2015 BIA TRAINING WEBINAR

Hosted by NIFC BIA and the Casual Payment Center

Objectives:

2014 Highlights AD Pay Plan & BIA Memos Approving Official List Monthly Reports Issues

Casual Payment Center OverviewHiring Documents & OF-288sCPC Internal Forms

CPC Will Cover:

2014 Highlights EFT Waiver

Calendar year

ECI Replaces SSN on OF-288s only

I-Suite Upload

Something to Remember! Per the Yellow Book (IIBMH 10-35):

OF-288s that have been certified as accurate by an authorized signature are considered to be accurate for pay purposes.

Home unit timekeepers will not make changes to this official document, except to correct mathematical errors, complete return travel entries, or apply agency pay regulations.

If the home unit timekeepers have questions concerning the OF-288, they should contact the incident agency.

Remember: Review for accuracy and sign before leaving incident.

The AD Pay Plan Overview: Who should use it? Sections

○ Effective Date and Changes○ A. Preamble○ B. AD Rates of Pay○ C. Applicable Areas○ D. Circumstances Required for Hiring○ E. Conditions of Hire○ F. Position Classification○ Incident Position Matrix

The AD Pay Plan Preamble

Pay Plan applies wherever and whenever it becomes necessary to hire persons:○ To cope with a sudden and unexpected emergency caused by a

fire, or extreme fire potential, flood, storm, or any other all-hazard emergency that threatens damage to federally protected property, has the potential to cause loss of life, serious injury, public health risk, or damage to natural or cultural resources unless brought under immediate control.

○ To provide emergency assistance to States under formalized agreements.

○ To meet mission assignments issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

Such hiring is of uncertain and purely temporary duration and must be terminated when other employment methods can be initiated. This plan does not provide the authority to hire individuals for out-of-country assignments.

AD Pay Plan - Circumstances1. Fight an ongoing fire

2. Unusually dry periods, high fire danger, lightening, incendiary outbreaks, crowds (i.e. 4th of July)

3. Support to ongoing incident○ AD authority can’t exceed 90 days (BIA)○ AD authority doesn’t guarantee 90 days of

employment after fire containment

4. Standby for dispatch

5. Replace members of fire suppression

Circumstances Cont…6. Training

Should not exceed 80 hours per calendar year, excluding travel

○ Per casual - 80 hours includes the total for FS, BIA, BLM, NPS and FWS combined

○ Does not include training that occurs in a Non-Pay status

Circumstances Cont…6. Training

BIA Training Memo effective 9/23/14○ In order for the BIA to encourage GS and tribal

employment, a BIA sponsored AD will be placed in non-pay status for classroom training:Refresher TrainingClassroom segments of NWCG Course Series 100 & 200Traveling to and from above classroom segments

○ When in field exercises, AD's will be placed in pay status: Pack Test- 2 hour maximumField segments of NWCG Course Series 100 & 200Traveling to and from above field segments

Circumstances Cont…

6. TrainingDrug Testing

○ Drug Testing Memo effective 1/16/14○ AD’s will not be paid for drug testing○ A “negative” drug test is required and is

considered a condition of hire.Medical Exam

○ Considered a condition of hire.

Circumstances Cont…6. Training

When casuals are on training assignments, they shall be paid one AD rate lower than the full performance rate○ i.e. a FFT1 (t) firefighter type 1 (squad boss)

trainee would be paid at the AD-C rate.When casuals attend emergency incident training

to quality for another position, the casual shall be paid at one AD rate lower than the full performance rate.

Circumstances Cont…7. Instructing

○ Will not exceed 120 hours per calendar year○ Per casual, all agencies combined○ Must attempt to use Federal or Tribal instructors

before hiring AD instructors Develop instructors for the future

○ In the BIA, Regional Fire Management Officer approval is required before hire

Circumstances Cont…8. Floods, storms, and other all-hazard

9. Emergency Stabilization○ Immediate danger of loss when prompt remedial action is

essential○ Not an emergency if normally scheduled days off are

given

10. Burned Area Emergency Response○ Not to exceed 90 days from date BAER plan approved

90 days is not 90 days of guaranteed work

11. FEMA

12. Public Awareness (i.e. Prevention/PIO’s)

13. Prescribed fire (RX)○ Not to exceed 300 hours per calendar year

Something to Remember! You do not need to indicate the full cost code for

every column, if the cost code is not changing.

