Electronic Funds Transfer/Travel Reimbursements Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 12:27:40 -0500 To: "USGS Employees" From: "Susan R. Sheely" Subject: Electronic Funds Transfer/Travel Reimbursements Supervisor: Please ensure that all employees without e-mail access receive a paper copy of the all employee message. In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 270 MEMORANDUM January 14, 1999 To: All U.S. Geological Survey Employees From: John J. Blickley, Acting Chief /s/ John J. Blickley Office of Financial Management Subject: Electronic Funds Transfer/Travel Reimbursements For several years, the Office of Financial Management (OFM) has encouraged employees to sign up for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) to allow travel reimbursements to be deposited directly into bank accounts designated by the employee. During the past year, an OFM web page has been established to collect this bank information and update the Federal Financial System (FFS) database automatically, rather than through the manual data entry of forms. The Debt Collection Improvement Act (DCIA) of 1996 requires that all payments be made via EFT by January 1, 1999. Recent DCIA implementation guidelines from the Department of the Interior (DOI) instruct bureaus to presume that if an employee is receiving salary via EFT, then all other employee related payments can be made to the same account. As a result of this guidance, the EFT bank information in the Federal Personnel/Payroll System (FPPS) for all U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) employees will be interfaced to their corresponding vendor record in FFS on a biweekly basis, beginning with data from pay period 99-02. The following provisions should be noted: 1) If you have already signed up for EFT travel reimbursements and still desire a unique bank account (different than the bank account in FPPS for salary payments) for travel reimbursements, please let OFM know by February 1, 1999. This can be done by calling the OFM vendor desk at (703) 648-7612. Your vendor record in FFS will be coded to prevent an update of EFT bank information from the FPPS payroll interface. After February 1st, the OFM web-page will be redesigned to capture bank information and update FFS only for situations where a unique bank account is desired for travel reimbursements. 2) OFM has established an e-mail notification process for EFT payments made to employees via FFS. The success of this process is linked to the establishment of a correct e-mail address in the USGS Locator system for every employee. If problems are encountered with the e-mail notification process as EFT payments are made, OFM will contact you concerning the situation, which will most likely require a correction of your e-mail information in the Locator system. These problems can be alleviated by working with your division's Locator system representative beforehand to make sure information is up-to-date and correct. If you have any questions on these changes, please contact Susan Sheely of OFM, at (703) 648-7602 or e-mail ssheely@usgs.gov. Susan R. Sheely, Chief Travel Management Branch 703-648-7602 Fax 703-648-4112 ssheely@usgs.gov