Small Agency Services Bulletin - October 2021
| Important Dates | Important Messages | Small Agency Financial Services News | Travel Tips | Contact Us |
Your feedback is important
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
Oct. 25
- Monthly DOR Use Tax filing is dues.
Oct. 31
- Performance Measure actuals for quarter ending Sept. 30, to be entered into the Results through Performance Management (RPM) system.
- Annual DOR unclaimed property filing is due.
- Quarterly DOR Use Tax filing is due.
Nov. 1 through Nov. 30
- Healthcare Benefits Open Enrollment - see a preview in the October PEBB newsletter
Nov. 3
- DES Workshop - Travel and Purchase Card (P-Card)
Nov. 5
- To reflect in your agency's October monthly financial statements, all invoices and travel reimbursement requests are due to Accounts Payable.
Back to the top.
Important Messages
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource
Keep informed via Washington State's coronavirus response website Coronavirus.wa.gov.
Annual Healthcare Benefits Open Enrollment is November 1–30
During the Health Care Authority's (HCA) Public Employees Benefits Board's (PEBB) annual healthcare open enrollment, you can make changes to your PEBB benefits, including:
- Change medical/dental
- Make LTD elections
- Enroll in FSA/DCAP
- Enroll in PEBB coverage if previously waived
- Waive medical if enrolled in Tricare/Medicare
- Add dependents
Learn about your benefits options
A virtual benefits fair is a way to learn about your benefit options through an online experience — and it's available anytime, day or night. No in-person benefits fairs will take place this year.
Through the PEBB website, you will find links to videos, webinars, downloadable content, provider searches, and other information to help you choose the right benefits for you. Use your computer, tablet or smartphone to explore at your own pace.
Make your changes online
You can use the PEBB My Account tool to make nearly all changes to your benefits this year. Just create an account and log in at your convenience.
The following changes may not be made online using your PEBB My Account:
- Add or remove dependents.
- Enroll in FSA/DCAP.
- Make changes to life Insurance.
- Change HSA contributions.
To make these changes, fill out the 2022 enrollment form. Then send all forms to DES Payroll at despayroll@des.wa.gov.
Important dates
- Enrollment forms will be available beginning Nov. 1.
- You have until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 30, to make changes.
- All changes go into effect Jan. 1, 2022, unless otherwise noted.
If you don't plan to make changes this year, no action is required. Your current coverage will continue on after Jan. 1, 2022.
Learn more
Watch for more information on PEBB open enrollment in next week's DES News and throughout November.
You can view the 2022 PEBB employee monthly premiums here.
If you have questions about your benefits, go to a virtual benefits fair or webinar. If you have questions about enrollment, email DESpayroll@des.wa.gov.
Inclement weather – Are you prepared?
Severe weather and natural disasters cause physical damage and often create health risks. Loss of power and water can make it difficult to store food or cook safely, find clean water and safely heat homes. Now is a good time to get ready for whatever might happen.
Check out the Department of Health's webpage on how to prepare for different types of severe weather and natural disasters such as:
- Cold weather
- Floods
- Landslides and mudflows
- Power outages
- Windstorms
Department of Enterprise Services (DES) has designed a snow and ice removal plan designed to maintain operational capabilities and provide safety for public and state employees during winter weather conditions. The purpose for the snow and ice removal plan is to:
- Make every effort to keep the Capitol Campus and surrounding locations safe during inclement weather conditions.
- Provide accessible guidelines and procedures for internal and external customers.
- Provide reasonable driving conditions during adverse inclement weather conditions.
- Reduce interruption of state business on and off the Capitol Campus.
- Maintain clear and safe access to state buildings.
- Winterize equipment and water lines to avoid damage and costly repairs.
Be in the know! DES Capitol Campus Improvment Projects
Want to know what building projects are coming up? What to know when construction might affect you?
Visit DES' Capitol Campus Projects webpage for a list and information on upcoming projects.
Back to the top.
Small Agency Financial Services News
Travel and Purchase Card (P-Card) Workshop
DES SAFS will host a travel and P-Card workshop on November 3 from 1-3 p.m. Look for an invite to your email inbox.
Part 1 - Travel - Join us for our annual update on travel rules and policies.
If you have any specific travel questions you would like to see covered, please email travel.safs@des.wa.gov.
Part 2 - P-Card - Join us for an available resources overview from DES Enterprise P-Card, such as:
- Introductions from the new Enterprise P-Card Program Manager
- P-Card program optimization and support availability
- General U.S. Bank administrative functions and resources
If you have any specific P-Card questions you would like to see covered, please email michael.lix@des.wa.gov.
