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Other Bulletin No. 30

Subject
April 2016 State University Construction Fund (SCF) Management and Confidential (M/C) Performance Advances
Date Issued
June 2, 2016

Purpose

To provide the State University Construction Fund instructions for processing the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advances

Affected Employees

Employees designated management or confidential in Bargaining Unit 96 who meet the eligibility criteria

Background

Civil Service Law, Section 131 and the Division of the Budget Bulletin D-1133, provide for payment of performance advances on April 1 to eligible M/C employees based on the 2015 Salary Schedule.

Effective Date(s)

The April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advances should be processed using the following effective date and check date:

Pay Cycle/Pay Period Type Payment Effective Date Check Date
Administration 3 Lag 04/07/2016 06/01/2016

Eligibility Criteria

Performance Advance

Employees in NS positions (Grade 600) which are equated to a grade (Grade 603-667) and whose annual salary is below the Job Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the 07/02/2015 Salary Schedule and employees in NS positions (Grade 600) which are equated to Grade 668 who appear on a Division of the Budget (DOB) – Labor Relations approved Performance Advance Plan are eligible for the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance provided the employee:

  • Is in a BU96 position on the payment effective date; and
  • Has thirteen (13) complete pay periods in such grade in fiscal year 2015-2016; and
  • Has a Pay Basis Code of ANN on the payment effective date; and
  • Did not have a withholding recommendation approved by the Division of the Budget.
Promotion Recalculation

Employees who would have been eligible to receive the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance but were promoted to a higher grade in any bargaining unit prior to April 2016 may be eligible for a revised promotion salary (promotion recalculation) provided the employee was not eligible for a performance advance in the higher grade in April 2016.

Withholding Recommendation

If the agency determines the full or partial value of the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance should be withheld from an employee, the agency must request approval from the Division of the Budget as explained in Budget Bulletin D-1133.

If the full value is withheld, the agency must submit a Data Chg on the Job Action Requests page effective 04/07/2016 (Administration) using the Reason code PWH (Perf Withheld). These transactions should be submitted as soon as possible following approval but prior to or as part of processing for Administration Pay Period 3L. If the agency does not submit the transaction to withhold the full performance advance, OSC will update the employee’s Job Data page based on information received from the Division of the Budget.

If the partial value is withheld, the agency must enter the appropriate Pay Rate when submitting the Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page.

Agency Actions

Beginning in Administration Pay Period 3L, the agency must submit the appropriate transaction(s) to process the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance, Promotion Recalculation or Increment Code Update for those employees who meet the eligibility criteria as follows:

  • Active, Leave With Pay (except Paid Sick Leave) or Leave of Absence (related to Workers’ Compensation Leave)

Eligible employees with a Payroll Status of Active, Leave With Pay (except Paid Sick Leave) or Leave of Absence (related to Workers’ Compensation Leave) on the payment effective date may receive the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation.

Performance Advance: The agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) effective 04/07/2016 (Administration). The Pay Rate field should reflect payment of the performance advance but must be capped at the Job Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the appropriate salary schedule.

Promotion Recalculation: The agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PMR (Prom Recal) effective 04/07/2016 (Administration). The Pay Rate field should reflect the FIS (Fixed Incremented Salary) Amount on the Job Data/Compensation page and may exceed the Job Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the 07/02/15 Salary Schedule.

The agency must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

  • Paid Sick Leave

Eligible employees with a Payroll Status of Leave With Pay and an Action/Reason code of Paid Leave of Absence/SKL (Sick Lv) on the payment effective date who completed thirteen (13) full pay periods of service in their grade prior to the effective date of the Paid Sick Leave may receive the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation. The agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) or PMR (Prom Recal) effective 04/07/2016 (Administration). The agency must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

  • Military Stipend Leave

Eligible employees who are on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on the payment effective date may receive the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation when they return to the payroll.

If the effective date of the return from leave transaction is on or before 04/07/2016 (Administration), in addition to processing the transaction(s) related to the return from leave, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) or PMR (Prom Recal) effective 04/07/2016 (Administration).

