This is the one you've been waiting for, the 457(b) release. As indicated
in earlier communications, it's of the utmost urgency, and we are working
at full speed to get it implemented according to the date-mandated guidelines.
The 457(b) deduction processing introduced in r1599 is modelled on existing
403(b) deduction processing. Employees have the option of contributing to
either or both of the programs, and as with 403(b)'s, employees will have
457(b)
Maximum Annual Contribution (MAC) amounts and change dates. The standard
MAC amounts will be stored as system parameters. Employee MAC amounts
will be stored as in the DBL table, and MAC change dates are added to the
BEN table.
Other points of interest:
- Release 1592 (installed or being installed for all sites this week)
introduced a new NACHA GTN Organizational table (#45) to replace
the GTN direct deposit information previously stored in copymember
CPWSXNGO. The initial data for the table was for the 7 organizations
previously coded in the copymember, and r1599 adds an 8th entry for
the 457(b) organization information. In other words, r1592 is an absolute
prerequisite for implementation of r1599.
- A one-time program, PPO1599A, is provided to establish the initial 457(b)
MAC amounts and dates via direct update to the EDB. An EDBCHG
file and a tiny control report are produced.
- The new deduction information is of course passed to UCRS, via programs
PPI730 and PPI740. This presents the usual problem of the monthly
interface thinking that MEM740 data has changed for everyone due to
the introduction of a new field, in this case the 457(b) MAC amount,
and sending enormous amounts of unnecessary 'change' data. To work
around this problem, a one-time program, PPO1599B, is provided to
create an updated version of the most recent UCRS History file in which
the 457(b) amount is initialized. That way, when the next monthly reporting
cycle rolls around, only meaningful changes will be reported to UCRS.
There's no particular hurry to run this one-time program, as long as it
happens before the next MR cycle. It does not produce any reports.
- The current ECEN screen allows for overrides to 403(b) MAC values, and
after installation of r1599, it will also handle 457(b) values. 457(b) MAC
amounts and MAC change dates are added to IRET, IRTR, and ERET
(view only) screens.
TABLE UPDATES
Transactions for use in production are provided to update these tables:
- system parameter (MAC values)
- data element
- message
- routine definition (just to change a description)
- NACHA GTN organization, using link number 08.
Site-specific transactions are required to add deduction numbers 398,
396, and 397 to the GTN table. Template transactions are provided, but
we will need you to tell us what local priority numbers to code and what
changes, if any, to make to liability FAUs. Sites using standard FAUs
may wish us to insert a location code. Sites using non-standard FAUs
will need to provide them to us. Please note, per the release letter:
The priority number for the 457(b) flat amount must immediately follow
the 403(b) flag amounts, with no intervening entries, and the priority
number for the 457(b) percent amount must immediately follow the
403(b) percent amounts, also with no intervening entries.
IMPLEMENTATION
This is a date-mandated release with very specific date requirements.
Translated into each individual site's compute schedules, they are:
DV - after the B2 compute on 9/17 and before the MO compute on 9/27
RV - there are no September computes paying in September.
before the MO compute on 9/28
SD - after the B2 compute on 9/16 and before the MO compute on 9/23
SC - after the SP compute on 9/10 and before the MO compute on 9/24
SB - after the SP compute on 9/14 and before the MO compute on 9/27
AS - after the S1 compute on 9/17 and before the S2 compute on 10/4
HA - there are no September computes paying in September.
before the MO compute on 9/26
That doesn't sound so bad, does it? However, there's another timing
requirement that really puts us in a crunch: we must be prepared to
accept and process 457(b) enrollments via nightly IVR/web transactions
starting on 9/20. That's Monday, which means the absolute latest we
can install r1599 is this weekend.
We would appreciate receiving from you, as quickly as you can manage,
your approval to install the release and your site-specific GTN transaction
information so we can merge it into the template transactions and test it.
As I will be out for several days, please be sure to include Jim Cooper
in your approval notes. Thank you!
bvb
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