Committee for Agriculture Payroll/Personnel Systems (CAPPS)
Minutes – July 15, 2009

I. Welcome – Wendy Moore, GESD, Payroll/Personnel System Policy Staff (PPSPS). Wendy opened the meeting with announcements and turned the meeting over to Opening Comments from Deputy Director, NFC.

John White explained the functions of the Customer Board (CB) and it drives serviced issues. He also reviewed the CB agenda to explain the things CB reviews during the meetings. CAPPS is part of the governance of the CB and the efforts are recognized. Important to keep the rigor and vigor in these groups.

II. NFC Customer Satisfaction Survey Update – Mark Leigey, GESD, Client Support Office (CSO).

The customer survey launched last week. Participant request were sent to everyone from the list. Corrected email addresses were requested. Twenty-five percent of the 400 surveys sent out have responded. CFI will analyze the responses and provide a report to NFC. Although there is no timeframe for responding, FCI will send out a reminder to return them. The goal is to improve our services and we will depend on the responses to formulate a plan. Feedback will be used for recommendations to identify areas of importance to our customers. Recommendations will be provided to CAPPS and the Customer Board.

Email to Customer Support to have individuals added for customer survey. This will be provided to CFI group to receive a copy of the survey.

III. Revision of Functional Requirements Documents – Randy Speed, GESD, Associate Director Applications Development.

The NFC North Policy Staff will be reporting to Randy Speed. Shavon Butler, Tangie Joefield and Mary Allmond have joined the staff. There will be two requirements sections under one branch based on Knowledge/expertise. The scope of projects will be over different branches.

We are improving documents as we work internally to identify pertinent information regarding FRD’s. Ex: Agency to provide everything they are looking for. This will include signing FRD’s/IA/Security/TMGT to identify everything that will impact the agency. A draft FRD will be sent out for comments and returned back to NFC by September 2009.

ACTION ITEM: We will work through the Project Review Team (PRT) and present the revision within the next 60 days. (Randy Speed)

John White explained the roles of the PRT and CB. He indicated that agencies that are designated by the CB can attend the PRT just as they attend the Customer Board meetings. He also provided the following definitions:

• Project Review Team (PRT) – Discussion on scheduled release of projects moved to production. Anyone the agency representative designates to attend.

• Customer Board (CB) - High level officials. CHCO/alternate should attend. Board should operate at this level.

IV. Undeliverable Mail – Project 90131 and 80347 – Randy Speed, GESD, Associate Director Applications Development.

Phase One. Effective Pay Period 15, we will begin using Post Office software, Verimove to validate city codes. Individuals aren’t updating addresses after the temporary orders expire. We will mail out E&L statements to everyone. We will not use PPS. A lot of mailed is returned when we use PPS.

Phase Two. We will update address in PPS in the future. PP25 we will begin validating addresses against Geographical location code (TMGT 16) and update PPS with the final addresses at the same time.

Candace Letort indicated that there must be 500 individuals in an area to establish a Geographical Location Code. This is an issue that NFC has been looking at for some time. Possibly produce output to show what NFC has as it relates to having two different addresses.

Q - DHS – will the clients get to review requirements? There may be tax implications. DHS would like to go back to their management to ask about his issue. Need to bring this up with CB. Will there be a Customer Notice?

A - In order to get the $800,000 discount from Postal Service, need to proceed with project.

ACTION ITEM: Dawn Hughes-Morris and Randy will put a Customer Notification together to tell how undeliverable mail will affect the customers by Friday, July 17, 2009. (Completed)

V. UAT Area Development – Project 90473 – Randy Speed, GESD, Associate Director Applications Development. New name is Client/NFC Acceptance Testing Environment (CATE).

• Security Requirements, ID’s and Alternate ID’s. Meeting with Security next week. We will get back to the customers.
• Request, Profile, Environment, and Dictionary. The goal is to make it easier for customers to test. We are developing a process to eliminate some of the frustrations of testing. Timeframe to get security setup is a concern in streamlining the process.

• Test will mirror production

• Will not add EmpowHR to FESI test window for Phase one. We will discuss this internally.

It was noted that T&A’s reject in the UAT environment (corrections). No decision on how to handle.

Q - If FESI will be included in the Phase I, will it affect FESI windows?

A - FESI will be included; going to add FESI to the CATE Phase I. Future CATE Phases (adding EPP, Reporting Center, and Accounting) will be in Early 2010, maybe PP5. Will have a project plan in place.

VI. Retirement System Modernization (RSM) – Patrick Foret, GESD

NFC working to identify data elements for the transfer/separation file. We are waiting on OPM requirements to develop file. OPM organization code structure is in place. No deadline from OPM. The next RSM meeting is July 30, 2009.

Military deposits should be sent to ABCO. Some agencies are attaching them to the retirement documents. Lump sum checks should also go to ABCO.

ACTION ITEM: Jody Nyers will reissue notice to customers.

VII. EmpowHR UPK Training Environment – Candace Letort, GESD, Associate Director Payroll Operations and Theresa Trentecoste, GESD, Publications and Communications Branch

Two bulletins were sent the EmpowHR community about two weeks ago. (09-1, EmpowHR User Productivity Kit (UPK) and 09-2, Issuance of EmpowHR Release Notes and EmpowHR Procedure Manual Update). The first set of Release Notes was issued for Pay Period 13/14, 2009 Release of EmpowHR. These Release Notes can be accessed various ways on the Publications page of the NFC web site. The next Release Notes are scheduled for Pay Period 20. Release Notes are located on the EmpowHR Website.

