Regulations provide for four different types of awards:
Yes. OPM must approve any cash award over $10,000. In addition to this, FAS, FSA, and RMA each have restrictions on how much various Approving Officials can approve. Consult your Administrative Staff for guidance.
Yes. In accordance with 5 CFR 451.103 (c ) (2), an agency award program shall provide for documenting justification for awards that are not based on a rating of record. Therefore, written justification is required for ALL awards. The rating of record will serve has written justification for lump-sum Performance Awards and Quality Step Increases (QSIs).
Honorary awards are generally symbolic and usually do not use monetary recognition at all. They are a form of high level, formal recognition. (example: Administrator's Award, Certificate of Appreciation, Certificate of Merit).
Yes. Keepsakes presented as honorary awards must meet all of the following criteria: - The keepsake must be something that the recipient could reasonably be expected to value, but not something that conveys a sense of monetary value.
- The keepsake must have a lasting trophy value.
- the keepsake must clearly symbolize the employer-employee relationship in some fashion.
- The keepsake must take an appropriate form to be used in the public sector and to be purchased with public funds. For example, purchasing a firearm would be inappropriate.
Informal recognition awards are a type of award that may be given to reward performance that otherwise might not merit an award such as cash, time off, or honorary recognition. They can be used to provide more frequent and timely recognition.
Yes. Items presented as informal recognition awards must meet the following criteria: - the item must be of nominal value.
- the item must take an appropriate form to be used in the public sector and to be purchased with public funds.
No. Employees of outside contractors may not receive direct payments from the Federal Government. The awards statute in Title 5 only authorizes granting awards to Federal employees.
Performance awards are lump-sum cash awards based on ratings of record of Level 3 (Fully Successful or equivalent) or higher.
Yes. 40 hours is the maximum that can be granted for a full-time employee for a single achievement. Full-time employees may be granted up to 80 hours of Time-off during a leave year. Part-time employees or those with an uncommon tour of duty may be grant Time-off up to the average number of work hours in the employee's biweekly scheduled tour of duty during a leave year. The limit for any single contribution for part-time employees or employees with an uncommon tour of duty is one half the maximum that may be granted during the leave year.
No. 5CFR451.104 (e) states a time-off award shall not be converted to a cash payment under any circumstances.
The Government Employees Incentive Awards Act, 5 U.S.C. 4501-4507, authorizes an agency to pay a cash award for "efficiency" or "economy". The FFAS Gainsharing Travel Savings Program rewards employees who save the Government money while on TDY travel.
Savings arising from staying at less expensive lodgings and savings arising from using personal frequent flyer benefits to purchase airline tickets for official travel.
All FSA and RMA employees who undertake TDY travel are eligible for the Program. FAS management decided to discontinue the Program in October 2005.
All TDY travel with lodging expenses, foreign and domestic, are covered. However, only the first 30 days of extended TDY travel can be counted.
No, participation is optional.
By incurring lodging expenses at a daily rate that is less than the maximum lodging rate for the locality under the lodging plus method.
In this case, you will receive credit for one-half of the lodging rate for the locality.
Employees who incur additional transportation expenses must have those expenses deducted from their lodging savings.
Simply use your personal frequent flyer benefits to obtain a free coach class ticket. Savings will be measured against the contract rate in effect at the time of the flight plus the applicable Travel Management Center fee.
The amount of the Gansharing Award for each employee will be 50 percent of the savings on lodging expenses and the contract carrier airfare.
When the cumulative savings to the Government reach $200.
Complete Form AD-2036, "Gainsharing Travel Savings Form", and submit it to your travel Approving Official.
The Approving Official will sign off on the AD-2036 and submit it and a Form AD-287-2, "Recommendation and Approval of Awards", to HRD for processing. The Approving Official should also contact Budget to ensure funds are transferred from the travel allotment to the awards allotment, if needed.
Notice PM-2529, "Gainsharing Travel Savings Program", which is available on this website, or by calling Stephanie Sybil Brown (HRD Employee Programs Branch) at 202-401-0694.
For Comments concerning Employee Recognition
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