Purpose

To explain Central Accounting System (CAS) fiscal year-end processing of transactions and provide important information that impacts the State’s financial plan and financial reports.  This bulletin should be read in its ENTIRETY since it contains updated and new information. 

Payroll

The March 18, 2009 Administration payroll will be bulkloaded and released in the CAS so that all the appropriation and cash charges will be posted by the pay date.

The March 26, 2009 Institution payroll will be bulkloaded and released in the CAS so that all the appropriation and cash charges will be posted by the pay date. 

• If any payroll charges need to be distributed to other funds or accounts, journal transfers must be prepared, signed, entered and suspended, and delivered to the Appropriation Section (via the Receiving Area) as soon as possible before close of business March 27, 2009.

Payroll Segregations

In early January 2009, OSC provided a report of projected negative personal service segregation status (CTL620P) to make certain that agencies allocate sufficient segregation authority to finance all payroll costs through March 31, 2009.    Staff of OSC’s Bureau of State Accounting Operation’s Appropriation Accounting Section will review all budget certificates allocating other than personal service to confirm that sufficient segregation authority is available for projected negative personal service costs.  Budget certificates may be held or returned to agencies if it appears that the agency is inattentive to the need to segregate sufficient personal service money to cover agency payrolls charged to SFY 2008-09 appropriations.

CAS Availability

During the month of March 2009, the CAS will be available, at a minimum, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturdays and will also be available from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Sunday, March 22, 2009. 

• Agencies may request CAS availability beyond 6:00 pm weekdays or beyond 5:00 pm Saturdays by contacting the FOCAS Helpdesk by 3:00 pm the prior business day at (518) 408-4672.
• Agency staff should ensure that their own financial management systems will be active during extended hours

March 31 Requirements

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 is the last business day of State fiscal year (SFY) 2008-2009 (the last day to make a payment is Monday, March 30, 2009).Pursuant to various sections of law and to complete the execution of the SFY 2008-09 financial plan, on March 31, 2009: 

• No voucher payments will be made.
• Processing of Journal Transfers/Revenue Transfers will be restricted to OSC-generated year-end closing entries.

Access to OSC

Agencies are reminded that access to deliver important documents to OSC processing units is restricted.  Documents that must be processed by year-end must be sent through the Receiving Area on the Howard Street side of 110 State Street.  The Receiving area is staffed Monday thru Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The telephone number for the Receiving Desk is 408-3100 and the telephone number for the Mailroom Service Desk is 474-3438.  The Security Desk in the lobby at 110 State Street will NOT accept deliveries. To avoid any last minute problems, please call the numbers above.

Fringe Benefit/Indirect Cost Assessments

All fringe benefit / indirect cost assessments which remain unpaid at this time are PAST DUE and must be paid immediately. Please refer to Accounting Bulletin A-590 issued May 9, 2008 for payment instructions.  Balances that are in dispute should be immediately reported to Bill McCormick in the Bureau of State Accounting Operations at (518) 474-4018 or bmccormick@osc.state.ny.us

Revenue Classifications

Each year a substantial amount of revenue remains unclassified at year-end. No later than March 24, 2009, agencies are required to take necessary steps to prepare and submit Revenue Transfer documents to properly classify receipts that were initially recorded as Unclassified Miscellaneous Receipts (object 35390) during 2008-09.

Receipts - Revenue Contracts and Repayment Agreements

Agencies are reminded that financial and program audits are conducted on a fiscal year basis.  Therefore, it is important that revenue journals are periodically reviewed to determine that revenue contract and repayment agreement receipts are correctly recorded.  Where adjustments are determined necessary, Journal/ Revenue Transfer documents (AC22) must be prepared and submitted to OSC’s Bureau of State Accounting Operation’s Revenue Accounting Section for review and processing.  Please refer to Accounting Bulletin A-492, issued on November 13, 2001, for complete instructions relating to the reporting and recording of revenue contract and repayment agreement receipts.

Cash Advance Accounts

Annually, agencies are required to review the funding levels for advance accounts (e.g. petty cash, travel, confidential, etc.) and reduce the authorized funding levels to the amount actually needed to sustain agency needs.  Use of ‘Quick Pay’ vouchers and credit cards are preferred methods of payment for small dollar purchases and travel expenses.  See the Controls and Special Procedures Manual (Volume XI); Section 4.025 for instructions to reduce a cash advance.

Uncashed Checks

Agencies are reminded that Section 102 of the State Finance Law pertains to all State accounts, including agency cash advance accounts.  Any check issued on, or before, December 31, 2007, which remained outstanding as of December 31, 2008 must be canceled and the proceeds of such cancellation are to be transferred to the State’s Abandoned Property Fund following the procedures outlined in Section 7.0500 of the Controls and Special Procedures Manual (Volume XI).   Questions on this section of the user procedure manual may be directed to Peter Clark in the Bureau of State Accounting Operations at (518) 474-4006 or pclark@osc.state.ny.us

Refund of Appropriation Expenditures

Agencies are reminded that they are required to data enter the statewide accumulator codes on all Refund of Appropriation documents. All agencies should refer to Section 5.0100 of the Revenue Accounting Procedures Manual (Volume IV) for instruction for preparing refund of appropriation documents. Questions on this section of the manual may be directed to Bill McCormick in the Bureau of State Accounting Operations at (518) 474-4018 or bmccormick@osc.state.ny.us.

