Payroll Manual

Payment Eligibilty while on Workers' Compensation

Employees who are on a Workers’ Comp benefit are eligible for salary and longevity payments as if they were at their desk. While an employee is on a Workers’ Comp benefit, they get full credit for purposes of performance advances and longevity service requirements. Once the benefit ends, usually at one accumulative year, if the employee has not returned to work, the employee is placed on a regular leave without pay or is terminated under section 72 of Civil Service Law.

The employee is due Performance Advances, General Salary Increases and Longevity Payment or LLS, Longevity Lump Sum payments per the union contracts when they are payable. In most instances OSC will automatically insert rows into the employee’s history to make these payments. Refer to the appropriate PayServ Bulletin to verify the Agency Actions needed.

The following payments will be processed automatically in PayServ based on the workers’ comp statuses and payment type if the anniversary dates, increment codes and salaries fall within the required ranges:

  • If the employee is on a Paid Leave with the reason of Workers’ Comp Full pay (PLA/WCF) the employee will be paid:
    • Performance Advances when due and payable
    • LLS, Longevity Lump Sum Payment, when due and payable
    • General Salary Increases
  • If the employee is on a Paid Leave with the reason of Workers’ Comp Sick Leave at half pay (PLA/SWC) the employee will be paid:
    • Performance Advances when due and payable
    • General Salary Increases
  • If the employee is on Leave of Absence with the Reason of Workers’ Comp Disability Leave (WDL) or Workers’ Comp Supplemental Leave (WPS) the employee will be paid:
    • Performance Advances if due and payable
    • General Salary Increases

The agency must submit the following payments when the employee is on a Workers’ Comp Leave:

  • If the employee is on a Paid Leave with the reason of Workers’ Comp Full pay (PLA/WCF):
    • Security Longevity steps must be submitted by the agency when the increase is due.
  • If the employee is on a Paid Leave with the reason of Workers’ Comp Sick Leave at half pay (PLA/SWC):
    • Security Longevity steps must be submitted by the agency when the increase is due.
    • LLS, Longevity Lump Sum payments- the agency must submit the payment when the employee returns to work if they return to work within the year eligible for payment; on or before 3/31, if the payment is due in April, or 9/30, if the payment is due in October.
  • If the employee is on Leave of Absence with the Reason of Workers’ Comp Disability Leave (WDL) or Workers’ Comp Supplemental Leave (WPS):
    • LLS, Longevity Lump Sum payments - the agency must submit the payment when the employee returns to work if they return to work within the year eligible for payment; on or before 3/31, if the payment is due in April, or 9/30, if the payment is due in October.

If the employee is terminated, any salary withholding, lump sum vacation accruals, overtime accruals, or over 40 comp time accruals are to be paid at the increased salary, including all raises, performance advances, or longevity payments that may have been due and payable. If the system has not inserted the needed transactions, the agency must submit transactions to bring the employee’s salary to the current.