Agencies may use this panel to provide comments or explanations for actions entered on an employee’s Job Data Record or Additional Pay Panel.

Agencies are required to enter comments on the General Comments Panel (Agency) when any of the following conditions exist:

1. AGENCY REPORTS A RETROACTIVE ACTION ON THE JOB DATA PANEL, JOB ACTION REQUEST PANEL, OR THE ADDITIONAL PAY PANEL THAT RESULTS IN AN OVERPAYMENT OF MONIES TO THE EMPLOYEE

PaySR will automatically calculate a negative adjustment based on the retroactive action entered by the agency. This negative adjustment will automatically be deducted from the employee’s current paycheck, provided the gross amount of the current check is sufficient. When the agency enters an action that results in an overpayment to an employee, the agency must determine if the employee has earnings or insufficient earnings in the current pay period and follow the procedures outlined below.

A. No earnings in the current pay period:
Agency must enter on the General Comments Panel (Agency) the reason and inclusive dates of the overpayment and how the overpayment will be recovered.

B. Earnings in the current pay period are insufficient to offset the entire overpayment:
Agency must enter on the General Comments Panel (Agency) the reason and the inclusive dates of the overpayment and how the overpayment will be recovered. Agency should recover whatever monies possible in the current pay period using the appropriate procedure.

C. Earnings in the current pay period are sufficient to offset the entire overpayment:
Agency must enter on the General Comments Panel (Agency) the reason and the inclusive dates of the overpayment. The agency must also state if the automatic negative retro adjustment calculated by PaySR should be deducted from the employee’s current check. If the agency does not want the PaySR generated adjustment to be deducted from current earnings, the agency must state the method of recovery in the General Comments Panel (Agency).

If an employee has been overpaid for any reason and the agency sets up an overpayment (OVP) on the Additional Pay Panel, the agency must go to the General Comments Panel (Agency) and enter the reason and inclusive dates of the overpayment. This is required since PaySR requires the agency to enter the current period begin date as the effective date of the OVP earnings on the Additional Pay Panel and not the actual dates of the overpayment.

3. FOR EMPLOYEES CONVERTED FROM LEGACY TO PAYSR, AGENCY REQUESTS A PAY RATE CHANGE, POSITION CHANGE, OR DATA CHANGE ON THE JOB ACTION REQUEST PANEL AND THE EFFECTIVE DATE IS PRIOR TO THE EARLIEST ROW ON THE EMPLOYEE’S JOB DATA RECORD

When the agency must request a pay rate change, position change, or data change on the Job Action Request Panel and the effective date is prior to the effective date of the earliest row on the employee’s Job Record, the agency must:

1. Select the appropriate action on the Job Action Request Panel using the effective date of the earliest row on the employee’s Job Data Record.

2. Enter additional requests on the Job Action Request Panel for all subsequent rows on the employee’s Job Data Record that are incorrect.

3. Enter in the Status Reason block on the Job Action Request Panel the statement "Refer to General Comments Panel (Agency) for actions effective prior to the employee’s earliest Job row."

4. Enter on the General Comments Panel (Agency) all pertinent information effective prior to the effective date of the employee’s earliest Job row.

4. FOR EMPLOYEES CONVERTED FROM LEGACY TO PAYSR, AGENCY MUST REQUEST A CHANGE IN ADDITIONAL PAY THAT IS PRIOR TO THE EARLIEST ROW ON THE EMPLOYEE’S JOB DATA RECORD

If the agency must request a change in additional pay and the effective date of the change is prior to the earliest row on the employee’s Job Data Record, the agency must request a Data Change/Cor Hist on the Job Action Request Panel and in the Status Reason block enter the statement "Refer to General Comments Panel (Agency) for Additional Pay information". The agency must report all pertinent pre-conversion additional pay information on the General Comments Panel (Agency).

To report Additional Pay additions, changes, or deletions from the employee’s conversion date forward, the agency must update the Additional Pay Panel accordingly. If the system prohibits the agency from updating the Additional Pay Panel, the agency must notify OSC of the appropriate Additional Pay information by requesting a Data Change/Cor Hist on the Job Action Request Panel. The agency must enter the Additional Pay information to be corrected by OSC in the Status Reason block.

To enter information on the General Comments Panel (Agency), go to:

Start
Administer Workforce U.S.
Use
General Comments
Comments By:    Enter your name.
Comments Date: Enter the first day of the current payroll period (Payroll period you are submitting the comment).
Department:  Enter Agency Code
Save the panel
Insert a row when adding a comment in a subsequent pay period.

Questions regarding this bulletin should be directed to the Payroll Audit Section at (518) 474-5446.