Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the Judicial Longevity Payment (JLP) and to provide instructions for payments not processed automatically.

Affected Employees

Employees in the following bargaining units who meet the eligibility criteria are affected:

Civil Service Employees Association	Bargaining Unit 87
Unrepresented Graded Non-Judicial Employees	Bargaining Unit 86, 88, and CT

Background

Chapter 164 of the Laws of 2017, as amended by Chapter 288 of the Laws of 2019, implemented the 2017-2021 Agreement between the Unified Court System of the State of New York (UCS) and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA – BU 87), which provides for a longevity lump sum payment based upon total number of years spent at a salary at the maximum of the salary grade.  Consistent with prior practice, when a CSEA Agreement is reached, the negotiated changes detailed in the Labor Relations Memorandum are extended to Management/Confidential and Unrepresented employees in graded positions in Bargaining Units 86, 88 and CT.

In addition, employees must have completed four years or more, eight years or more, or 13 years or more of continuous service at a basic annual salary rate equal to or greater than the maximum of their grade as of April 1, 2021; served the equivalent of 120 workdays in each fiscal year and had a performance rating other than “Unsatisfactory” to be eligible for a Longevity Lump Sum payment in April 2021.

Note:  There is no provision in the above legislation for persons in unallocated (non-graded) positions to receive this payment.  The April 2016 memorandum from the Chief Administrative Judge instructs that unallocated (non-graded), unrepresented employees will continue to receive the Longevity Bonus (JLO).

Effective Dates

The April 2021 Longevity Lump Sum Payment will be paid in the following check date:

Pay Cycle/Pay Period Type	Payment Effective Date	Check Date
Administration 1 Lag	04/01/2021	04/28/2021

Eligibility Criteria

Employees in graded positions (Grade 501-537) are eligible for the April 2021 JLP payment provided the employee:

• Is in an eligible bargaining unit on 04/01/2021; and
• Has a Payroll Status of Active, Leave With Pay not due to a COVID-19 Leave (Action Reasons PLA/19F, PLA/19F, or PLA/FMC) or Leave of Absence due to a Workers’ Compensation Leave or an Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on 04/01/2021; and
• Has a Pay Basis Code of ANN or BIW (only if the employee is on a Paid Military Stipend Leave) on 04/01/2021; and
• Has completed four (4) years or more, eight (8) years or more, or thirteen (13) years or more at a base annual salary equal to or greater than the maximum salary of the employee’s grade (based on the 04/01/2019 Salary Schedule) on 04/01/2021; and
• Has completed 120 work days in each fiscal year; and
• Received a performance rating of at least “Satisfactory” for service during the previous year.

The following employees will become eligible for the April 2021 JLP payment during 2021-2022:

Paid COVID-19 Leave or Leave of Absence on 04/01/2021:  An employee who otherwise qualifies for the April 2021 JLP payment but is on an approved Leave with Pay due to COVID-19 or on an approved Leave of Absence (other than Workers’ Compensation Leave or Unpaid Military Leave) on 04/01/2021 becomes eligible if they return to the payroll between 04/01/2021 and 03/31/2022.

For instructions on submitting transactions to make the April 2021 JLP payment, see Agency Actions – Payments Not Processed Automatically.

OSC Actions

OSC will process the April 2021 JLP payment for those employees who meet the eligibility criteria and have a Payroll Status of Active or Leave With Pay (except for Paid COVID-19 Leaves) on 04/01/2021 by inserting a row on the employee’s Additional Pay page as shown below:

Earnings Code:	JLP
Effective Date:	04/01/2021
OT Eff Date:	04/01/2021
Annual Addl Earnings:	See Payment Amount below
End Date:	03/30/2022

Note:  Employees in Department ID 05015 will not be processed by OSC.  See Agency Actions – Payments Not Processed Automatically.

Payment Amount

The payment amount is determined by the years of service at a base annual salary equal to or greater than the maximum salary of the employee’s grade.  Employees will be paid based on the PayServ Increment Code on the Job Data page as shown below:

Years Above Maximum	Increment Codes	Payment Amount
4 – 7 years	2014 through 2017	$2,300
8 – 12 years	2009 through 2013	$4,700
13 or more years	1976-2008	$6,900

Active employees (including employees on a Leave With Pay (except COVID-19 Leaves) or Paid Military Stipend Leave) will receive the amount based on the employee’s increment code multiplied by the employee’s Empl Work Percent on the Job Data/Job Information page in effect on 04/01/2021.