Basics Guidelines (if DES/SAFS handles your cash receipting) for Transferring Combined Fund Drive Fundraising Proceeds
Please submit your agency Combined Fund Drive (CFD) deposit on a separate A45 from your normal deposits and indicate "Combined Fund Drive." Submit your CFD Fundraising form along with your deposit to Enterprise Services. Your Fundraising Transfer Form MUST match the total amount transferred to Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS). Complete a separate form for credit card fund-raiser income. CFD Deposits will be posted to your agency (fund 525) and transferred by Enterprise Services to SOS on Dec. 10.
Small Agency Highlight
The Washington State Arts Commission (ArtsWa) is a catalyst for the arts, advancing the role of the arts in the lives of individuals and communities throughout the state. Their vision is that the arts thrive and are celebrated throughout Washington State, and are woven into the fabric of vital and vibrant communities.
One of ArtsWa's main programs involves Public Art. They manage and protect the State Art Collection, a shared cultural resource. There is so much to see and you can do so via ArtsWa's My Public Art Portal! The My Public Art Portal enhances engagement with nearly 5,000 public art pieces and presents the geographically widespread collection as a whole, in one place.
Here are few of their web exhibitions and ways to sort through the artwork of the State Art Collection:
- New Arts Acquisitions - Public art projects completed during the 2021 fiscal year (July 2020 through June 2021). They are located across Washington State, from Quincy and Moses Lake in Central Washington, to Pullman in Eastern Washington, to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula, to the Burke Museum in Seattle, and places in between.
- Topical Web Exhibitions - ArtsWa has lots of fun, topical web exhibitions such as this one on Monsters and Messengers - explore the monsters, ghosts, shapeshifters, tricksters, messengers from other worlds, and things that howl at the moon. Enjoy over forty artworks on this topic!
- Browse by County - Want to view artworks in your county? Did you know that Pend Oreille county, in the most northeastern corner of Washington, has several artworks in the collection.
- Browse by Artist - Wish to find pieces from a special artist you know? The collection is made up of over 1,200 artists and almost two-thirds of the artists are from Washington State.
Please enjoy the collection!
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 |
Pumpkin spice fun fact: Nutmeg, the key ingredient in the flavor was discovered in Indonesia on ancient pottery shards estimated to be over 3,500 years old. |
| Budget |
Diann Lewallen |
Pumpkin spice fun fact: An early reference to "pumpkin spice" dates back to a British recipe from 1675 with pepper, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon. |
| Payroll |
Carrie Knudson |
Open enrollment is Nov. 1-30. Contact Whitney Lucas, Benefits Specialist, with your open enrollment or benefits questions.
Pumpkin spice fun fact: McCormick is credited with giving "pumpkin pie spice" its name and putting it on grocery store shelves in the 1950s. |
| Accounts Receivable |
Betti Bartoldo |
Accounts Receivable welcomes two new hires! Tristan and Sabrina are our new Cash Receipts Specialists. Tristan prides himself with providing an outstanding customer experience each and every time. Sabrina brings previous Administrative Support Associate experience handling their daily cash, managing tills and bank deposits. Please welcome Tristan and Sabrina!
Pumpkin spice fun fact: Some of the strangest pumpkin spice products to ever be created include Pumpkin Spice deoderant, Pumpkin Spice dog shampoo, and Pumpkin Spice SPAM. |
| Administrative Assistance |
Danelle Guerin |
Molly will be out of the office starting in November, returning part-time in January. Danelle will be Molly's backup during this time.
Pumpkin spice fun fact: The name refers to the spices used when spicing a pumpkin. Many people think it has pumpkin in it because, well, "it's right there in the name". |
DES Payroll statistics for Sept 2021 (40 agencies served)
| Total Employees Paid | 1,339 |
| New Hires / Rehires | 27 |
| Transfer In / Transfer Outs | 7 |
| Separations | 34 |
| Supplemental Payments / Walk Throughs | 0 |
| Overpayments | 3 |
DES Accounts Payable statistics for Sept 2021 (32 agencies served)
| Invoices Received from Agency | 1,250 | 69.71% | $8,472,354 |
| Invoices Paid on Delegated Authority | 519 | 28.95% | $1,169,183 |
| Travel Requests Paid through TEMS | 17 | 0.95% | $6,957 |
| Payments Reissued (SOL, Lost Warrant) | 7 | 0.39% | $107,332 |
| Total Payments Processed | 1,793 | 100% | $9,755,826 |
Back to the top.
Travel Tips
Increasing Travel Trips
As travel starts to increase again, please continue to follow the World Health Organization tips for traveling during COVID-19.
Back to the top.
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.
Back to the top.