Contact Consumer to Resolve Discrepancies with Timesheet or Invoice

Submitted by admin on Tue, 05/04/2021 - 15:37
Policy: 

On a daily basis, F/EA Payroll Department identifies discrepancies or errors on timesheets and invoices using applicable systems and manual verification. All timesheets with discrepancies or errors are printed and the problem is noted on the timesheet. 

Daily, Payroll Department provides timesheets with discrepancies or errors to the <<Staff Title>> (or assigned staff). Within the business day that timesheets are provided to <<Staff Title>>, <<Staff Title>> assigns <<Staff Title>>(s) to resolve timesheet or invoice discrepancies or errors with participant/representative. 
 
<<Staff Title>>(s) contact participant/representative within 1 business day and record all communication in Customer Service System. Consumers/representatives are asked to correct errors and re-submit corrected timesheets to F/EA or provide information over the phone to correct information. Daily, <<Staff Title>>s checks to see if timesheets with errors or discrepancies have been paid.
 
Procedure: 

 

  1. During the payroll process (See Policy and Procedure X.X) Payroll Department identifies timesheet discrepancies requiring follow-up with participant or representative
    • Each day, timesheet discrepancies are provided to <<Staff Title>> by Payroll Department staff
  2. <<Staff Title>> reviews and follows up on timesheet discrepancies each day
  3. <<Staff Title>> reviews each timesheet for the following errors:
    • Dates on the timesheet do not match the pay period start and end dates
    • Timesheet is submitted for wrong payroll cycle
    • Timesheet is missing signatures of participant/representative or workers
    • A day with hours recorded is missing in time or out time
    • “AM” or “PM” designation is missing from a timesheet line
    • The timesheet includes time recorded for a date that has not yet occurred
    • Faxed timesheet image was compromised
    • Timesheet is illegible
  4. If timesheet contains any of the above discrepancies, <<Staff Title>> contacts participant or representative via phone
    • Using participant name on timesheet, <<Staff Title>> looks up participant in Customer Service System
    • Open new outbound call note log for participant
                                                          
  1. <<Staff Title>> places an outbound call to the participant or representative using the phone number listed for participant on the timesheet
  2. In note log, <<Staff Title>> documents:
  • The phone number and staff person who placed call
  • The reason for the call
  • Who the <<Staff Title>> talked to, or if a voicemail message was left
  • Verification that participant/representative was told that the timesheet must be corrected and re-faxed in order to be processed <<if applicable; information may be able to be collected over the phone, in which case that information should be recorded>>
  • When the participant/representative estimates they will re-fax the timesheet
  •  << Notify participant/representative to call F/EA within 5 minutes of re-faxing a timesheet so they can verify that the timesheet was received and will be processed>>
  •  <<Notify that if timesheet isn’t received within the business day, it will be paid on the following Friday>>
  • Document the resolution of the issue in Customer Service notes log

 7.  Two attempts to contact the participant by phone must be made within the day the discrepancy is identified by Customer Service

  • If the participant/representative or a voicemail system cannot be reached after two attempts within the business day that the discrepancy is identified by Customer Service, timesheet must be mailed to participant/representative within the business day

 8.  <<Staff Title>> completes a “Not Paid” template letter from the F/EA Master Copy File

 9.  All timesheets for which calls have been made or timesheets that have been mailed are placed in a timesheet discrepancy sorter in Customer Service Unit

10.  Sorter is reviewed each Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday afternoon and Friday morning

11.  <<Staff Title>> opens sorter

12.  For each timesheet in sorter, <<Staff Title>> goes to Payroll System to see if the timesheet has been paid yet

13.  If timesheet has not yet been paid, keep timesheet in sorter so that it can be verified the next time the sorter is reviewed

                                                          
Internal Controls: 

The internal controls used by F/EA to monitor this process establish responsibility, segregate duties, document procedures and ensure independent internal verification.

  1. Payroll Department identifies all discrepancies and Customer Service Department contacts consumers/representatives to resolve discrepancies
  2. All contact with participant/representative is recorded electronically
    • The number of timesheet errors for a participant is tracked, thereby allowing F/EA to track consumers who may need additional skills training or help
  3. Customer Service Department proactively verifies if timesheets with errors have been received and paid
    • This helps to prevent timesheets with errors from being overlooked and allows F/EA to provide the most up-to-date information to callers regarding payment