Small Agency Services Bulletin - June 2020
| Important Dates | Important Messages | Small Agency Financial Services News | Travel Tips | Contact Us |
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Please send your feedback about the Department of Enterprise Services' (DES) Small Agency Financial Services (SAFS). Your feedback helps us improve and better meet your needs. Finance welcomes your feedback at any time.
Important Dates
June 29 & 30
- For state fiscal year-end accounting and cash cut-off purposes, accounts payable documents will not be processed on Monday, June 29, or Tuesday, June 30. All FY20 payment processing will resume as normal on Wednesday, July 1.
June 30
- Replenish petty cash per SAAM.
- Obtain list of assets in the Capital Asset Management System (CAMS). If needed, complete a physical inventory.
- Use compensatory time. The remaining balance will be cashed out on the July 10 paycheck (represented employees only).
- All services must be rendered and tangible goods must be received.
July 1
- Begin separating FY20 and FY21 invoices when batching for processing by DES AP.
July 2
- Deadline to send cost coding updates to payroll for FY21 (July 25 payroll).
July 22
- Notify your DES Budget Analyst of any unrecorded assets or disposed assets.
July 24 (Revised from July 10)
- If DES prepares invoices for your agency for goods and services you provide others, submit invoicing information to DES.
July 31
- Performance measure actuals for quarter ending June 30 are due.
- Contact vendors to obtain invoices for goods and services.
July 31 (Revised from July 17)
- If you prepare invoices internally for goods and services you provide others, mail invoices for goods and services to agencies and colleges. Please report your invoices to DES to be recorded properly in FY20.
Aug 14 (Revised from July 31)
- Information on accrued expenses must be received by DES.
- All payment documents must be received by DES for payments of goods, services, and equipment received on or before June 30.
- Manual (paper) travel vouchers must be received by DES.
- Electronic travel vouchers must be approved in the Travel Expense Management System (TEMS).
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Important Messages
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource
Keep informed via Washington State's coronavirus response website Coronavirus.wa.gov
OFM updates fiscal year-end due dates
Due to the challenges caused by COVID-19, OFM is making changes to the fiscal year 2020 year-end due dates. In response, DES SAFS has updated their closing instructions and workshop presentation with new task due dates.
Time to think about the end of the fiscal year
- If there are any changes to implement in the new fiscal year, such as changes to coding structure to track expenses differently or track something new, please contact your Enterprise Services budget analyst.
- Due to fiscal year end close and the beginning FY21, DES accounts payable will not process regular accruals for June and July.
Time to think about the 2021-2023 biennial budget
The 2021-2023 biennial operating budget instructions are available on OFM's website:
- Memo from OFM Director David Schumacher
- Operating Budget Instructions
Upcoming opportunity to change some PEBB benefits
The COVID-19 pandemic may have changed employees’ health care needs. In light of this, from July 1 through 31, 2020, PEBB employees will have a limited open enrollment opportunity to change some of their PEBB benefits effective August 1, 2020.
You can:
- Enroll in medical if they are currently enrolled only in dental.
- Add eligible dependents to their medical coverage.
- Increase or decrease their Medical FSA or DCAP annual elections.
- Enroll in a Medical FSA or DCAP for the rest of the 2020 calendar year (if eligible for these benefits).
These changes do not require a special open enrollment event. However, dependent verification documents are still required to enroll a dependent.
Please note that employees cannot change their medical plans or waive medical coverage during this limited open enrollment.
You will need to submit paper forms to make the changes listed above. Specialized forms, unique to this limited open enrollment, will be available later this month. All forms and documents must be received no later than July 31.
Learn more on HCA's PEBB webpage
New Retirement Plan Default Rules for Plan Choice Members
Under legislation approved earlier this year, the Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) default retirement plan will soon change for newly hired PERS/SERS/TRS choice members who do not make a plan selection within the 90-day Plan Choice Window. Specifically, the default will change to Plan 2 for new choice members hired on or after June 30, 2020. The default for new choice members hired before June 30 remains Plan 3 (Option A, Self-Directed).
