§ 74-840-2.19. Payroll claims.

A.  The Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall not approve any payroll claim for payment for any agency unless said claim contains or is accompanied by the certification by the administrative head of said agency or an authorized employee of said agency that the persons named in said claim have been appointed and employed in accordance with the provisions of the Oklahoma Personnel Act and the rules and orders promulgated pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Personnel Act.  For purposes of this section, "payroll claim" shall also include longevity payments made pursuant to Section 840-2.18 of this title.

B.  If, as a result of a payroll audit, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services finds that an agency has made payments of salaries or wages contrary to the provisions of the Oklahoma Personnel Act and the rules promulgated pursuant to the provisions of the Oklahoma Personnel Act:

1.  Audit findings shall be promptly transmitted to the appointing authority of the agency certifying the payroll claim or claims involved;

2.  An audit conference with said agency shall be scheduled within fifteen (15) days, at which time the audit exceptions will be resolved or become a determination of error unless the parties to the conference agree to a further review;

3.  If underpayments or overpayments made by said agency are deemed to be the result of administrative error, the agency which certified the payroll claim or claims in error shall refund to the employee the balance of the actual amounts due and owing to the payee or shall seek repayment from the payee of any amount paid in excess of the actual amount due and owing the payee;

4.  If an agency neglects or refuses to seek repayment after a determination that an error in payroll amount or amounts has been made, or to properly adjust a then current salary or wage, the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall note an unresolved audit exception stating the agency involved and the person to whom said exception refers;

5.  Upon receipt of notification that a procedure to initiate repayment has been instituted by the certifying agency or that a protest has been filed with the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission, said notice shall be withdrawn or waived by the Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.  Implementation of procedures provided in this section shall not operate to deny or delay payment of proper salaries or wages to any employee of this state;

6.  The provisions of this section regarding collections of any overpayment of salaries or wages by any agency to any state employee or officer shall not include any such overpayment made prior to July 1, 1983;

7.  Recovery of overpayments from an employee shall include all overpayments occurring within one (1) year prior to the determination of error.  Disbursement of underpayments to an employee shall include all underpayments made within a period of two (2) years prior to the determination of error; and

8.  If an agency discovers overpayment or underpayment errors through an internal audit, the agency shall recover overpayments from the employee or disburse underpayment amounts in accordance with this section.  Prior to initiation of recovery of overpayments from an employee, the agency shall provide the employee with adequate notice and an opportunity to respond.

C.  The Director of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services shall not approve any payroll claim for payment for any agency for which a notification of an unresolved audit exception pursuant to this section has been filed, unless the person named in the audit exception has been removed from the payroll by the certifying agency, the overpayment has been converted by the agency, or the exception has been withdrawn or waived in writing by the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.

D.  Any sum on a payroll claim found to have been paid in excess of the actual amount due and owing may be recovered from the payee through the following procedures:

1.  Upon the determination that an error in payroll amount has been made, the agency which certified the claim or claims shall notify the payee in writing within ten (10) days from said determination.  The notice to the payee shall contain:

a.the amounts paid in error,

b.the dates of said payments,

c.the options available for repayment, and

d.the right of the payee to protest the findings.

Said notice shall also provide space for the payee to indicate an election of a repayment option or to protest the findings.  Said election shall be required within thirty (30) days after the notification;

2.  If the payee is, at the time of said notification, an officer or employee of the agency seeking repayment, options available for repayment shall be by:

a.lump-sum cash repayment,

b.reduction of the corrected current salary or miscellaneous payroll deduction in a lump sum or in installments over a term not to exceed the term in which the erroneous payments were made,

c.reduction in accrued annual leave by an amount of time at the then current correct salary level equal in value to the total of the amount or amounts to be repaid, or

d.any combination thereof;

3.  If the payee is, at the time of said notification, an officer or employee of an agency of the state other than the agency seeking repayment, the options provided by paragraph 2 of this subsection may be exercised by the payee with the approval of the then current employing agency.  Payment of amounts deducted or charged against annual leave shall be paid to the agency seeking repayment by an appropriate miscellaneous claim for interagency payment.  If a payroll deduction is elected pursuant to the provisions of this paragraph and employment is subsequently terminated, any balance remaining shall be deducted from any final payment otherwise due to the employee;

4.  If a payee who is, at the time of said notification, a permanent classified officer or employee of any agency of this state protests the determination of the error or the amount of said determination, the agency seeking repayment shall present, within five (5) days of the return of said protest, the facts in writing, the notice, and the protest of the payee, to the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission.  The Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission shall treat any such protest as a complaint pursuant to Section 840-1.9 of this title.  The Commission and Executive Director, after investigation and hearing, shall make a determination which shall be binding on the agency.  The salary or wages of any payee exercising the right to the protest shall not be suspended or reduced until a determination has been issued by the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission and Executive Director;

5.  If the payee is no longer an employee of the state but agrees to repay the amount or amounts paid in error, repayment may be accepted:

a.by lump-sum cash repayment, or

b.in installments over a period not to exceed twelve (12) months;

6.  If the payee is no longer an employee of the state, and does not respond or cannot be located within ten (10) days after mailing of the determination of error, or refuses repayment, the agency seeking repayment shall present the facts in writing to the Attorney General and shall send a copy to the Office of Management and Enterprise Services.  The Attorney General shall determine what action may be taken to recover said amount; and

7.  Repayments other than by reduction in present salary or reduction in accrued annual leave for a payee currently employed by the agency seeking repayment shall be deposited in the General Revenue Fund unless the fund to which the amount in error was originally charged can be identified and was other than a General Revenue Fund appropriation.  Said deposits shall be treated as nonrevenue receipts.

Added by Laws 1983, c. 274, § 4, operative July 1, 1983.  Amended by Laws 1986, c. 158, § 9, operative July 1, 1986; Laws 1989, c. 344, § 2.  Renumbered from § 840.23 of this title by Laws 1994, c. 242, § 54.  Amended by Laws 1998, c. 364, § 31, emerg. eff. June 8, 1998; Laws 2003, c. 212, § 11, eff. July 1, 2003; Laws 2012, c. 304, § 878.