United States Department of the Interior

BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS
Washington, DC 20240

APR 29 2016

IN REPLY REFER TO:

Memorandum

To: All Regional Directors
Attention: Regional Fire Management Officers
Agency Fire Management Officers
Regional Points of Contacts, Casual Pay

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Subject: Department of the Interior, 2016 Administratively Determined Pay Plan for
Emergency Workers and OWF Policy Memorandum 2016-04 for Casual Hire Travel
Expense Reimbursement Waiver

Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) authorizes and provides Bureau of Indian Affairs
direction on the following:

e Department of the Interior (DOI) 2016 Administratively Determined (AD) Pay Plan for
Emergency Workers (Casuals). The DOI 2016 AD Pay Plan is located at:
http://www.nifc.gov/programs/epe_ADpayplans.html.

© Office of Wildlife Fire (OWF) Policy Casual Hire Travel Expense Reimbursement
Waiver. The OWF Memorandum is located at:
http://www.nifc.gov/programs/cpe_agencymemos.html

Timeframe: The Administratively Determined Pay Plan became effective April 8, 2016. It is
valid until the 2017 DOI Administratively Determined Pay Plan for Emergency Workers is
issued.

The Casual Hire Travel Expense Reimbursement Waiver became effective on February 17, 2016.
This policy is valid until further notice.

Policy/Action:
AD Pay Plan
Authorizes and provides direction to hire emergency workers (casual employees).

AD hiring authority is an inherently federal activity and requires Federal Government
supervision. Hiring authority is granted through the DOI to the BIA Regional and Agency Line
Officers who are accountable for AD supervision. This task cannot be delegated to a tribally
contracted or compacted program.

Training and hiring casuals as instructors must be in accordance with BIA AD Emergency
Firefighter (EFF) Training Memorandum, dated September 23, 2014. In addition, casuals will
not be paid for classroom time. However, the field portion will be paid and must be recorded as


field training on the OF-288, for National Wildfire Coordinating Group 100 and 200 series
courses.

The Approving Official (AO) Batch Memorandum documents that all necessary AD payroll
submission packages/forms are correct and complete, and must be signed by the AO. Tribal
representatives are not authorized to approve Official Batch Memorandums.

Local agency administrators are responsible to ensure the hiring and management of casuals
meets the provisions of the current AD Pay Plan. Casuals hired outside the AD Pay Plan
authority will not be paid through the DOI Casual Payment Center (CPC), and timesheets will be
returned to the hiring unit.

If a casual cannot get a direct deposit bank account, they have two options: Electronic Transfer
Account (ETA) https://eta-find.gov/eta/ or waiver request. Waiver request forms can be found
at: http://www.nifc.gov/programs/cpce_forms.html. Electronic Funds Transfer Waiver Request
forms must be completed by the casual and submitted to CPC annually.

Casual Hire Travel Expense Reimbursement Waiver:

DOI Office of Wildland Fire and the Office of Financial Management in coordination with the
Business Integration Office have obtained a waiver to allow casuals to claim specific travel
expenses on the OF-288. The claimable expenses are limited and the casual must be in TDY
status and more than 50 miles from their residence or official duty station. See Attachment 3 for
the procedure. Casuals who do not meet waiver requirements must submit a manual package.

Information, memos, documents and forms that pertain to the CPC can be found at:
hitp://www.nifc.gov/programs/programs_PaymentCenter.html.

BIA memorandums can be found at: http://www.bia.gov/nife/library/Memos/index.htm.

If hiring units have questions about the appropriate use of the DOI 2016 AD Pay Plan and OWF
Casual Hire Travel Expense Reimbursement Waiver, contact Robin White, Administration
Officer, at robin.white@bia.gov or call (208) 387-5463.

7 Attachments:
1) 2016 DOI AD Pay Plan
2) Secretary Waiver
3) OWF Policy Memo — Casual Hire Travel Expense Reimbursement Waiver
4) BWEM Travel Guidance
5) Approving Official Batch Memo
6) Casual AD Travel Reimbursement Process
7) Travel Process and Worksheet