State Agencies Bulletin No. 1301

Subject
April 2013 Management and Confidential (M/C) Performance Advances
Date Issued
February 26, 2014

Purpose

To inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the April 2013 M/C Performance Advances and provide instructions for payments not processed automatically.

Affected Employees

Employees designated management or confidential in BU06, BU46, BU66 and BU79 who meet the eligibility criteria

Background

Civil Service Law, Section 131 and the Division of the Budget Bulletin D-1128 provide for payment of performance advances on April 1 to eligible M/C employees based on the 2011 Salary Schedule.

Effective Date(s)

The April 2013 M/C Performance Advances will be paid using the following effective dates and check dates:

Pay Cycle/Pay Period Type Payment Effective Date Check Date
Institution 24 Lag 04/04/13 03/20/14
Administration 25 Lag 03/28/13 03/26/14

Eligibility Criteria

Performance Advance

Employees in graded positions (Grade 603-667) and 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 04/01/11 Salary Schedule and employees in NS positions (Grade 600) and Grade 668 positions who appear on a Division of the Budget (DOB) – Labor Relations approved Performance Advance Plan are eligible for the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance provided the employee:

  • Is in a BU06, BU46, BU66 or BU79 position on the payment effective date; and
  • Has thirteen (13) complete pay periods in such grade between 04/01/12 and 03/31/13; 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; and
  • Is Active or on a Leave With Pay on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) or is on a Leave of Absence on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) and subsequently returns to the payroll.

Note: Employees who are Terminated, Retired or Deceased on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) are not eligible for the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance regardless of their subsequent status.

Promotion Recalculation

Employees who would have been eligible to receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance but were promoted to a higher grade in any bargaining unit prior to April 2013 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 2013 and meets the status criteria on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration).

Withholding Recommendation

If the agency determines the full or partial value of the April 2013 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-1128. If the full value is withheld, the agency should submit a Data Chg on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PWH (Perf Withheld) and an increment code of 0003 in the Incr. Code field. These transactions should be submitted as soon as possible following approval but prior to or as part of processing for Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L. If the agency does not submit the transaction to withhold the full performance advance or if the agency chooses to withhold a partial performance advance, OSC will update the employee’s Job Data page based on information received from the Division of the Budget.

Increment Code 0003 is also used to identify employees who have not completed thirteen (13) complete pay periods in their grade on the payment effective date and to prevent these employees from receiving the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance.

If Increment Code 0003 appears in an employee’s record at the time of processing the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance and the employee meets the status criteria on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration), the increment code will be updated automatically to indicate an employee’s eligibility for the next performance advance (See OSC Actions).

Control-D Report Available Prior to Processing

The following Control-D report will be available for agency use on 02/20/2014 (Institution) and 02/27/2014 (Administration). The report will be sorted by Department ID, then by employee name in alphabetical order.

NHRP708 – Mass Increment Payment Exception Report

This report is a preliminary listing of employees who appear ineligible to receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance, Promotion Recalculation or Increment Code Update based on information available as of the date the report is produced. The report does not exclude employees based on status on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration). Included on this report is one or more of the following messages which identifies the reason the employee’s record will not be updated.

  • NYS Position Has Both Equated Grade and NTE
  • Position and Job do not match
  • FIS Missing
  • FIS At or Below Current
  • FIS Below Hiring Rate
  • Increment Code Missing
  • Increment Code Invalid
  • Sal Below Hiring Rate
  • Sal At or Above Job Rate

If an employee appears on this report but is due a performance advance, promotion recalculation or increment code update, the agency must take the following action:

  • Submit the appropriate transaction(s) on the Job Action Requests page to correct the information on the Job Data row(s).  If the row(s) is corrected prior to Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L, the automatic performance advance, promotion recalculation or increment code update will be processed.
  • Submit a Position Change Request to the Position Management Unit if the position information is incorrect on the Position Data page in PayServ but is correct in NYSTEP. The position will be updated to reflect the change and the automatic performance advance, promotion recalculation or increment code update will be processed provided the agency’s position request contains the same information as the position information in NYSTEP.

