| State VSIP Plan |
| State VSIP Plan |
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| SDASCOE |
SDASCOE Members - June 27, 2011
CED Schaunaman held a conference call regarding SD’s VSIP Plan as Myron discusses in the
email below. Craig invited the StO Program Chiefs, the officers of the three employee
organizations and the DD’s to participate in the conference call.
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State Presidents,
NASCOE learned this week that the FSA management issued new ‘funded ceiling’ notices to all
SED’s on Tuesday. The funded staff ceiling is based on the House Appropriations FY12
number ($87 million cut from FY11 spending level). The Senate funding bill is yet to come and
then the two, if different, must be conference out. NASCOE believes the funding number for
FY12 is still a moving target. NASCOE asked Administrator Nelson to request SED’s work with
their respective State Associations in developing a reduction plan. SED’s must submit the plan
by Monday of next week. Any plan developed, should be drafted to have the least effect on
customer service to our farmers and ranchers.
Tools available to use in meeting this reduction are:
- FY11 VERA
- FY12 VSIP
- FY12
- Normal attrition
Myron Stroup
NASCOE President
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Following are my notes from the call:
Joan reviewed the budget, both CO and Federal. The last estimates sent in were very
conservative. DC still reduced our budget. Most of the cuts in CO Non-Personnel will be made
up by reducing COC travel, field man travel and postage. The personnel short fall dollars are a
bigger issue. Joan pointed out that we are not overspending we just have been underfunded.
The STO also just received their first Hyperion report since April, because they have not been
getting them on a regular basis, they haven’t been able to monitor expenses. (Hyperion reports
show what is spent on payroll, benefits, travel, supplies, maintenance agreements etc etc – in the
past each county could print their own report and the state office could also, now the reports
come to the state office, but not on a regular basis.)
Craig then gave us information from the conference call he had with DC last week.
The reductions are about 8.5% for both CO and Federal.
There were 9 applications submitted for VERA from CO employees and 6 from Federal
employees.
Mr Schaunaman has some discretion regarding the VERA’s such as no more than two/per office.
The FY2012 Ceiling Goal is now 365. After the VERA’s and attrition, Craig will look at the
numbers. This is where his VSIP Plan comes in to play. If our staffing numbers are still over 365,
he will have the option to offer VSIP. If the numbers are below the 365 target he may not offer
VSIP.
In the event VSIP’s are offered. He has to decide if he will target certain offices based on current
staffing size/workload (as best as the STO can determine) or target certain positions (DD’s, CED’
s PT’s, FLM’s etc).
Length of service is the first priority to take VSIP. Then it would be whichever his reduction target
counties/positions are.
They were told to review notice PM-2477. It was issued in August 2005 and is now obsolete, but
it is still an applicable guide. It gives information on who is eligible for VSIP etc. It also shows the
variety of targeted reductions in exhibit 3.
Half of the staff in SD was eligible for VERA!
Craig asked DC at the conference call last week if office consolidations are being considered.
They told him not at this time. They will go the VSIP route for now.
We are to continue COC meetings as we were last told and still no field man travel. We may go
to postage.com to save money.
The plan Craig comes up with today (the 27th) is the one he will have to work with, sounds like
changes can’t be made by him.
Craig asked for input from those on the conference call as to what South Dakota’s VSIP Plan
should include.
After the call, I talked with the other three officers (they were all able to sit in on Craig’s
conference call too). We considered having a quick conference call with the SDASCOE
Directors. It was almost noon by that time. I made the assumption that most offices were as
crazy busy as ours with certification and due to the timing that a conference call just wasn’t
realistic. Remember that Craig needed to turn in his plan by the end of the day. The four of us
officers all agreed that we felt that if it came to the VSIP option, that we would like to see it
available to everyone that was eligible. Not to pick out specific counties or positions. We realize
this may involve some shortages in office employee numbers and maybe create more shared
management but that will have to be handled later. And Craig may be able to take that in to
account when working through this process. We felt that offering this to everyone would be less
disruptive in offices where the changes will occur and would be more ‘voluntary’.
I called to share our discussion items with Craig. He answered several questions I had to clarify
some things and he shared more information. I’ve included that information in the above
paragraphs.
I asked if he would share the VSIP Plan with the employees. He said he wouldn’t because it is
only a plan at this point and he didn’t want some people upset and worried until all of the
information was available. He will share what he can as soon as he can.
Timing was definitely an issue. Craig had a two hour conference call regarding the VSIP Plan
last week. He spoke with the DD’s and I assume the Program Chiefs last week. We (employee
organization officers) found about the call last Thursday, but no details on what it involved. Our
NASCOE President Myron, forwarded the above email to us at home this weekend, but that was
all the info we had going in to this. We had a very short time and only the information I’ve given
you to provide input from SDASCOE.
I appreciate that Craig did include the employee organizations in the discussion. Things are
changing in how we work with our producers. The quickness of this Plan that will have quite an
effect on us, shows how we must keep ourselves educated on what’s going on with how we do
our jobs and the future of our jobs.
If you have any questions please contact me or one of the other officers.
Peggy Groen
SDASCOE President
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