Update on Smart Cards and the DCIA Implementation Actions

Date: Wed, 04 Nov 1998 10:01:44 -0500
To: "AE - Administrative Employees"<distribution>,
        "AO - All Administrative Officers"<distribution>,
        "HS - Headquarters Secretaries"<distribution>
From: "Alice A. Sabatini, Division Administrative Officer, WRD" <aasabati>
Subject: Update on Smart Cards and the DCIA Implementation Actions
Cc: "Kym Y Elliott, Secretary, Reston, VA "<kyelliot>

			Reply Requested by November 23, 1998
			Reply Requested by November 30, 1998
			Reply Requested by January 4, 1999

The following was communicated during the AMC meeting yesterday.  Action
items are set off with asterisks ***.  I learned a lot in this meeting.  I
hope you will take the time to read this message and that you will find it
helpful.

SmartCards

Nations Bank has merged with Bank of America.  Cards will be issued from
Bank of America for domestic use and Community Bank for international use.

Nations Bank will give OPS a list of bankcard and travel card holders that
do not have an employee id in the payroll system.  OPS will be working the
mismatches this week.

Any traveler with a present delinquent balance of 61+ days on their AMEX
card will NOT be issued a new smart card.  This means that they will not
have access to either the travel line or the purchase line.  The payment
status will be as of the day that the listings were run (probably one month
ago).  USGS has no involvement or say in this card issuance, so don't ask
for exceptions.  We may be able to get cards issued to these personnel at a
future date (when EAGLS is available) but the employee will have to reapply
and that application will have to be routed through me for approval.  I am
only approving them when there is documentation that some disciplinary
action has been taken.

There may be an invitational travel card that will allow us to buy tickets
for non-employees (like conference speakers, foreign visitors, etc.).

Smart cards may only be issued with purchase line authority to USGS
employees--permanent and temporary for more than 1 year.  Students can be
issued a card with travel authority only for a finite period of time and
specific amount.  These cards can be activated and deactivated for one trip
if desired (action must be taken through the APC--Susan Sheely for travel).
 These cards will not be issued until December.

***If you have a student for which you would like to have a card issued,
please send their name, SSN, org code, beginning and ending appointment
dates and the travel limits you would like to have established to Toni
Brenner (ebrenner) by November 23.  We will compile a list and forward it
to Travel for establishment.

The single purchase limits for the purchase line have been set at $2500 per
order and $25,000 (?) per month for all non warranted employees.  Warranted
Contracting Officers have had their monthly purchase limit set to $100,000.
 Lisa Zukowski is checking to see if the monthly limit may be $50,000.
Cost centers will be able to modify these limits through EAGLS.

The limits for the travel line have been set to $5000 per month for all
employees.  ATM access is set to $250 per day and $500 per month. 

Travel cards cannot be used for purchases.  Employees with AMEX cards but
not IMPACT cards will need to have the purchase line added to their cards
when EAGLS is activated.  They will not be able to buy ice or any supplies
with their card without this access.  Contact Lisa Zukowski for help with
adding the purchase line.

The cards will be issued with a booklet that explains how to access EAGLS.
EAGLS will be available by November 30.

The training being offered on EAGLS has been disappointing because it is
not interactive.  Lisa believes that admin personnel that have not had the
training will be able to pick up how to use EAGLS fairly quickly if they
are semi-computer literate and have experience with other windows-based
software.  Any employees that are having difficulty using EAGLS should
contact Lisa for help.

There are no plans for additional training (no web-based, CBT or videotaped
training will be made available).

OPS will look into establishing an email alias for smartcard help.

Nations Bank will bill the USGS daily and be paid daily.  This means that
smartcard payments will appear in your transaction file every day.

A new FFS table CARD will be used to do account reconciliation (for both
travel and purchase).  It work like CDTT but users will have to reconcile
charges for airline and rental cars that are charged to the "corporate
card" in addition to charges that appear on the employee's statement.  OFM
didn't indicate how often the CARD table will be updated.  More information
on the reconciliation process will be issued at a future date.

Default accounts numbers can be changed by the card holder in EAGLS.  For
employees with IMPACT cards, the default account number for the new card
was set to agree with the existing default.  For employees with only a
travel card, the default for the new card was set to the cost center's
88800 account.

Employees with purchase line access with have the option of convenience
checks.  These are checks that the employee can write to vendors that will
not accept the Mastercard.  The convenience checks are being looked on as a
solution to the use of the imprest fund or third party drafts.  They are
ideal for those small dollar purchases that are below the bankcard
threshold that the vendor has established.

***Develop a list of employees that have a need for convenience checks.
Keep in mind that an admin employee in the office cannot write a
convenience check for an employee in the field.  The employee must write it
as it charges his individual smartcard.  Please send your lists to Toni
Brenner (ebrenner) by November 23.

Convenience checks were not intended for the travel line but are being
explored by OFM as a method of paying hotels that do not accept the
Mastercard.

The new ATM fee for travel advances is 1.9% (vice the 2.75% charged by
AMEX).  This fee is charged on any bank access fees as well as the cash
received.

Third Party Drafts

***November 27, 1998 is the last day to write third party drafts.  All
unused drafts must be returned to Susan Sheely on November 30.  Include a
return receipt that Susan will sign and return to you indicating that your
drafts numbered xx to xx were received.

Imprest Funds

***December 31, 1998 is the last day to use imprest funds.  The last
replenishment voucher should be sent to OFM on January 4, 1999 with a money
order or cashier's check attached for the remaining amount of cash in the
fund.

OFM will issue additional instructions on the closure of imprest funds and
return of third party drafts in the near future.

Employee Payments EFT

All employees are required to receive their paychecks and travel
reimbursements via EFT beginning January 1, 1999.  There are 318 employees
in the USGS that are not presently signed up for EFT.  OPS will be
providing us a list by division this week to contact these employees.  We
have not heard what will happen if these employees do not sign up for EFT,
but if I were them, I wouldn't want to test the system.

The number of employees that are not signed up for travel EFT is much
higher.  A list will also be provided to us so that we can encourage sign
up prior to January 1, 1999.