For example:All Col: AAAA123456A & B: AF2001010.8T4100 AF.SPXXXX0000C & D: AF2105050.8T4100 AF.SPXXXX0000

The last 5 zeros as well as the Fund Code does not need to be indicated on the OF-288 unless you have approval to use a fund code other than what is on the Example Code list. If so, attach the approval.

Tribal v. BIA Responsibilities BIA Responsibilities

Line Officer or designee is responsible for oversight and support of AD employees.

Review and approve hiring documents.

CPC Batch Memo should be approved by the federal AO.

Tribal ResponsibilitiesBIA may NOT delegate

hiring authority to a tribally contracted or compacted program.

May compile hiring documents.

May designate a Tribal Official to sign as Time Officer on OF-288s, but NOT as approving official.

Approving Official List! The purpose

○ Importance

Terms and Designations ○ AO, FMO, RPOC, etc…○ Inherently government function○ Work with regional offices to understand the roles

and responsibilities for hire of AD’s at the local unit

How to get on The List○ Request through Chain of Command

Approving Official List!

Find the template on CPC’s Website at: http://www.nifc.gov/programs/programs_PaymentCenter.html

Something to Remember! If the casual is working at the home unit,

but it looks like they are away from their home unit (HA state is different than Incident state) indicate this in the remarks section

For example:Sally was away from her home unit from 8/1 to

8/31. She traveled home and then came into the office the next few days to complete paperwork, etc…

Indicate: Home unit 9/1-9/2

Monthly Reports Training Hours Instructing Hours RX Hours Issues

2014 BIA Issues by MonthMonth Number of

Payments YTD

Number of Payments this

Month

Number of Casuals in Issues

YTD

Number of Casuals in Issues this Month

% Issues of Payments YTD

% Issues of Payments this

Month

January 120 120 31 31 26% 26%

February 302 182 74 43 25% 24%

March 679 377 171 97 25% 26%

April 1441 796 473 241 33% 30%

May 2511 1071 815 342 32% 32%

June 3839 1328 1178 363 31% 27%

July 5349 1510 1533 354 29% 23%

August 7054 1707 1960 427 28% 25%

September 8012 966 2178 218 27% 23%

October 8642 631 2307 127 27% 20%

November 8930 292 2365 58 26% 20%

December 9,041 115 2387 22 26% 19%

2014 – Issue Stats

24% of BIA Issues pertained to Cost Code (incomplete, incorrect, missing or conflicting).

18% of BIA Issues pertained to Forms (Missing EFT Waiver or Direct Deposit, Conflicting SSN/Name, or having an EFT Waiver and a Direct Deposit)

Agency Hired At

Approving Official# of

Casuals

SSN HA PC CC TO Sign

<2 <8 Time DIS Dup Hrs

Forms

Misc

Misc Issue(s)

Grand Total 2389 291 152 530 654 48 5 108 153 74 153 512 101 2781

Percentage of Issues . 10% 5% 19% 24% 2% 0% 4% 6% 3% 6% 18% 4% 100%

Reducing Errors Use labels!

When CCs change, update your label template right away.

If unsure, get approval first!

Have casuals fill out all required forms and ensure you have accurate contact information.

Always review everything before you sign.

Something to Remember! Boot Stipends are

paid on a calendar year basis, based on work dates!

The Casual Payment Center will apply the Boot Stipend automatically!

Casuals qualify for a Boot Stipend if they:Work on a qualifying

fire assignment○ Suppression, RX,

and SeverityWork in an Arduous

or Moderate position as listed in the AD Pay Plan Position Matrix

Questions???