Purpose

To inform agencies of OSC's automatic processing of the LLS and to provide instructions for payments not processed automatically

Affected Employees

Longevity-eligible employees in BU 05 with Increment Codes of 1994 or 1999

Effective Date(s)

Payments will be processed in a separate check dated November 10, 2004 (Institution) and November 17, 2004 (Administration). There will be no direct deposit for this payment.

Background

Longevity Lump Sum Payments were not paid in April 2004 to PS&T employees who became eligible for a five (5) or ten (10) year payment for the first time on or after March 31, 2004 because of the expiration of the contract. Upon ratification of the new 2003-2007 Agreement and Chapter 419 of the Laws of 2004, these employees are now eligible to receive 2004 Longevity Lump Sum (LLS) Payments.

Please refer to Payroll Bulletin No. 461 for further information.

Eligible PEF Employees

Employees in graded positions (Grades 001-037) and NS (Grade 600) positions which are equated to grade are eligible for the payment if they:

• Are on the payroll on March 31, 2004 (Active or on Paid Leave or on Leave of Absence with a reason of Workers' Compensation Leave, Military Stipend, or Military Training Stipend), in a position in the PS&T Bargaining Unit; and
• As of March 31, 2004, have five (5) or more or ten (10) or more years of continuous of service at a salary equal to or above the job rate or maximum of the grade of their position; and
• Did not receive an "Unsatisfactory" rating during the rating period ending between January 1 and December 31, 2003. Employees who were not rated during this period will receive the payment.

Continuous service, as used in determining eligibility for the Longevity Lump Sum Payment, is paid service (including part-time annual-salaried service and Paid Leave) or time on Workers' Compensation Leave or Military Leave.

OSC Actions - Automatic Processing

For employees with an Increment Code of 1999

OSC will automatically insert a row on the Additional Pay page to make the payment using the Earnings Code LLS provided an LLS row does not already exist in the employee’s Additional Pay record. The Longevity Payment is $1,250.00 or a prorated amount, as described below:

• Employees who are full-time on March 31, 2004, or full-time employees who are on Paid Sick Leave, Workers' Compensation Leave, Military Stipend, Military Training Stipend, Leave with Full Pay, or on a Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule (VRWS) receive the full payment. Note: For employees under the Voluntary Reduction Program, the agency must verify that the Full/Part Time Indicator on the Job Data-Job Information page is "Voluntary." If the indicator is not “Voluntary,” the agency must submit a Data Change/VRW transaction changing the Indicator to “Voluntary.”
• Employees whose status is Active and are part-time on March 31, 2004 receive a prorated payment based upon their part-time percentage on March 31, 2004.
• Part-time employees who are on Paid Sick Leave or Workers' Compensation Leave on March 31, 2004 receive a prorated payment based upon their regular part-time percentage prior to the leave.

For employees with an Increment Code of 1994

OSC will automatically double the earnings amount on the LLS row that already exists in Additional Pay. The Payroll System will automatically pay the difference between what the employee was previously paid and the new amount.

The Additional Pay Page will be populated for eligible employees with the following:

Agency Actions - Payments to Employees Not Paid Automatically

To pay an employee after the automatic payment has been processed, use the Additional Pay Page as follows if an LLS row does not exist for the employee:

To pay an employee or correct an already existing LLS row in an employee’s Additional Pay record, insert a new LLS row in Additional Pay with the following information:

Correcting an Increment Code

If the employee did not receive an automatic LLS payment because the Increment Code was incorrect, the agency must, in addition to submitting the LLS earnings, request the Action/Reason of DTA/CIC (Data Change/ Correct Increment Code) on the Job Action Request page. The appropriate Increment Code must be entered in the Increment Code field.

Preliminary Control-D Report and Agency Responsibility Prior to Automatic Processing

Prior to the automatic processing, Control-D Report NPAY756, PS&T Longevity Eligibility Listing, will be available for agency review on October 22, 2004. Two versions of this report will be available with the listings separated by Increment Code (1999 or 1994). These reports are a preliminary listing of employees who are eligible for the LLS as of October 22, 2004.

Agencies should review these listings carefully, paying particular attention to employees who are ineligible due to an "Unsatisfactory" rating received between January 1 and December 31, 2003. Corrections and additions to the preliminary listing should be submitted on the Correction Sheet, which is attached to this Bulletin.

This Correction Sheet must be used to:

• Add employees who do not appear on the listing.
• Delete employees who should not appear on the listing.
• Change incorrect information regarding an employee who appears on the listing.

This Correction Sheet should also be used to:

• Add eligible employees in NS positions that are equated to grades. If the equated grade is not listed on the Budget Certificate, agencies must submit documentation of the salary equation along with the Correction Sheet.
• Add eligible employees who were on a Leave of Absence on 3/31/04 (other than Workers’ Compensation or Military Stipend) and who have since returned to work.

Corrections should be submitted as soon as possible and must be received no later than October 27, 2004. Please fax the Correction Sheet to (518) 474-2601, Salary Determination Unit.

Control-D Reports After Automatic Processing

After the automatic processing, Control-D Report NHRP703, Mass Additional Pay Report, will identify all employees receiving the LLS. There will also be two versions of this report with the listings separated by Increment Code.

The report of employees with Increment Code 1999 will display the amount of LLS entered on the employee’s Additional Pay page.

The report of employees with Increment Code 1994 will display the total amount of the LLS paid including the LLS amount that had been previously paid.

Overpayment Recovery for Inactive Employees

For employees Inactive at the time of payment, the LLS Payment will be applied to any Overpayment set up in Additional Pay that has a Goal Amount and Goal Balance that are not equal. The system will recover as much of the Overpayment as possible.

Deductions & Withholding Taxes

Deductions will be taken for Federal, State, New York City and Yonkers City taxes, Social Security/Medicare, retirement normal contributions, garnishments and Federal levies. There will be no special tax calculations. For employees receiving the payment who have an additional tax amount in their record, the additional tax will also be included in the tax calculation for this payment.

Overtime and Retirement Information

The LLS is a one-time, lump sum payment that is included as salary for retirement purposes and in the calculation of overtime compensation (refer to Overtime Compensation, Part III, Page 1 of the OSC Salary Manual). The 2004 Longevity Lump Sum Payment is included in the calculation of overtime earned from April 1, 2004 through March 31, 2005 for all agencies.

Payroll Register and Employee's Paycheck

The Earnings Code LLS and the amount will be displayed on the payroll register. The earnings description, PS&T Longevity LSP, and the amount will be printed on the employee's paycheck.

The LLS will be made in a separate check, regardless of when paid. There will be no direct deposit for this payment. The separate check will be issued along with the employee's regular check or direct deposit advice for the check date submitted.

Questions

Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Salary Determination mailbox.