6518 TEMPORARY HELP OR OVERTIME BLANKETS
(Revised 2/98)
Most of the positions listed in the Salaries and Wages Supplement are defined in terms of the staffing authorized for various organizational units by classes established by the appropriate salary setting authority. This is the preferred method of presentation and provides for a clear understanding of staffing needs by the Administration and the Legislature. The second type of legislative authorization is the blanket position (or blanket authorization). Blanket authorizations in the approved budget must be reviewed annually or established by the submission or approval of STD. 607 in accordance with the provisions of SAM Section 6527.
Blanket positions are authorizations in the approved budget (Salaries and Wages Supplement) in terms of full-time equivalent personnel-years and amount of salaries and wages (but not by class) that may be spent for short-term or intermittent uses when it would be impracticable to express the needs in terms of classified positions. Such uses are characterized as being temporary, seasonal, or intermittent as contrasted to the classified positions which are normally used for longer-term, more permanent, staffing needs. Any type of position may be paid from a blanket position in the approved budget at the discretion of the department as long as the restrictions established for the use of blanket positions in this section and SAM Section 6527 are met.
Temporary help blankets are authorizations to be used only for payment of employees for a limited duration of time. Continuing monthly or periodic payments may not be made to any person for an indefinite period (on a permanent basis). Employees who are employed on a full year basis, whether full-time or part-time, should be paid from a classified position rather than a blanket authorization. Temporary help blankets may be used for the following purposes.
Position overlaps. This includes filling in behind:
- Employees on temporary or extended leaves of absence, sick leave, military leave, etc.
- An employee for training purposes. This may be necessary to insure continuity of operations when an employee in a key role leaves a department.
- Payment to a separating employee for unused, accrued leave.
Employment of limited duration or intermittent use. Such usage would include but not be limited to the hiring of additional employees for the following uses:
- Special consultant studies.
- Student assistants.
- Special projects or contracts of a limited nature such as compilation of statistical data or purge of files.
- Seasonal workload such as processing income tax forms, or inspection of produce before shipment.
- Overtime peak workloads that are anticipated in program and administrative areas.
- Special uses may be established for blankets to keep track of funds expended for limited purposes such as escapes and emergencies and other differentiations meaningful to the department.
Overtime blankets are authorizations used to pay employees for compensable, authorized time worked in excess of the regularly scheduled workweek. At the discretion of the department and in accordance with personnel rules of the salary setting authority, overtime may be used in place of temporary help to meet peak workload requirements where feasible and economically advantageous.
If a temporary help blanket has been established, but an overtime blanket has not, it may be more economical to make minor payments for overtime of short duration from the temporary help blanket than to establish a separate overtime blanket for a relatively small total amount.
Approval of DOF is required for the establishment of a permanent position by transfer of funds from a blanket authorization.