Contract Approval

To ensure review by March 31, 2009, new contracts, contract amendments and purchase orders for commodities and technology purchases of hardware /software must be received by the appropriate OSC Bureau of Contracts' audit team by March 6, 2009.  Any commodity transaction not approved by March 31, 2009 will be returned to the agency unapproved. Thereafter, purchase orders should not be submitted or re-submitted until the budget or an interim appropriation is enacted.

Vouchers

No vouchers will be paid on March 31, 2009.  Vouchers to be paid before the end of SFY 2008-09 must be processed as follows:

• Vouchers requiring payment before March 31, 2009 must be received by OSC no later than March 24, 2009.                                                                
• Scheduled Payment Dates on vouchers must be on or before March 30, 2009 since there will be no warrant on March 31, 2009.
• Quick Pay vouchers, including travel, must be certified by March 26, 2009.
• Quick Pay Refund vouchers (Batch Type KRA) must be certified by March 26, 2009.
• Vouchers that require manual keying by OSC personnel must be received by March 12, 2009.
• Payments to be made on the first 2 business days of April to ACH enrolled payees (Municipalities, Debt Service payment recipients, etc) must make arrangements to have payments wired in April rather than “backing up” the payment date to effectuate an ACH in March since this will result in financial plan variances.

Journal/Revenue Transfers

• Agencies will not have access to the journal transfer or revenue transfer conversations following close of business March 30, 2009. 
• OSC will not process journal/revenue transfers received after March 25, 2009.
• Journal/Revenue transfer bulkloads cannot be accepted by OSC after 3:00pm on March 30, 2009.  Do NOT include journal/revenue transfer transactions in any bulkload FTP transmissions for March 31, 2009 as these cannot be processed.
• Normal processing of documents will resume when the CAS is available on Wednesday, April 1, 2009.

Federal Funds-Payments

In order for the State to be reimbursed for payments made from federal funds by March 31, 2009, vouchers and journal transfers including fringe benefit payments must be paid by March 27, 2009.  The payment date on vouchers containing charges against federal funds must be on or before March 27, 2009 and the voucher must be received by March 20, 2009.

Federal Funds-Reappropriations

Many prior year federal fund appropriations will be reappropriated in the enacted budget.  In order to ensure that federal funds are available during the period that the State appropriation is in force:

• For Federal Operating Grants (Fund 290), agencies are required to provide a copy of the grant award notice which indicates that the Award period extends thru the lapse period defined in Sec 40 of the State Finance Law.
  • Upon receipt of the grant award notice, the State lapse date will be extended to the end of the award period or the State’s lapse date – whichever is later.

Short Term Investment Pool (STIP) Interest

Section 98-a of the State Finance Law governs the distribution of interest to agencies’ accounts within the State’s short-term investment pool (STIP). Agencies should review their accounts and proposed legislation submitted with the Governor’s Executive Budget to determine if any changes are necessary.  Pursuant to law, agency requests to ‘opt into’ or ‘out of’ participation in the distribution of STIP interest earning must be submitted, in writing, within 30 days of the start of the fiscal year or 30 days following the final approval by the Governor of any bill containing temporary loan authorization(s) – whichever is later.  Please direct your request to:

H. Michael Luft
Office of the State Comptroller
Bureau of State Accounting Operations
General Ledger Accounting Section
110 State St. – 9th floor
Albany, NY 12236

or email to:  genledger@osc.state.ny.us

 

Fund Classification Manual

The annual update to the Fund Classification Manual (FCM) has been posted on the OSC website at:

http://www.osc.state.ny.us/agencies/index.htm

The updated FCM reflects all changes made to conform fund classifications with legislation enacted during the 2008 session.

Sole Custody Reporting and Annual Financial Reporting Package

The State's accounting and financial reporting system under the control of OSC provides for the collection, summarization and reporting of unique financial data and information maintained at State agencies. Financial data and related information is required to ensure full and proper disclosure in cash basis and accrual basis financial statements prepared in accordance with State Finance Law requirements and generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP).

Sole Custody Reporting
On April 1, 2009, the secure website for reporting agency sole custody account balances will be activated for agencies to use to report reconciled bank account information needed for the State’s annual financial statements.  Agencies are reminded that all bank accounts under their administrative control must be reconciled at least monthly.  Compliance with this requirement contributes immeasurably to accurate, complete and timely filing of required sole custody bank account information.  Please refer to Accounting Bulletin A-588 issued March 12, 2008, for additional information about agency bank accounts, reconciliations and reporting requirements. 

For more information about sole custody reporting, please contact genledger@osc.state.ny.us.

Agency Financial Reporting Package (AFRP)
In March 2009, a secure website for the AFRP will be activated for the purpose of gathering financial data which has not been entered into the State's CAS as of the closing date specified in sections of the AFRP.  The AFRP will be available at:
https://nysosc11.osc.state.ny.us/product/afrp.nsf

For more information regarding the internet-based AFRP, please refer to Accounting Bulletin A-557, issued January 25, 2006, or email finrep@osc.state.ny.us.

Questions

Direct questions on this bulletin to the FOCAS Helpdesk at Helpdesk@osc.state.ny.us or (518) 408-4672.