State Agencies Bulletin No. 1582

Subject
September 2017 Public Employees Federation (PEF) Performance Advances and Increment Code Updates for Pay Basis 21P and CAL
Date Issued
August 9, 2017

Purpose

To inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the September 2017 PEF Performance Advances and provide instructions for payments not processed automatically.

Affected Employees

Employees in the Professional, Scientific and Technical Service Unit – BU05 with a Pay Basis Code of 21P or CAL who meet the eligibility criteria

Background

Chapter 8 of the Laws of 2017, which implemented the 2016-2019 Agreement between the State of New York and PEF, provides for a payment of performance advances in September to eligible PEF employees based on the 2017 Salary Schedule.

Effective Date(s)

The September 2017 Performance Advances will be paid using the following effective dates:

Pay Basis Code Payment Effective Date
CAL 09/01/17
21P The Contract Begin Date based on the Department

Payments will be included in Administration Pay Period 11L, paychecks dated 09/20/17 or Institution Pay Period 12L, paychecks dated 09/28/17.

Eligibility Criteria

Performance Advance

Employees in graded positions (Grade 001-037) and NS positions (Grade 600) which are equated to a grade (Grade 001-037) and whose annual salary is below the Job Rate of the employee’s grade on the payment effective date based on the 04/01/17 Salary Schedule are eligible for the September 2017 PEF Performance Advance provided the employee:

  • Is in a BU05 position on the payment effective date; and
  • Has completed 150 workdays in such grade during the rating cycle for the 2016-2017 academic year; and
  • Has a Pay Basis Code of 21P or CAL on the appropriate payment effective date; and
  • Was rated at least “Satisfactory” or its equivalent on their last rating date.
Promotion Recalculation

Employees who would have been eligible to receive the September 2017 Performance Advance but were promoted to a higher grade in any bargaining unit prior to September 2017 may be eligible for a revised promotion salary (promotion recalculation) provided the employee is not eligible for a performance advance in the higher grade.

Ineligible for Performance Advance

Employees with an “Unsatisfactory” evaluation on their last rating date are ineligible to receive a September 2017 Performance Advance. The agency must submit a Data Chg on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code USP (Unsat Perf) and an increment code of 0003 in the Incr. Code field to withhold the performance advance. The effective date should be the employee’s last rating date. These transactions should be submitted as soon as practicable following the employee’s rating date.

Increment Code 0003 is also used to identify employees who have not completed 150 workdays in their grade and to prevent these employees from receiving the September 2017 Performance Advance.

If Increment Code 0003 appears in an employee’s record at the time of processing the September 2017 Performance Advance, the increment code will be updated automatically to indicate the 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 08/24/17 (Administration) and 08/31/17 (Institution). This will give agencies time to correct employees’ records, if necessary, prior to the automatic processing of the September 2017 PEF Performance Advances. 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 a September 2017 Performance Advance, Promotion Recalculation or Increment Code Update based on information available as of the date the report is produced. Included on the report is one or more of the following messages which identifies the reason(s) the employee’s record will not be updated.

  • NYS Position Has Both Equated Grade and NTE
  • Position and Job do not match
  • FIS is 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).
  • 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.

If corrections described above are made prior to Pay Period 11L (Administration) or Pay Period 12L (Institution), the automatic performance advance, promotion recalculation or increment code update will be processed.

Agency Actions – Pay Period 11L (Administration) or 12L (Institution)

The following procedures must be used by the agency when submitting transactions in Pay Period 11L (Administration) or 12L (Institution).

For pay changes, position changes and transfers requested on the Job Action Requests or Transfer Requests page with an effective date on or before 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P):

  • The agency must not include the performance advance in the salary rate reported in the Pay Rate Field.
  • The agency must report the proper increment code for the 2017-2018 academic year in the Incr. Code field.

For pay changes, position changes and transfers requested on the Job Action Requests or Transfer Requests page with an effective date after 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P):

  • The agency must include, if applicable, the performance advance in the salary rate reported in the Pay Rate field.
  • The agency must report the projected increment code for the 2017-2018 academic year in the Incr. Code field.
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 Pay Change transaction.