Agency Actions-Payments Not Processed Automatically

Eligible employees who have a Payroll Status as described below on the payment effective date will not be processed automatically.  Therefore, agencies must submit the following information on the Additional Pay page using Earnings Code JLP.  The JLP payment amount should be calculated as explained in OSC Actions – Automatic Processing. 

Leave of Absence due to a Workers’ Compensation Leave or Unpaid Military Leave (Action/Reason code of Leave of Absence/WDL, MLL or MLS):  Transactions should be submitted in Administration Pay Period 1L.

Earnings Code:	JLP
Effective Date:	04/01/2021
OT Eff Date:	04/01/2021
Annual Addl Earnings:	See OSC Actions
End Date:	03/30/2022 OR the last date the employee is in an eligible position (see Overtime Calculation Information)

 

Department ID 05015: Transactions should be submitted in Administration Pay Period 1L.

Earnings Code:	JLP
Effective Date:	04/01/2021
OT Eff Date:	04/01/2021
Annual Addl Earnings:	See OSC Actions
End Date:	03/30/2022 OR the last date the employee is in an eligible position (see Overtime Calculation Information)

Paid Leave of Absence for COVID-19 Leave or Leave of Absence on 04/01/2021:  An employee who otherwise qualifies for the April 2021 JLP payment but is on an approved Leave With Pay due to COVID-19 or on an approved Leave of Absence (other than Workers’ Compensation Leave or Unpaid Military Leave) on 04/01/2021 becomes eligible if they return to the payroll between 04/01/2021 and 03/31/2022.  Transactions should be submitted in the pay period they return from leave; the effective date of the JLP should be the same as the return from leave date.

Earnings Code:	JLP
Effective Date:	Date of return from leave
OT Eff Date:	Same as effective date
Annual Addl Earnings:	See OSC Actions
End Date:	03/30/2022 OR the last date the employee is in an eligible position (see Overtime Calculation Information)

Ineligible for Judicial Longevity Payment

Employees with an “Unsatisfactory” evaluation on their last rating date are ineligible to receive the April 2021 UCS Judicial Longevity Payment.  The agency must submit a list of ineligible employees to OSC to have the JLP transaction deleted.

Time Entry

To report miscellaneous earnings that are automatically calculated by the system (e.g. overtime), agencies must separate earnings by pay period so the earnings will not overlap the effective date of the Longevity Payment.

Control-D Reports Available After Processing

The following Control-D report will be available for agency review after the payments have been processed.  All reports will be sorted by Department ID, then by employee name in alphabetical order.

NPAY770 – One Time Payment Report

This report identifies all employees who received the April 2021 JLP payment effective 04/01/2021.

Overtime Calculation Information

The April 2021 JLP payment is included in the calculation of overtime compensation (refer to the Online Payroll Manual accessed from the PayServ Bulletin Board – Payroll Manuals > Earnings Manual > Time Entry Payments > Overtime Compensation). The 2021 JLP will be included in the calculation of overtime earned from the OT Eff Date through the End Date on the employee’s Additional Pay page for Earnings Code JLP.

If an employee is appointed to an ineligible position (including a position which results in a salary below the maximum of the grade of the new position) effective after receiving the April 2021 JLP payment, the payment cannot be included in the compensation calculation of any overtime earned on or after the date of the appointment.  Therefore, agencies must insert a row on the Additional Pay page at the Effective Date level of Earnings Code JLP and enter the following information:

Effective Date	Last date in eligible position (date prior to appointment)
OT Eff Date	Same as original OT Eff Date
Annual Addl Earnings	Same as original amount (populates automatically)
End Date	Same as Effective Date
Goal Balance	Same as Annual Addl Earnings (to prevent making another payment)

Retirement Information

The Judicial Longevity Payment is not part of the basic annual salary, but it is considered pensionable earnings.

Tax Information

The JLP payment is supplemental taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross subject to employment taxes and income taxes.

Federal, State and New York City income tax withholding will be calculated using the Aggregate method.  Yonkers income tax withholding will be calculated using the Flat Rate method. Yonkers Flat Rate Withholding is 1.61135% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for Yonkers non-residents.

Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice:

The Earnings Code JLP and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register.  The Earnings Description Judicial Long Lump Sum Payment and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice.

Questions

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

Questions regarding retirement may be directed to the Payroll Retirement mailbox.

Questions regarding withholding taxes may be directed to the Tax and Compliance mailbox.