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U.S. Department of Justice
Washington, D.C. 20530
July 12, 2000
MEMORANDUM FOR DISTRIBUTION LIST
FROM: Joanne W. Simms
Director, Personnel Staff
Justice Management Division
SUBJECT: Employee Express Project (Empowering Employees To Make Personal Changes)
Beginning July 16th, you will be able to make certain changes to your personnel and payroll status through Employee Express. Employee Express (EE) is an automated system that allows you to process certain payroll-related transactions electronically. Using the user-friendly system will allow you greater control over your personnel, payroll and benefits accounts. The EE system is much easier and quicker than obtaining, completing and mailing forms to the OBD Personnel Group. You can use EE via the internet, or by using a touch-tone phone, anytime, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, to process changes or to review current information.
The following is a list of actions that you can process through EE:
- Change to Federal and State Tax Deductions.
- Electronic transmission of paycheck to the Financial Institution of your choice (Direct Deposit).
- Initiate and change certain allotments to Financial Institution.
- Change Home Address.
- Change Health Benefits (FEHB) during Open Season.
- Cancel FEHB Enrollment.
- Change from Family to Self Only FEHB Enrollment.
- TSP changes during TSP Open Season (does not include interfund transfers of TSP account balances which must be done on Thrift Line).
- Stop TSP Deductions.
- Start, change or stop Savings Bond.
- Change Personal Identification Number (PIN).
We will start the EE Project in two phases.
The 1st phase will begin on July 16th and include all JMD employees (except the Finance Staff).
The second phase will begin on July 24th and include all employees in the Offices (except the Office of the Solicitor General) and Boards.
After November 1st, the only way to make the changes we have outlined above will be through Employee Express.
Exceptions will be granted only in unusual cases (i.e., no internet access or access to a touch-tone phone).
Employee Express is safe, secure and reliable.
All you will need to make changes to your data is your social security number (SSN) and an EE Personal Identification Number (PIN).
EE is just as secure as using an ATM.
Sometime during the week of July 10th, JMD (except the Finance Staff) employees will receive a PIN from the Office of Personnel Management. Sometime during the week of July 24th, Offices (except the Office of the Solicitor General) and Boards employees will receive a PIN from the Office of Personnel Management. When you receive your PIN, we recommend that you change it and create your own personal PIN. Anyone (including employees with disabilities) can change their PIN number, by calling (800) 409-6530. The Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) service number for EE is (912) 757-3117 or toll free (888) 880-0412.
We have attached a list of frequently asked questions and answers that provide additional useful information about the system. The OBD Personnel Group will be giving demonstrations
at the National Place Building on using EE beginning the week of July 17, 24 and 30. If you would like to sign up to attend, please call Winona Jefferson on (202) 514-6810. If you have any questions, please call your servicing personnel specialist.
Attachment
ALL EMPLOYEES IN THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS
Justice Management Division (Except the Finance Staff)
Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Admin
Office of Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
Office of Small and Disadvantage Utilization
Office of DAAG/Human Resources/Administration
Debt Collection Management
Security and Emergency Planning Staff
Executive Support Staff
Management and Planning Staff
Executive Secretariat
Budget Staff
Asset Forfeiture Management Staff
Procurement Services Staff
DAAG/Human Resources
Consolidated Admin Office
Personnel Staff
Library Staff
Facilities and Admin Services Staff
Equal Employment Opportunity Staff
Office of General Counsel
Office of DAAG/Controller
Office of Attorney Personnel Management
Office DAAG/Information Resources Management
Information Management and Security Staff
Computer Services Staff
Telecommunications Staff
Systems Technology Staff
Office of Wireless Management
Office of DAAG/Law and Policy
Audit Liaison Office
Departmental Ethics Office
Office of Professional Responsibility
Office of Policy Development
Office of Legal Counsel
Office of Legislative Affairs
Office of the Pardon Attorney
Office of Intelligence Policy and Review
Office of Public Affairs
Office of Information and Privacy
Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
Office of Alternative Dispute Resolution
Professional Responsibility Advisory Office
U.S. Parole Commission
Foreign Claims Settlement Commission
Interpol
Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control
Community Oriented Policing Services
National Drug Intelligence Center
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT EMPLOYEE EXPRESS
- WHAT IS EMPLOYEE EXPRESS?
Employee Express is a Year 2000 compliant innovative automated system that empowers Federal employees to initiate the processing of their discretionary personnel-payroll transactions electronically, replacing the paper form process.
- HOW IS EMPLOYEE EXPRESS ACCESSED?
Employee Express can be accessed by touch-tone phone or through the Internet. For security reasons, use of cellular phones is not recommended. To access employee express by touch-tone phone, dial (800) 409-6530. To access employee express via the internet, you must have a 4.0 version or higher of Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer. Your system must have JAVA and JAVASCRIPT enabled. Go to http://www.employeeexpress.gov.
For Netscape Navigator - Select EDIT from the menu bar, then PREFERENCES, then ADVANCED, and check the boxes ENABLE JAVA and ENABLE JAVASCRIPT. Select OK to exit. RELOAD your browser for settings to take effect.
