Purpose

To notify the Division of State Police of the procedures for processing Fitness Bonus Payments.

Affected Employees

Troopers in Bargaining Unit 07, Commissioned/Non-Commissioned Officers in Bargaining Unit 17, and Investigators and Senior Investigators in Bargaining Unit 62

Background

Chapters 8, 9, and 10 of the Laws of 2001 and Chapter 157 of the Laws of 2005 provide for an annual Fitness Bonus Payment.

Effective Date(s)

Payments may be submitted in Pay Period 21L/22C for paychecks dated 2/6/08

Eligibility

The payment for Fiscal Year 2007-2008 will be based on the bargaining unit to which a member was assigned on the date of participation in the physical fitness test.

For Troopers in Bargaining Unit 07 who qualify, the minimum bonus payment is $131.28 and the maximum bonus payment is $735.14.

For Commissioned/Non-Commissioned Officers in Bargaining Unit 17 who qualify, the minimum bonus payment is $135.96 and the maximum bonus payment is $761.40.

For Investigators and Senior Investigators in Bargaining Unit 62 who qualify, the minimum bonus payment is $122.62 and the maximum bonus payment is $686.69.

Employees who return from Military Leave or other approved leave and pass the 2007-2008 fitness test may be entitled to Fitness Bonus Payments 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Agency Actions

To pay eligible employees for the 2007-2008 payment, use the following earnings code in the Additional Pay page:

For employees who are no longer in an eligible bargaining unit, the Earn End Date should be the last date the employee was eligible for the earnings to be included in the overtime calculation.

If the employee moves into an ineligible bargaining unit after the payment is made, the agency must insert a row to end the overtime eligibility by entering the following in the Additional Pay page:

If an employee is entitled to one or more Fitness Bonus Payments for any fiscal year(s) prior to the current year and there are no subsequent effective dated rows on the Additional Pay page, the agency must insert the rows concurrently in the Additional Pay page starting with the earliest fiscal year payment.

If there are subsequent effective dated rows that prevent the agency from entering a previous fiscal year row in the Additional Pay page, a DTA/COR (Data Change/Correct History) must be entered requesting the additional row(s) be inserted. All relevant information should be submitted for each additional row.

Deduction Information

All general deductions for employees whose status is Terminated, Retired or Deceased will be automatically cancelled by OSC with the exception of the following:

Undeliverable Checks

Inactive employees may be eligible for a payment as a result of the adjustments. If the agency has made an effort to deliver the check to the employee but the check has been returned and is undeliverable, the agency should forward the check to the NYS Department of Tax and Finance, Division of Treasury, per instructions in Payroll Bulletin No. 456.

Checks issued to eligible employees who are now deceased should be returned with a completed Next of Kin Affidavit (Form AC 934-P) and a Report of Check Exchange (Form AC 1476-P).

For recipients of a previously deceased employee's payroll checks where a Next of Kin Affidavit and Report of Check Exchange forms have been submitted, OSC will accept a photocopy of these forms to process the exchange of the check.

Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice

The Earnings Code FTA and the amount will be displayed on the payroll register. The earnings description, “Fitness Bonus,” will be displayed on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice.

Questions

Payroll-related questions may be directed to your Payroll Auditor.