Check out DRS's plan options and Q&As for more information.
"MyPortal" (ESS Replacement Project) - Resources
Here are a few resources OFM created to assist users:
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Small Agency Financial Services News
DES presents successful "Fiscal Year-End" and "2021-2023 Biennial Budget Build" workshop
More than 41 attendees joined our June 2 Fiscal Year-end and Budget Build Workshop. Special thanks to Carrie Knudson (Payroll), Kara Skinner (Revenue Management), Sara Parker (Accounts Payable), and Chad Johnson (Budget).
This was our first Zoom workshop and we appreciate those who could join us. If you have comments or questions, please email Gwen McClanahan.
Also, you can view the presentation including a Q&A from the workshop on our website.
SAFS (Small Agency Financial Services) Team Updates
Did you know? Your DES financial support team consists of ALL of our SAFS team members. Even though you may work with specific SAFS members regularly, other SAFS members often step in to assist and provide continuity of services. We would like you to know about our whole SAFS team. Below is a list of each work group within SAFS, the members you may hear from, and recent news or a message from each team.
| Team | Members | News / Message |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts Payable |
Sarah Parker |
To ensure coverage in some capacity every day, we will be staggering furlough days each week in July. |
| Budget |
Chad Johnson |
In an effort to provide continued coverage in July, our group will be staggering our furlough days each week. We aim to have at least two staff members available every day. |
| Payroll |
Carrie Knudson |
In an effort to provide continued coverage in July, our group will be staggering our furlough days each week. We aim to have at least three staff members available every day. |
| Revenue Management |
Kara Skinner |
To ensure coverage in some capacity every day, we will be staggering furlough days each week in July. |
| Administrative Assistance |
Danelle Guerin |
After 24 years of state service, Vivian is retiring. Her last day with DES will be Wednesday, July 15, She, her knowledge and expertise will be greatly missed. Happy Retirement Vivian! DES welcomes Lisa Best! Lisa joined us in February. She comes from the Olympia Master Builder’s Association and brings many years of administrative and fiscal support experience to DES. Welcome Lisa! Danelle and Lisa will be sharing Vivian's duties. We appreciate your patience as we go through this transition. |
DES Payroll statistics for May 2020 (40 agencies served)
| Total Employees Paid | 1,262 |
| New Hires / Rehires | 31 |
| Transfer In / Transfer Outs | 8 |
| Separations | 10 |
| Supplemental Payments / Walk Throughs | 3 |
| Overpayments | 2 |
DES Accounts Payable statistics for May 2020 (31 agencies served)
| Invoices Received from Agency | 908 | 74.37% | $5,989,993.89 |
| Invoices Paid on Delegated Authority | 301 | 24.65% | $582,567.30 |
| Travel Requests Paid through TEMS | 2 | 0.16% | $210.78 |
| Payments Reissued (SOL, Lost Warrant) | 10 | 0.82% | $25,209.48 |
| Total Payments Processed | 1,221 | 100% | $6,597,981.45 |
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Travel Tips
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Travel Advice
Experts advise canceling all non-critical travel plans. The World Health Organization has tips about traveling if you absolutely must during COVID-19.
Year-End Guidelines
Travel and travel reimbursements follow the same year-end guidelines as goods and services. Travel that occurs on or before June 30 will be accounted for in FY20. Travel that occurs on or after July 1 will be accounted for in FY21. Please submit FY20 and FY21 trips on separate TEMS reimbursement requests.
If you have questions, please contact us at travel.safs@des.wa.gov
Contact Us
If you would like to know what budget analyst, payroll analyst and HR business partner is assigned to your agency, see our Agency Assignments webpage.
If you would like to get contact information for DES SAFS and HR staff, see our Contacts webpage.
If you have suggestions or feedback about the Small Agency Services Bulletin, please send your comments to SmallAgencyBulletin@des.wa.gov.
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