funds or terminates a policy, such as in the case of
the following events:
• Death
• Full Surrender
• Partial Surrender/Withdrawals
• Lapse
• Annuitization
• Payouts
 DSS – Distribution Support System
Licensing
DSS License Processing insures agents are licensed and appointed for each
category of business they are authorized to sell.

Agency/Agent Information
Agents may market and administer the products for a number of
companies within their corporate structure. Each of these companies can
operate separately, and an agent may sell the products of more than one
company.

The VANTAGE-ONE Distribution Support System (DSS) allows individual

corporate structures to separate agent earnings, statements, checks, and
at the same time tracking agent earnings and indebtedness across all
companies.
Data Collect Unload
 Data Collect Unload

The DC Unload job - Unloads or Restores the Data Collect file (DSSDC) depending on
the control card used.
If UNLD is used in the control card, the Data Collect is read and valid transactions are
written to the Online Transaction File (BACKUP). The transaction’s bucket is added on the
Control File Record and two reports; a Valid Transaction Report and a Transaction Count
Report are produced. Valid transactions are kept on Copybook CIOOOTF1 and are
neither deleted or revised. The Online Transaction file is used by the Commission Split
Job.

If INIT is used, a 4O8O sized record with all low-values is written to the Online transaction
file (BACKUP) and copied into a Data Collect file.

If RELD is used, all records on the transaction file (BACKUP) are written to the Data
Collect file (DSSDC).
 DSS – Transactions
DSS Online Transactions
OA - Online Advance Commission.
OR - Online Advance Reversal
CPH - Agent Hierarchy Change
Replaces the agent compensation hierarchy with a writing
agent or other level.
CHR - Policy Hierarchy Replacement
Adds, changes, or deletes individual agents within the
policy hierarchy.
CAI - Agent Account Adjustment
CPK - Agent/Policy Commission Adjustment
Manually adjust the Policy Hierarchy Record associated to a
policy and an agent within the policy.
 DSS – Transactions
CPM - Mass Agent Change
Creates multiple LCIs or CPHs based on selection criteria
entered.
CPR - Commission Reposition
Used to insert and delete agents into the compensation
hierarchies of existing policies in order to support
marketing organization changes that occur after the policy
is sold.
CPW - Producer Group Change
Allows you to manually adjust agent data within a particular
producer group.
DSS DC Split
 DSS DC Split
Module IOOOO31 reads the Online Transaction file (DSSOABF) which was created by the Data
Collect Job. It splits the transactions into three output files; Mailing Labels (DSSMLSF), Calculations
File (DSSCSSF), and CPM File (DSSCPMF).
NOTE:
DSSOABF = Online Activity Backup File
DSSMLSF = Mail Labels Split File
DSSCSSF = Calculation System Split File
DSSCPMF = CPM Transaction Split File
DSS Interface
 Admin - DSS Interface
Transactions passed through Admin
EA - Policy Issue ( AA - Advance Commissions )
ER - Policy Reissue ( AA - Advance Commissions )
MA - Dump-in Payment
EX - Expense Allowance.
SF - Service Fee.
DU - Commissions earned on Dump-in payment.
FA - First Payment Advance.
TB - Partial Surrender
SV - Chargeback Commissions due to Partial Surrender.
TK - Payout Transaction
SV - Chargeback Commissions due to Partial Surrender.
TW - Partial Withdrawal
SV - Chargeback Commissions due to Partial Surrender
 Admin - DSS Interface
Transactions passed through Admin ( contd…)
NA – Payment
AE - Earned Commission.
AO - Commission used to offset an existing advance balance.
EX - Expense Allowance.
FA - First Payment Advance.
NP - Partial Payment
AE - Earned Commission.
AO - Commission used to offset an existing advance balance.
EX - Expense Allowance.
SF - Service Fee.
 NBU - DSS Interface

Transactions passed through NBU

NEA – Policy Add

NGS – Coverage build
How to identify transactions are external to DSS?
 DSS Pre-Process
Reads the DSS Revolving Error file (DSSRERR) and delete any records flagged as
revised or deleted. Any purged records are reported on the Revolving Error Purge
Report (O5O).
DSS Pre-Process

2. Merges all of the input

destined for the Calculation
Job and assigns priority codes
for sorting purposes.

3. Followed by building the

Packet File and and Packet
Master.
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 DSS – Commission Calculation Processing

The Commission Calculation Process includes one or more of the following

steps:
1. Validate the Policy Commission Record (PCR) and Commission Event
2. Determine commission calculation parameters
3. Retrieve agent information
4. Determine commission rates/Access Tables
5. Perform Commission Calculation Subroutines
6. Determine advance requirements associated with the transaction
7. Update the Agent Personal and/or Agent Commission Record
8. Update the Policy Commission Record (PCR)
9. Create Agent Payment File Record
10. Update Agent and Policy History Records
 DSS – Merge Processing

The daily activity

payment records
and cumulative
payment file are
merged to :
• update the
balance and
control file with
new record counts
and dollar
amounts
• to produce
report with
previous totals,
the daily total and
new totals.
 DSS – Pay Processing & Scheduling

AN Operator
supplied DATE
Control Card is
read.

Dates determine
Payment
frequencies.

Record with
Control totals for
Pending Payment
is created.
DSS – Pay Processing & Scheduling
DSS – Pay Processing & Scheduling
DSS – Pay Processing & Scheduling
 DSS

Pay
Processing
&
Scheduling