We are currently working to expand the content to add processing instructions and tips. This eTraining effort for EmpowHR will be ongoing, to ensure we document functionality as it is becomes available, continue to add necessary processing instructions, and to ensure the training content remains up-to-date. The UPK training environment does not replace instructor based EmpowHR courses.

ACTION ITEM: Theresa Trentacoste will have the link for EmpowHR UPK added to the CAPPS Notes. http://www.empowhr.gov/9.0/training.html. Complete.

Candace Letort is encouraging all EmpowHR users to review the UPK training environments and provide comments/feedback.

VIII. Security Update – Mike Zeringue, Information Systems, Policy and Control Staff.

The new Secure All (SALL) Application has been implemented into production. SALL is available for Agency Security Officers use as of Friday, July 17, 2009. SALL is a web-based application that will provide the Agency Security Officers (ASO) the following capabilities:

1. Reset SALL passwords for ASOs within their scope of authority.
2. Reset NFC Reporting Center application user passwords within their scope of authority.
3. Obtain listings of users with access for Secure All and NFC Reporting Center application within their scope of authority.

The SALL application can be accessed via the NFC home page www.nfc.usda.gov and selecting the icon SALL from the application launch pad.

Whenever security issues a notification to the Agency Security Officers, the Client Management Branch will notify the CAPPS representatives of the distribution.

Security Inactivity Reports – Brief description of the 30, 60, 120 day reports.

• 30 days – All users who have not logged on to the mainframe in 30 days. ID’s locked.
• 60 days – All users who have not logged on to the mainframe in 60 days. ID’s suspended.

• 120 days – All users who have not logged on the mainframe in 120 days. ID’s revoked.

ASO’s are encouraged to use the 30/60/120 day reports to remind employees to log on to the mainframe to avoid interruption with their ID’s.

IX. EPIC Web Transition - Help Desk Assistance – Dawn Hughes-Morris, GESD, Client Management Branch (CMB)

A Customer Notification went out to all customers. NFC will be offering a temporary EPIC Web Help Desk. During the period July 27 – August 21, 2009, the Client Management Branch will operate the EPIC Web Help Desk during business hours from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Central Time to assist with any post implementation concerns that may arise. The phone number for the Help Desk is 504-426-1184.

Webinars – NFC can now conduct webinars in New Orleans instead of travelling to Washington, DC. As more information becomes available on Webinar sessions, you will be notified.

X. NFC User Group (UG) Updates and Meeting Schedule –

• EmpowHR User Group -
The next EmpowHR UG meeting will be July 17th.

• TAUG – Jo submitted a System Change Request to the “Leave Error Report” on the Reporting Center. The request has been given project number 90467. The project has not been placed on a release schedule at this time.

• BUG - HR 1256 was signed into law in June 2009 and eliminated the TSP waiting periods for employees to receive the Agency Automatic 1% and matching, if the employee is contributing. The bulletin was issued today and a copy distributed here at the meeting and will be electronically sent after the meeting.

Project 90364 which provides users the ability to correct the effective date on a FEHB action via a 30 document (Master File Change Document) will be implemented in PP 15.

Project 70212 which will establish FEHB COV CODE 9 for Termination is in process and on target also for PP 15.

• RUG - Project 90405 which covered the probationary period trial notification period of 1 year whereby the system was adding a day (it should be 365 days; however, it was 366 days). This has been corrected and the program modification went into effect in PP 10.

The next RUG and BUG meeting is TBD.

• EPP - NFC is moving toward developing its WEB application in a new technology. The redesign version of EPP will give a new look and feel along with added functionality. Scheduled Implementation, Pay Period 25, 2009. The group plans to work on a couple projects (CFC & Automating ERI, Gender, and Handicap).

There is internal meetings/discussion on the projects. It has been decided to have a separate workgroup to develop requirements on adding the self-service feature of ERI, Gender, and Handicap to EPP.

Agency concern with project: Wants to raise this issue to higher level to move this along. Don’t feel a separate workgroup is needed this should be worked by the User group.

Next Meeting September 15, 2009

• EPIC – QAT testing for EPIC WEB was completed on June 19. Transition Training was completed in Washington DC. Implementation date will be PP-15. Notification will be send to the clients.
Next meeting September 9, 2009

UPDATES:

• The Guide to Personnel Data Standards (Update 59) came out last week. There are some occupation series that OPM is terminating. Cheryl Ruf ran reports on these series and will notify agencies that still have employees in them. Cheryl will also work with the agency to come up with a date to close out the series on TMGT.

• The next CAPPS meeting will be October 21, 2009.

Potpourri:

Discussions on override codes in the NFC system. NFC- feel we need to do some analysis on overrides. SI – wants to be able to send overrides through FESI. There are over 50-60 Override codes in the system for various reasons. How many do we really use or need. Concerned all overrides put in PPS are not being used. NFC wants to review the function of all overrides. DHS needs them on EmpowHR for PINE. NFC - option to eliminate all overrides in PINE.

ACTION ITEM - Will share Override Code analysis with FESI UG and EmpowHR (no timeframe on the Action)