OSC Actions

OSC will process the April 2013 M/C Performance Advances, Promotion Recalculations and Increment Code Updates for those employees in graded positions (Grade 603-667) and NS positions (Grade 600) which are equated to a grade (Grade 603-667) who meet the eligibility criteria and have a Payroll Status of Active, Leave With Pay or Leave of Absence due to a Workers’ Compensation Leave on the payment effective date and are Active or on a Leave With Pay on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) with the following exceptions:

  • Eligible employees in a composite position (identified by Increment Code 2222) on the payment effective date.
  • Eligible employees in a position which was previously downward reallocated (identified by Increment Code 0069) on the payment effective date.
  • 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.
  • Eligible employees in BU79.
Performance Advance Processing

Performance advances will be processed for eligible employees with Increment Code 0001 on the payment effective date. OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration) using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Change/PAV (Perf Adv) and will increase the employee’s salary rate to reflect payment of the performance advance. The employee’s salary will be capped at the Job Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the 04/01/11 Salary Schedule.

The program will not update any rows that exist in the employee’s record with an effective date greater than the payment effective date. (See Agency Actions – Beginning in Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L).

Promotion Recalculation Processing

Promotion recalculations will be processed for eligible employees with Increment Code 0004 on the payment effective date who are entitled to a revised promotion salary based on the FIS (Fixed Incremented Salary) Amount on the Job Data/Compensation page. The FIS Amount:

  • Must be equal to or greater than the Hiring Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the 04/01/11 Salary Schedule; and
  • Must be greater than the employee’s salary on the payment effective date; and
  • May exceed the Job Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the 04/01/11 Salary Schedule.

OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration) using the Action/Reason code of Pay Rate Change/PMR (Prom Recal) and will update the employee’s salary rate to reflect the FIS Amount.

The program will not update any rows that exist in the employee’s record with an effective date greater than the payment effective date. (See Agency Actions – Beginning in Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L).

Increment Code Update Processing

OSC will automatically update the increment code on the inserted row for employees who receive a performance advance or promotion recalculation as follows:

Current Code Updated Code
0001 0001 if the new salary is below Job Rate
2013 if the new salary is equal to Job Rate
0004 0001 if the new salary is below Job Rate
2013 if the new salary is equal to Job Rate

OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration) using the Action/Reason code of Data Change/CIC (Chg IncCd/or AnnDt/or FIS Sal) and update the following increment code:

Current Code Updated Code
0003 0001 if the salary on the payment effective date is equal to or greater than Hiring Rate and below Job Rate

The program will not update any rows that exist in the employee’s record with an effective date greater than the increment code update effective date. (See& Agency Actions – Beginning in Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L).

Employees Who Switch Cycles

Employees who are on the Institution cycle on the payment effective date but are on the Administration cycle on the processing date will have a row inserted when the program runs for the Institution cycle. All retroactive adjustments will be paid in the Administration check dated 03/26/14.

Employees who are on the Administration cycle on the payment effective date but are on the Institution cycle on the processing date will have a row inserted when the program runs for the Administration cycle. All retroactive adjustments will be paid in the Institution check dated 04/03/14.

Control-D Reports Available After Processing

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

NHRP704 – Mass Increment Payment Report

This report identifies all employees who received the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation on the payment effective date. The report includes the Action/Reason code used as well as the old compensation rate and new compensation rate.

NHRP708 – Mass Increment Payment Exception Report

This report identifies employees who did not receive the automatic April 2013 M/C Performance Advance, Promotion Recalculation or Increment Code Update. The report does not exclude employees based on status on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) nor does it identify employees who were not automatically updated due to their status on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration). Included on the report is one or more of the following messages which identifies the reason the employee’s record was not updated.

  • NYS Position Has Both Equated Grade and NTE
  • Position and Job do not match
  • FIS Missing
  • FIS At or Below Current
  • FIS Below Hiring Rate
  • Increment Code Missing
  • Increment Code Invalid
  • Sal Below Hiring Rate
  • Sal At or Above Job Rate

Agency Actions – Beginning in Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L

Employees Processed Automatically Who Require Additional Manual Transactions

Beginning in Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L, agencies may submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CSL (Cor Sal) or a Data Chg on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CIC (Chg IncCd/or AnnDt/or FIS Sal) to update rows, if appropriate, that exist in the employee’s record with an effective date greater than the effective date inserted automatically by OSC.

If the employee was on the Administration cycle on the payment effective date and is on the Institution cycle on the processing date, the agency should not submit transactions for subsequent rows until Institution Pay Period 25L (checks dated 04/03/14).

Employees Not Processed Automatically

Beginning in Institution Pay Period 24L or Administration Pay Period 25L, agencies may submit the appropriate transaction(s) for the following employees who are eligible on the payment effective date and are Active or on a Leave With Pay on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) but will not be processed automatically. Refer to the appropriate instructions described below.

