Washington, D.C. 20530

July 25, 2005

MEMORANDUM FOR ALL EMPLOYEES
                         Justice Management Division
                         Office and Boards

Effective August 1, 2005, we will stop using Employee Express (EE) in the Justice Management Division (JMD), Offices, and Boards, and begin using the National Finance Center's (NFC) Employee Self-Service (ESS), a system similar to EE. NFC, our payroll provider, has recently expanded its services to include ESS at no additional cost. This change will result in significant savings for the Department.

You will find the ESS feature on NFC's expanded Employee Personal Page (EPP) at http://www.nfc.usda.gov. Not only can you make payroll-related changes, you can continue to view and print your Earnings and Leave Statements, Wage and Tax Statements (W-2) and Personal Benefits information. The ESS is an automated, secure and user-friendly system that allows you to view and process certain payroll-related transactions. You can use the system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

To provide additional information as we transition from EE to ESS, you can go to the EPP website at http://www.nfc.usda.gov to view a sample of ESS. From the NFC's homepage click on the EPP icon and press "enter" or "accept" to gain access. From the EPP page, click on the "see a sample" icon in the lower right corner. The final step requires you to click on the "log in" icon. There you may view Joseph D Harley's (sample employee) personal information, the ESS option for making personal changes, and a list of frequently asked questions and answers (FAQ). You will find the list of FAQs very helpful.

If you have any questions or need assistance using ESS, please contact your servicing HR Specialist or HR Assistant. The OBD Personnel Group will also be available to provide demonstrations to your staff members who may need special training.

cc: OBD Personnel Group