OSC Actions

OSC will process the September 2017 Performance Advances, Promotion Recalculations and Increment Code Updates for those employees 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 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 (21P employees only).
Performance Advance Processing

Performance advances will be processed for eligible employees with Increment Code 0001. OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P) using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/PAV (Perf Adv) and will increase the employee’s salary 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 04/01/17 Salary Schedule.

Promotion Recalculation Processing

Promotion recalculations will be processed for eligible employees with Increment Code 0004 on the payment effective date who were 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 04/01/17 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 04/01/17 Salary Schedule.

OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P) using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/PMR (Prom Recal) and will update the employee’s salary to reflect the FIS Amount.

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
2018 if the new salary is equal to Job Rate
0004 0001 if the new salary is below Job Rate
2018 if the new salary is equal to or greater than Job Rate

OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P) using the Action/Reason Code of Data Chg/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
Workers’ Compensation

For employees who are receiving Workers’ Compensation under the PEF Medical Evaluation Program, the supplement will be recalculated by OSC when processing payments for disability dates beginning 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21).

Transactions processed automatically will appear on the NHRP520 Daily Outbound Transaction file.

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 automatic September 2017 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 an automatic September 2017 Performance Advance, Promotion Recalculation or Increment Code Update. Included on the report is one or more of the following messages which identifies the reason(s) 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 Pay Period 12L (Administration) or 13L (Institution)

Employees Not Processed Automatically

Beginning in Pay Period 12L (Administration) or Pay Period 13L (Institution), agencies may submit the appropriate transaction(s) for the following employees who are eligible on the payment effective date 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 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.
  4. Eligible employees who are on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave or a Military Leave on the payment effective date.
  5. Eligible employees who are Inactive or on a Leave of Absence not related to a Workers’ Compensation Leave on the payment effective date.
  6. Eligible employees who had prior 21P or CAL service.

1. Increment Code 2222
Eligible employees who are in a composite position on the payment effective date may receive the September 2017 PEF 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 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P). Information regarding the composite position must be included on the General Comments page.

2. Increment Code 0069
Eligible employees who, on the payment effective date, are in a position which was previously downward reallocated may receive the September 2017 PEF Performance Advance. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code PAV (Perf Advance) effective 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P). The performance advance amount is based on the previous grade and the new salary cannot exceed the Job Rate of that grade. Information regarding the payment must be included on the General Comments page.

3. 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 150 workdays in their grade prior to the effective date of the Paid Sick Leave may receive the September 2017 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 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P).

4. Military Stipend Leave or Military Leave
Eligible employees who are on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave or a Military Leave on the payment effective date may receive the September 2017 PEF 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 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P), in addition to entering the Return from Leave on the Job Data page, 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 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P.

If the effective date of the return from leave transaction is after 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P), in addition to entering the Return from Leave on the Job Data page, 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.

5. Inactive or Leave of Absence (not related to Workers’ Compensation Leave)
Eligible employees who are Inactive or have a Payroll Status of Leave of Absence not related to Workers’ Compensation Leave on the payment effective date and who completed 150 workdays in their grade prior to becoming inactive or being placed on a leave of absence may receive the September 2017 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 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P), in addition to processing the transaction(s) related to the rehire or return from leave, the agency must enter a Return from Leave on the Job Data page and 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 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P).

If the effective date of the rehire or return from leave is after 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P), 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) or a Data Chg on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code CIC (Chg IncCd/or AnnDt/or FIS Sal) and the effective date of the Rehire or Return from Leave with the next available sequence number.

6. Promotion Recalculation Based on Prior 21P or CAL Service

Employees who would have been eligible to receive the September 2017 Performance Advance but were promoted to a higher grade in any bargaining unit prior to September 2017 may be eligible for a revised promotion salary (promotion recalculation) provided the employee is not eligible for a performance advance in the higher grade. Agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code PMR (Prom Recal) effective 09/01/17 (Pay Basis Code CAL) or the Contract Begin Date (Pay Basis Code 21P).

Questions

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