  1. 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.
  2. Eligible employees who are on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on the payment effective date.
  3. Eligible employees who are on a Leave of Absence not related to Workers’ Compensation Leave on the payment effective date.
  4. Eligible employees in Bargaining Unit 79.
1. 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 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) or PMR (Prom Recal) effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration). Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

2. Military Stipend Leave

Eligible employees who are on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on the payment effective date may receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation when they return to the payroll. Agencies 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. Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

3. Leave of Absence (not related to Workers’ Compensation Leave)

Eligible employees with a Payroll Status of Leave of Absence not related to Workers’ Compensation Leave on the payment effective date who complete thirteen (13) full pay periods of service in their grade prior to being placed on Leave of Absence may receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation when they return to the payroll. Agencies 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. Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

4. Eligible Employees in Bargaining Unit 79

Eligible employees in graded positions (Grade 603-667) and NS positions (Grade 600) which are equated to a grade (Grade 603-667) in Bargaining Unit 79 may receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) or PMR (Prom Recal) or a Data Chg on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code CIC (Chg IncCd/or AnnDt/or FIS Sal) effective 03/28/13 (Administration). Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

Agency Actions – Beginning in Institution Pay Period 25L or Administration Pay Period 26L

Employees Not Processed Automatically

Beginning in Institution Pay Period 25L or Administration Pay Period 26L, agencies may submit the appropriate transaction(s) for the following employees who are eligible on the payment effective date and are Active or on a Leave With Pay on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) but will not be processed automatically. Refer to the appropriate instructions described below.

  1. Eligible employees who are in a composite position (identified by Increment Code 2222) on the payment effective date.
  2. Eligible employees who are in a position which was previously downward reallocated (identified by Increment Code 0069) on the payment effective date.
  3. Eligible employees who are Inactive on the payment effective date.
  4. Eligible employees in NS positions (Grade 600) and Grade 668 positions that appear on a Division of the Budget approved Performance Advance Plan.
1. Increment Code 2222

Eligible employees who are in a composite position on the payment effective date may receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) or PMR (Prom Recal) effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration). Information regarding the composite position must be included on the General Comments page. Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

2. Increment Code 0069

Eligible employees who are in a position on the payment effective date which was previously downward reallocated may receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration). The performance advance amount is based on the previous grade and the new salary rate cannot exceed the Job Rate of that grade. Information regarding the payment must be included on the General Comments page. Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

3. Inactive

Eligible employees who are Inactive on the payment effective date and who completed thirteen (13) full pay periods of service in their grade prior to becoming inactive may receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance or Promotion Recalculation when they return to the payroll provided they have continuous service. Agencies 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 with the next available sequence number. Agencies must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

4. DOB Approved Performance Advance Plan

Employees in NS positions (Grade 600) and Grade 668 positions on the payment effective date must appear on a Division of the Budget approved Performance Advance Plan to be eligible to receive the April 2013 M/C Performance Advance. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) effective 04/04/13 (Institution) or 03/28/13 (Administration). Agencies 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 forwarded to OSC.

Employees on a Leave of Absence on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration)

Beginning in Institution Pay Period 25L or Administration Pay Period 26L, agencies may submit the appropriate transaction(s) for employees who are eligible on the payment effective date but are on a Leave of Absence on 03/05/14 (Institution) or 03/12/14 (Administration) and subsequently return to the payroll. All subsequent rows must also be reviewed to determine if additional updates are required.

Traineeships – Identified by Grade 800

Employees in M/C traineeships who complete a 26 week rating period between 04/04/13 and 04/02/14 (Institution) or between 03/28/13 and 03/26/14 (Administration) must be reviewed in order to determine if the employee is eligible to receive a performance advance. Refer to the Department of Civil Service Traineeship Memorandum to determine performance advance eligibility and payment amounts.

If it is determined that an employee is eligible to receive a performance advance, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason code PAV (Perf Adv) and the appropriate effective date. The employee’s rating must be provided on the General Comments page. The agency must also review all subsequent rows to determine if additional updates are required.

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 2013 M/C Performance Advance and Promotion Recalculation.

If an employee receives a payment and has worked in more than one agency but has been paid by all agencies in the same Employee Record Number since the effective date of the payment, all retroactive adjustments will be paid in the most current agency.

If an employee receives a payment and has worked in more than one agency and has been paid in more than one Employee Record Number since the effective date of the payment, the retroactive adjustments will be paid in the most current agency of the Employee Record Number in which the payment was made.

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 Institution Pay Period 25L or Administration Pay Period 26L, agencies 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, agencies 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 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).

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 Tax 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 Deductions may be directed to the Deductions mailbox.

Questions regarding Position may be directed to the Position Management mailbox.

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