State Police Bulletin No. SP-209

Subject
New State Police 8 Year Seniority Payment for Investigators and Senior Investigators in Bargaining Unit 62
Date Issued
May 5, 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide the Division of State Police instructions for processing the new bi-weekly 8 Year Seniority Payments.

Affected Employees

Employees of the Division of State Police in the Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Police Investigators Association NYSPIA – BU62 who meet the eligibility criteria are affected.

Background

Chapter 337 of the Laws of 2019 implements the 2018-2023 Agreement between New York State and NYSPIA, provides for a new bi-weekly 8 Year Seniority Payment effective April 1, 2020 for Investigators and Senior Investigators in Bargaining Unit 62.

Effective Date(s)

Agencies may begin submitting payments in Administration Pay Period 1L/2C; paychecks dated 04/29/2020.

Eligibility Criteria

Employees in Bargaining Unit 62 who have a Payroll Status of Active, Leave With Pay, or Leave of Absence with an Action/Reason code of Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip), Leave of Absence/MTS (Military Training Stipend), or Leave of Absence/MLL (Mil lv) 04/01/2020 (Administration) are eligible for the bi-weekly 8 Year Seniority Payment.

OSC Actions

The Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) has created the following new Additional Pay code to pay the new bi-weekly 8 Year Seniority Payment:

Bargaining Unit 62

New Additional Pay Code Description Amount
S08 Seniority Pay 8 Year $1,200

Agency Actions

To pay the new State Police bi-weekly, 8 Year Seniority Payment to eligible employees in BU62, the agency must submit the following information on the Additional Pay page using Earnings Code S08 – Seniority Pay 8 Year:

Earnings Code: S08
Effective Date: Date Employee Becomes Eligible
OT Eff Date: Same as Effective Date
Annual Addl Earnings: $1,200
Earnings End Date: Leave Blank
Goal Balance Leave Blank

The new State Police bi-weekly, 8 Year Seniority Payment is included in the calculation of overtime compensation (refer to the Online Payroll Manual accessed from the PayServ Bulletin Board – Payroll Manual > Earnings Manual > Time Entry Payments > Overtime Compensation).

If an employee is appointed to an ineligible position effective after receiving the new State Police bi-weekly 8 Year Seniority Payment, the payment cannot be included in the compensation calculation of any overtime earned after the date of appointment. Therefore, the agency must insert a row on the Additional Pay page at the Effective Date level of Earnings Code S08 and enter the following information:

Effective Date: Last date in eligible position (date prior to appointment)
OT Eff Date: Same as original OT Eff Date
Annual Addl Earnings: Same as original amount (populates automatically)
End Date: Same as Effective Date
Goal Balance: Same as Annual Addl Earnings (to prevent making another payment)

Tax information

The new State Police bi-weekly, 8 Year Seniority Payment is taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross, and is subject to all employment and income taxes.

Retirement Information

The new State Police bi-weekly, 8 Year Seniority Payment is included as salary for retirement purposes.

Questions

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