N.J. Admin. Code § 4A:6-6.7

Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024

Section 4A:6-6.7 - Suggestion Award Program types and amounts of awards: State service

(a) Awards for suggestions shall be in cash or additional paid vacation time-off in lieu of cash under certain circumstances.

1. Cash awards shall be no less than $ 50.00 nor more than $ 10,000 for each approved suggestion.

2. The suggester may select a time-off option of up to two days in lieu of a cash award which shall be based on the daily rate of pay of the suggester.

(b) When a suggestion is adopted primarily because it will result or has resulted in saving money, the amount of the award shall be 10 percent of the net annual savings in the first year of operation, to be paid after the first year of implementation, up to the $ 10,000 maximum. The Committee has the authority to waive the one year timeframe, when savings have been verified prior to the end of the first year of implementation, or as deemed appropriate by the Committee. Under exceptional conditions, the Committee may select a typical year or may average several years to determine an award.

(c) When a suggestion is adopted primarily upon the basis of improvements in such areas as safety, health, welfare and morale, or it is otherwise not possible to determine monetary savings, the departmental committee shall provide the necessary documentation, which shall include the recommended amount of the award based on the following factors:

1. Effectiveness of solution offered by suggesters;

2. Seriousness of present problem in terms of money or other factors;

3. Extent of problem;

4. Probability of problem actually happening; and

5. Ingenuity of the solution.

(d) A suggester shall receive the full amount of the award when the suggestion is implemented. Where implementation is not complete but specific steps have been taken, a partial award may be approved at the Committee's discretion. It shall be the responsibility of the departmental committee to inform the Secretary when a suggestion has been placed into operation. Disputes regarding the date of implementation shall be resolved by the Committee.

(e) A cash or other award shall be in addition to the regular compensation of the recipient. The acceptance of such award shall constitute an agreement that the use of the suggestion by the State or its subdivisions or independent authorities shall not form the basis of a further claim of any additional award, compensation or payment by the employee, his or her heirs, or assignees.

(f) Persons who leave State service after having submitted a suggestion are still eligible for an award. In the case of death, the award shall be paid to the suggester's estate.

(g) Departmental awards consisting of plaques may be presented to the department or autonomous agency with the best record of employee participation during the fiscal year for the:

1. Highest number of suggestions approved per one hundred employees.

2. Highest dollar savings to the State realized through implementation of suggestions from their employees.

(h) Special awards consisting of plaques may be presented to suggesters whose accumulated awards total $ 10,000 or result in savings to the State of $ 100,000. In addition, the suggesters become members of an Advisory Board to the Committee. The Advisory Board may be called upon to comment and make recommendations on policy and program promotion.

(i) State "Suggester of the Year" may be selected by the Committee from among the successful submissions of the previous fiscal year and will be suitably recognized as determined by the Committee. The selection from nominations submitted by the Secretary will be based on:

1. Importance of the suggestion on a State and national level;

2. Savings and/or other benefits;

3. Public relations aspects and compatibility of the selection with the character and goals of the program.

(j) Departmental "Suggester of the Year" may be nominated by each department or autonomous agency. The nomination shall be made by the departmental committee with approval of the chief executive officer. The nomination must be approved by the Committee which will designate a uniform award and arrange for its procurement and presentation. Standards in selecting the nomination will be:

1. The suggestion(s) must have been approved during the previous fiscal year;

2. The suggestion(s) must be of importance or value to the agency;

3. The suggester must be an employee of the agency as of the date nominated.

N.J. Admin. Code § 4A:6-6.7

Amended by R.1998 d.58, effective 1/20/1998.
See: 29 New Jersey Register 4590(a), 30 New Jersey Register 384(b).