For Microsoft Internet Explorer - Select VIEW from the menu bar, then OPTIONS, then ADVANCED, and check the boxes ENABLE JAVA JIT COMPILER and ENABLE JAVA LOGGING. Select OK to exit. RELOAD the browser for settings to take effect.
- WHEN IS EMPLOYEE EXPRESS AVAILABLE?
Employee Express is available anytime, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
- WHAT INFORMATION IS NEEDED TO USE EMPLOYEE EXPRESS?
In order to access Employee Express, you need your social security number (SSN) and Employee Express Personal Identification Number (PIN). Depending on the transaction, you may need additional information. The Help Desk at Employee Express or your servicing personnel-payroll office can assist you.
- HOW DO I GET A PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN)?
PINs are mailed to new employees by the Office of Personnel Management in Macon, Georgia (OPM-Macon) about two weeks after the employee enters on duty. If you lose your PIN, a replacement can be obtained by calling the OPM-Macon Help Desk at 912-757-3030 and choosing the PIN option. For security reasons, the Help Desk will not issue and mail a new PIN to any other address than the official one on file. Therefore, please ensure that your servicing personnel-payroll office has your current mailing address on file.
Sometime during the week of July 10th, JMD (except the Finance Staff) employees will receive a PIN from the Office of Personnel Management. Sometime during the week of July 24th, Offices (except the Office of the Solicitor General) and Boards employees will receive a PIN from the Office of Personnel Management. When you receive your PIN, we recommend that you change it and create your own personal PIN. Anyone (including employees with disabilities) can change their PIN number, by calling (800) 409-6530. The Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD) service number for EE is (912) 757-3117 or toll free (888) 880-0412.
- CAN THE PIN BE CHANGED?
Yes. Once you have a PIN, it can be changed by choosing the PIN option of the Employee Express menu. In fact, it is highly recommended that you change your PIN to something easy to remember and safeguard it against unauthorized access and use.
- HOW SAFE IS THE SYSTEM?
The unique combination of SSN, PIN, and agency-specific information needed to access Employee Express makes it as secure as using an ATM.
- IS THERE ANY ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE WHEN USING EMPLOYEE EXPRESS?
Help information is always available when using Employee Express. The Finance Staff, Human Resources Services Administrative Group is available to help you. You can also contact your servicing personnel specialist for assistance.
- WHEN ARE THE ACTIONS MADE EFFECTIVE?
Upon confirmation and completion of a transaction, Employee Express announces the effective date of the transaction and the latest date it should appear on your Earnings and Leave Statement.
- HOW DO I KNOW THE TRANSACTION WAS PROCESSED?
You can check Employee Express for pending actions or your Earnings and Leave Statement received after the effective date of the transaction to ensure it was processed. You can also check NFC's personal page for this information. The NFC personal page is a personalized web site available for employees of agencies serviced by the National Finance Center. Using a web browser, employees can view their payroll, leave, travel, insurance, savings bond, and other personal information online. You can sign up for this service via the internet. The internet address is www.nfc.usda.gov.
- WILL THE SYSTEM PROVIDE A PAPER CONFIRMATION OF A TRANSACTION?
In keeping with streamlining efforts and to reduce paper, Employee Express is taking advantage of existing technology and is paperless. However, twice a month, your servicing personnel office will print a report of all Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) changes processed through Employee Express. If you made a FEHB and/or TSP change, your report will be filed in your Official Personnel Folder.
- WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I CHANGE MY MIND?
If you made a selection using EE, and you change your mind, you must use EE again to make another change or change your original selection.
- CAN DISABLED EMPLOYEES USE EMPLOYEE EXPRESS?
Hearing impaired employees can call the TDD number at 912-757-3117 or 1- 888-880-0412 and access Employee Express through the Internet.
- WHO SHOULD I CONTACT IF AN EMPLOYEE EXPRESS TRANSACTION IS NOT REFLECTED ON MY EARNINGS AND LEAVE STATEMENT?
If you received a confirmation date when you completed your transaction and the effective date Employee Express provided has passed, contact your servicing personnel-payroll office to check your transaction. If you did not receive a confirmation date, contact the OPM-Macon Help Desk who can track and verify if the transaction was completed.
- CAN I DO ANY TYPE OF ALLOTMENT/PAYROLL DEDUCTION SUCH AS UNION DUES, CHILD SUPPORT, AND LIFE INSURANCE?
The only types of allotments allowed through Employee Express are voluntary checking or savings allotments deducted biweekly. For all other allotments, you must contact your servicing personnel-payroll office.
- I HAVE AN INVALID ZIP CODE -- WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If you have a new zip code, it may not be in the Employee Express file yet, as it is updated monthly. Contact your servicing personnel-payroll office for assistance.
- CAN I DO ANY TYPE OF ALLOTMENT/PAYROLL DEDUCTION SUCH AS UNION DUES, CHILD SUPPORT, AND LIFE INSURANCE?
You must contact your servicing personnel-payroll office to perform this transaction. But once you have made the change, you may use Employee Express to make changes to your state taxes when it is within the same state.
Last Updated July 24, 2000
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