PROCESSING EMPLOYEE REIMBURSMENTS AND CONSULTANT PAYMENTS IN PEOPLESOFT FMS

1
PROCESSING EMPLOYEE REIMBURSMENTS AND CONSULTANT
PAYMENTS IN PEOPLESOFT FMS
2
STEPS TO PREPARE ADMINSTRATIVE STAFF

• To obtain complete training to process employee
  reimbursement and consultant payments requires
  attending 34 hours of training in Peoplesoft FMS
  training classes
• Financials Overview (3 hours)
• E-Procurement (6 hours)
• Accounts Payable for End Users (9 hours)
• General Ledger (7 hours)
• Travel for End Users (6 hours)
• UT Grants (3 hours)

3
STEPS TO PREPARE ADMINSTRATIVE STAFF

• For the initial push of training classes, HR
  FMS group agreed to eliminate some prerequisites
  by supplementing the travel class with enough
  information from E-Procurement and Accounts
  Payable to enable staff to process travel.
• Reduced required training hours to 19 for the
  initial push
• 361 administrators have attended classes
• Draw back is lack of troubleshooting techniques

4
STEPS TO PREPARE ADMINSTRATIVE STAFF

• Created the Travel Clinics to augment travel
  training
• Lead by ERT staff
• Creates a hands-on clinic where participants can
  bring live problems and receive hands on
  assistance from ERT staff
• Provides troubleshooting techniques and helpful
  hints not included in the travel training classes
• In excess of 56 participants attended sessions in
  November
• Four additional small clinics are scheduled for
  February
• Two large scale clinics are scheduled for last
  week in January
• Training documents have been revised to include
  information from Travel Clinics and were posted
  on January 14th
• Re-instatement of prerequisites for required
  additional training classes to ensure overall
  understanding of how each module works

5
COMMON PROBLEMS WITH REQUESTS

• Basic policy issues
• Missing receipts
• Over maximum lodging/meal allowances
• Travel Worksheet not signed by the traveler
• Car rental justification when staying at the host
  hotel
• Two individuals in the same room
• Missing Washington Travel form
• Submission of items which can be construed as
  personal expenses without justification
• Missing registration forms

6
COMMON PROBLEMS WITH REQUESTS

• Budget errors
• In excess of budgeted of 20 tolerance
• No budget exists
• Grant funding ended
• Comments box not complete with benefit to UT or
  no screen print included with voucher
• PO not matched to the voucher to ensure funds are
  disencumbered upon payment
• Expense accounts are not distributed to match the
  Travel Worksheet
• Cost Travel Page not entered into FMS
• Screen prints of vouchers do not include the
  voucher number

7
ERT PROCESSING PROCEDURE

• Audit is done from paperwork received from
  department administrator
• Reimbursement requests in excess of 60 days are
  considered priority processing
• Registration payments are turned around within
  two working days of receipt to ensure the payment
  is received prior to the trip
• Problem transactions are addressed via email to
  administrator and traveler
• Problem transactions not addressed after two
  business days are returned to the department for
  further processing

8
ERT PROCESSING GOALS

• Turnaround all non-problem requests within
  10-12 business days
• -Under TUFIMS turnaround was 5-7 business days
• -FMS requires additional time for PAF approval
  prior to reimbursement
• Process 70-80 transactions for payment daily
• -Under TUFIMS processed 85-90 daily
• -Have increased from 30-40 transactions in Sept
  and October to 60-70 currently
• Problem transactions will be returned to
  departments within two business days of initial
  contact if no response
• Process registration payments within two days of
  receipt
• Address all email within 24 hours of contact
• -Encourage administrators to use UT Travel
  email address instead of individual ERT staff

9
What Else Are We Doing to Help Reduce Processing
Times?

• Identify faculty and/or departments with backlog
  of transactions
• Work with DMO and administrators to address
  issues and ensure faculty receive reimbursements
  in a timely manner
• Hired new .50 position to assist with
  troubleshooting problem transactions
• Added full-time temporary to assist with
  organizing incoming mail and assist with customer
  calls
• Create a monthly bulletin to communicate hot
  topics and new information
• Re-establish Employee Reimbursement Focus Group
  meetings
• Congratulate administrative staff who are
  processing documents with 90 accuracy
• Emails to recognize our Shining Stars will be
  processed to individuals with copies to DMOs,
  Departmental Chairman and Deans