If the effective date of the return from leave transaction is after 04/07/2016 (Administration), in addition to processing the transaction(s) related to the return from leave, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CSL (Cor Sal) and the effective date of the return from leave with the next available sequence number

The agency must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

  • Inactive or Leave of Absence (not related to a Workers’ Compensation Leave)

Eligible employees who are Inactive or have a Payroll Status of Leave of Absence not related to a Workers’ Compensation Leave on the payment effective date and who completed thirteen (13) full pay periods of service

  • in their grade,
  • during fiscal year 2015-2016, and
  • prior to becoming inactive or being placed on a leave of absence

may receive the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation when they return to the payroll. In addition, an employee who is inactive must be rehired within one year to be eligible for the payment.

If the effective date of the rehire or return from leave transaction is on or before 04/07/2016 (Administration), in addition to processing the transaction(s) related to the rehire or return from leave, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) or PMR (Prom Recal) effective 04/07/2016 (Administration).

If the effective date of the rehire or return from leave transaction is after 04/07/2016 (Administration), in addition to processing the transaction(s) related to the rehire or return from leave, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CSL (Cor Sal) and the effective date of the rehire or return from leave with the next available sequence number.

The agency must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

  • DOB Approved Performance Advance Plan

Employees in NS positions (Grade 600) which are equated to Grade 668 on the payment effective date must appear on a Division of the Budget approved Performance Advance Plan to be eligible to receive the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance. The agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) effective 04/07/2016 (Administration). The agency must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

Transactions cannot be submitted until the plan has been approved by the Division of the Budget and received by OSC.

Reinstating Prior Job Rate Increment Code

Upward Reallocation: An employee occupying a position that was previously upward reallocated, whose salary at the time of the reallocation was equal to or greater than the Job Rate of the lower graded position and whose salary upon application of the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance is equal to the Job Rate of the reallocated position is entitled to the job rate credit for service in the lower graded position.

  • The agency must evaluate the employee’s Payroll Status beginning from the time of the reallocation through the date of the performance advance to determine if the increment code must be updated.
  • If the Payroll Status remained Active, Leave With Pay or Leave of Absence due to a Workers’ Compensation Leave or Military Leave during this period, the employee is entitled to have the increment code of the lower graded position reinstated.
  • If the Payroll Status was Leave of Absence not related to a Workers’ Compensation Leave or Military Leave any time during this period, the increment code of the lower graded position must be evaluated to determine the appropriate increment code adjustment.
  • If the increment code must be updated, the agency must include an increment code reflecting the appropriate job rate credit in the Incr. Code field on the Pay Change transaction submitted on the Job Action Requests page.

Lateral Position Change from a Non-M/C Position Where the Employee’s Salary was Equal to or Greater Than Job Rate to an SCF M/C Position with a Higher Job Rate: An employee with a salary equal to or greater than the Job Rate of their salary grade, who had a lateral position change to an SCF M/C position with a higher Job Rate, and whose salary upon application of the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance is equal to the Job Rate in the SCF M/C position is entitled to job rate credit for service in the non-M/C position.

  • The agency must evaluate the employee’s Payroll Status beginning from the time of the position change through the date of the performance advance to determine if the increment code must be updated.
  • If the Payroll Status remained Active, Leave With Pay or Leave of Absence due to a Workers’ Compensation Leave or Military Leave during this period, the employee is entitled to have the increment code of the lower graded position reinstated.
  • If the Payroll Status was Leave of Absence not related to a Workers’ Compensation Leave or Military Leave any time during this period, the increment code of the lower graded position must be evaluated to determine the appropriate increment code adjustment.
  • If the increment code must be updated, the agency must include an increment code reflecting the appropriate job rate credit in the Incr. Code field on the Pay Change transactions submitted on the Job Action Requests page.

Automatic Retroactive Processing

OSC will automatically calculate retroactive adjustments for regular earnings and Time Entry earnings that are calculated by the system based on annual salary, such as OT for Annuals (OTA) and Holiday Pay (HPA), resulting from payment of the April 2016 SCF M/C Performance Advance and Promotion Recalculation.

Agency Actions - Retroactive Processing

Reporting Retroactive Adjustments

Time Entry earnings codes that are submitted with an amount will not be adjusted automatically. Therefore, beginning in Administration Pay Period 4L, the agency must report the adjustment amount for earnings codes such as Extra Time Override (EXO) and Regular Salary Override (RGO).

