Author: Rogers, Kari
Company: California Department of Human Resources

Department of Personnel Administration
Memorandum

TO: Personnel Management Liaisons (PML)
SUBJECT: Delegation of Personnel Management Functions Update
REFERENCE NUMBER: 2007-026
DATE ISSUED: 09/25/07
SUPERSEDES:

This memorandum should be forwarded to:

Personnel Officers
FROM: Department of Personnel Administration
Classification and Compensation Division

CONTACT: Classification and Compensation Division
(916) 324-9381
Fax: (916) 327-1886
This memorandum updates the Department of Personnel Administration’s (DPA) Personnel Management Delegation Program. Among the changes are some that were requested from Personnel Offices to help with your operational and business needs in the interim to HR Modernization. The delegated functions are also identified in the attached chart.

Backdating Allocations

Current practice requires departments to obtain DPA approval for all backdates beyond 60 workdays regardless of Modified Classification Review (MCR) designation or method of appointment (certification or transfer) for position allocations.

Departments are now delegated the authority to backdate position allocations beyond 60 workdays. Departments must document the circumstances which resulted in the delay and verify that the employee was assigned and performing the appropriate duties. Backdating of appointments should be conducted in accordance with the State Personnel Board’s policy on backdating appointments.

Out-of-Class (OOC)

Important Reminder: Check MOU for OOC provisions.

Rank and File: There are no exceptions to request extensions of OOC assignments beyond the MOU provisions.

Excluded: All departments have delegated authority to approve OOC assignments for confidential, supervisory, managerial, and other excluded employees up to one year.
 
Managerial: As members of the management team, employees in managerial classes can reasonably be expected to perform work as needed to help the department function smoothly. For limited periods of time, a manager should be expected to fulfill a wide range of assignments not normally part of his/her assignment and classification without additional compensation. Current practice requires departments to obtain DPA approval prior to the assignment of OOC work.

Departments are now delegated the authority to pay managerial OOC. There are rare circumstances when a department determines a managerial OOC assignment must continue beyond a short time frame and additional compensation is appropriate. Payment will commence on the 91st day. (Departments are still required to submit OOC assignments approval to exempt positions prior to the assignment of OOC work.)

Date of Entitlements (Backdating)

Current practice requires departments to obtain DPA approval prior to processing transactions that update or change employee salaries or pay history. The Personnel Services Branch (PSB) currently receives transactions and corrections of mandatory actions beyond three years for approval prior to submitting the request to the State Controller’s Office (SCO) for payment.

Departments are now delegated the authority to backdate transactions to their date of entitlement without prior review/approval by PSB. Departments must document the basis for each date of entitlement request, and retain the documentation for review. Departments need to enter an ‘X’ in the ‘On File for Audit’ box within Line 10 of the PAR document, as well as complete PAR Item 215, Employment History Remarks, as instructed on page 2.36 of the Personnel Action Manual related to date of entitlement.

Hire Above Minimum (HAM)

Current practice requires departments to submit HAM requests in order to hire employees with extraordinary qualifications that do not meet the HAM requirements to DPA for review/approval.

Departments are now delegated the authority to approve exceptions to the HAM criteria for extraordinary qualifications without prior review/approval by PSB, for all new State employees. (Departments are still required to submit HAM approval for a current State employee to PSB in all cases.) Departments must document the basis for each HAM request and retain the documentation for DPA program review.

Merit Salary Adjustments (MSA)

Current practice requires departments to obtain DPA approval to allow employees to receive the maximum salary of a classification, instead of setting up an anniversary date, when the employee is $25.00 or less from the maximum salary range of the classification.

Departments are now delegated the authority to approve movement to the maximum of the salary range when the salary is $25.00 or less from the maximum rate. Departments with delegation must document the basis for each salary exception request and retain the documentation for review. Departments shall process the increase to the maximum of the salary range using the employment history SAL transaction reflecting the same effective date as the MSA transaction that resulted in the employee salary rate of $25.00 or less. Reference this PML (e.g. PML 2007-026) in Item 215, Employment History Remarks, of the SAL transaction.

Career Executive Assignment (CEA)

As noted in PML 2007-022, departments may submit requests to DPA for exceptions to the CEA salary program when there is an extraordinary operational impact or severe salary compaction:

•	to exceed the non-attorney/physician/engineer Level 5 rate; or 
•	to exceed the 10% salary movement in a fiscal year.

Requests must include a clear justification on the need for the exceptional request, including:

•	title of CEA position and current level;
•	subordinate staff classifications, salaries, and compaction issue;
•	brief description of CEA role and an organization chart;
•	specific salary or percentage increase requested; and
•	appropriate signature authority (Agency Secretary, Director, or designee).

DPA views 5% as an acceptable differential between managerial positions due to compaction issues.

To address the critical need for succession planning, departments may allow an overlap of employees in a CEA position while the prior incumbent orients and mentors the new appointee. The duration of overlap for orientation/mentoring may last up to four months.

Position Allocation

A request to use another department-specific classification is considered an exceptional allocation and requires DPA approval via the 625 process. It is appropriate for departments to seek a courtesy approval from another department; however, DPA will make the final allocation decision.

The Pay Scale Section 13 will be modified to reflect departments’ delegation authority.
 
Class Modifications

All staff calendar classification changes must be submitted through DPA for processing and union notification. Please do not submit items directly to the State Personnel Board (SPB).

Class Establishment

PML 2001-049 is obsolete. (The PML had placed a moratorium on classification changes.)

The priority order of Board Item review and processing is as follows:

Urgent/Important

1.	Court-ordered mandates
2.	2Legislative mandate (by law) involving new program/department:
•	No existing civil service class or alternative
•	New scope of work

Important/Not Urgent

3.	Legislative mandate (by law) involving revised Minimum Qualification:
•	New license or registration
•	Education

4.	New/revised classification as a result of Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) mandated study

5.	All other proposals
•	Priority is in date order as received by CCD

DPA and SPB are in the early stages of HR modernization efforts. As the HR modernization efforts move forward, different classification and bargaining units may be impacted. DPA will make assessments on class proposals that may be better addressed in the HR modernization process.

Delegation Requirements

Important Reminder: All departments are required to submit a complete set of organization charts annually on July 1st and prior to any major reorganization.
 
For a complete list of the delegated functions, please refer to the attached revised chart. Changes to the Classification and Pay Guide are in progress. It is anticipated the updates to the guide will be online in the very near future. Please call your CCD analyst or PSB representative if you have any questions.

/s/Debbie Endsley

Debbie Endsley,
Chief Deputy Director

Attachment

STATE OF CALIFORNIA