FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
Washington, D.C. 20240
|
FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
|
Memorandum
| To: | All Fish and Wildlife Service Employees |
| From: | Deputy Director John G. Rogers AUG 4, 1998 |
| Subject: | Electronic Payments to Employees |
The Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA) of 1996 requires Federal agencies to convert all Federal payments from checks to electronic funds transfer (EFT) no later than January 2, 1999. To accomplish this objective with regard to payments to employees, September 30, 1998, has been established as a goal for the following type of payments:
• Federal salaries
• Travel advances
• Travel vouchers
• Miscellaneous Expenses, e.g.
parking, taxi fare, mileage, etc. claimed on an SF- 1 164, Claim for Reimbursement
for
Expenditures on Official Business
It is mandatory for all employees to enroll in the EFT Program by September 30, 1998.
The Service, via the authority of the Government Management Reform Act of 1994, implemented EFT for Federal wage and salary payments of all newly hired employees hired on or after December 22, 1996. Human Resources Management Bulletin 96-3 (November 20, 1996) established Departmental policy on paying employee salary and wages electronically. Currently 94 percent of Service employees have their salary checks deposited through the EFT process.
The Service also implemented the payment of travel vouchers through the EFT process as of August 1, 1995. Although the program is very successful, there are approximately 2,072 travelers who have not enrolled in the program. To date, 68 percent of our travelers receive their payments electronically.
Receiving payments by EFT results in:
• Quicker access to funds,
• No lost or stolen checks,
• Quicker problem resolution, usually
within a single day, and
• Quicker payment of employee's
charge card debt.
The following policy is established for full implementation of EFT payments:
Travel and Miscellaneous Expenses
If you are not receiving payments for travel and/or miscellaneous expenses via EFT, complete the SF-3881, ACH Vendor/Miscellaneous Payment Enrollment Form. This form may be obtained from your Regional Finance Office (RFO), (Attachment 1). Once completed, return the "Agency Copy" of the form to the appropriate RFO for processing. To ensure electronic notification of the payment to you, please include your Service e-mail address in the "Additional Information" block under Agency Information.
Salary Payments
As a condition of employment, all employees are expected to receive salary payments via EFT. Specifically, employees are expected to make a conunitment on their first day of appointment to participate in direct deposit of pay or request a waiver of this requirement. Employees will then have up to 2 pay periods from the date of their appointment to complete the information required by the direct deposit transaction.
If you are among the 6 percent of Service employees not receiving salary via EFT, please see your Servicing Personnel Office and complete the SF- I 199A, Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form (Attachment 2); or, you may process your enrollment through Employee Express. Failure to enroll could result in possible adverse personnel action.
Waivers
In implementing the EFT payment requirement, the Department of the Treasury has indicated that waivers of the EFT payment requirement will be available. Waivers may be provided for employees hired before December 22, 1996, but will be approved only if severe extenuating circumstances exist which will pose a major hardship on the employee. To request a waiver, an employee must complete the Waiver Request Form (Attachment 3). Waivers approved in the past are no longer valid. Each request will be reviewed on a case-by-ease basis and will require the approval of the Regional Director, and/or the Washington Office Division of Finance. Criteria for obtaining a waiver include:
Questions should be directed to Ms. Sheila Dade, Division of Finance
at (703)385-1742, ext. 4.
Attachments
To open Attachment 1 (as an Adobe PDF file), click here.
To open Attachment 2 (as an Adobe PDF file), click here.
Memorandum
To: Regional Director or Chief, Division of Finance
From: Name of Employee
Subject: Waiver Request from Electronic Funds Transfer Payment
I request a waiver of the Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payment requirement for the following reason(s):
( ) It presents an unreasonable hardship due to physical disability.
(Attach written certification defining type of disability
signed
by an appropriate physician).
( ) It would create an unreasonable burden due to the remoteness of
my residence and duty station. (Attach a narrative
detailing the
remoteness of the duty station and residence).
( ) I do not currently maintain an account with a financial
institution. (Attach notarized certification
which indicates
the employee has no access to a financial institution
or other
authorized payment agent and does not maintain an
account at a
financial institution)
________________________________________________________________________________
Signature of Employee
Date
________________________________________________________________________________
Concurrence - Regional Finance Officer
Date
________________________________________________________________________________
Approved/Denied - Regional Director or Chief, Division of Finance
Date