Correcting an Automatic Retroactive Adjustment

When certain conditions exist in an employee’s record, the automatic retroactive adjustment may be incorrect. Therefore, the agency is responsible for identifying employees who meet the following conditions and, if necessary, submitting the necessary adjustment.

  • If an employee had a check returned or exchanged on an AC-230 for dates on or after the effective date of the payment, the payroll system does not consider the AC-230 when calculating the automatic retroactive adjustment.
  • If earnings were previously reported using Earnings Code RGS and a date range that exceeded the number of days reported, the system will calculate the adjustment of earnings based on the number of workdays within the range.
  • Adjustments for earnings that are calculated automatically, such as OT for Annuals (OTA), will be calculated incorrectly if the dates previously reported as a single entry on the Time Entry page overlap the effective date of the payment. The system will calculate an adjustment for all earnings reported in a single entry based on the salary in effect on the Earnings End Date.
  • For employees who had a change reported on the Job Data page since the effective date of the payment and the action resulted in an overpayment of earnings, the automatic negative retroactive adjustment may not have been processed because the overpayment was either not recoverable or was recovered using an overpayment earnings code or an AC-230. In this case, the negative retroactive adjustment may be re-generated when the payment is processed. OSC will turn off (not process) the automatic negative adjustment for these employees since in most cases these overpayments were either not recoverable or recovered using another method.

If an overpayment of earnings is identified after the automatic payment is processed but before the paycheck is received by the employee, the employee must be notified of the overpayment and the adjustment that will be reported in a subsequent pay period.

Submitting an Adjustment

To process a retroactive adjustment or correct an automatic retroactive adjustment, the agency must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using the Earnings Code AJR.

Earnings Begin Date: The first date included in the adjustment
Earnings End Date: The last date included in the adjustment
Earn Code: AJR
Amount: Amount to be adjusted
Comments: An explanation of the adjustment

Military Stipend Leave

OSC will recalculate the military stipend amount for employees who were placed on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on or after the effective date of the payment as the result of new military orders.

  • If the employee received a stipend, OSC will insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective the date the employee is entitled to the increase using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Change/MSC (Military Stipend Change) and will increase the employee’s biweekly stipend amount. In addition, updates will be made to all subsequent rows requiring an increased biweekly stipend amount.
  • If the employee did not receive a stipend but becomes eligible for a stipend as a result of the payment, OSC will insert the following in PayServ.
    • A row on the employee’s Job Data page effective the date the employee is entitled to a stipend using the Action/Reason code of Paid Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip) and the new biweekly stipend amount.
    • A row on the employee’s Job Data page for each affected subsequent row using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Change/MSC (Military Stipend Change) and the new biweekly stipend amount.
    • A row on the Time Entry page using the Earnings Code MSP (Military Stipend Payment) to pay the stipend for each pay period the employee is eligible.
  • Any additional adjustment that is required due to the increased biweekly stipend amount that will not be calculated automatically will be reported by OSC on the Time Entry page using Earnings Code AMS (Adjust Military Stipend).

Deduction Information

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

Code Description
410 Health Care Spending Account
420 NY Dependent Care Contribution
425 Repay State Loans/Debt
426 Higher Ed Repay State Loan
428 Dependent Care
433 Total Unemployment Ins Owed
500 Medicare Deficiency
501 Social Security Deficiency
502 NYS SS/Medicare Deficiency
GARNSH Garnishments
HIATRG Regular After Tax Health
HIATSP Special After Tax Health Adj
HIBTRG Regular Before Tax Health
HIBTSP Special Before Tax Health Adj

Undeliverable Checks

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 Taxation and Finance, Division of Treasury, per instructions in Payroll Bulletin No. 908.

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). If a Next of Kin Affidavit has been previously submitted for a deceased employee’s payroll check, OSC will accept a photocopy of this form along with a new Report of Check Exchange.

Questions

Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.

Questions regarding position change requests may be directed to the Position Management mailbox.

Questions regarding military information may be directed to the Military Stipend mailbox.