1. Can a position perform the duties of two or more different classifications?
2. Can the time spent in the military count towards service time for vacation accrual?
3. Can we use classes listed in the State class plan to classify our county positions?
4. Can an employee's position be reclassified if the individual is currently on probation?
5. Since temporaries are now limited to 120 days what appointment type do we use for Student Help?
6. Can a probationary period be extended?
7. How do I apply for a job audit?
8. Should we filing our unclassified exemptions with DAS?
9. How do you figure prior service?
10. If an employee's schedule is based on a school year do they get credit for the whole year?
11. What constitutes proof of prior service?
12. What types of prior service count towards the calculation of service credit?
13. Does DAS process job abolishment?
14. What type of layoffs does DAS process?
15. How are retention points figured?
16. Does it matter if an employee (affected by layoff) previously worked at another public agency other than ours?
17. Does time spent on an approved leave of absence count towards the calculation of retention points?
18. When calculating retention points for layoff purposes, how far back do we have to provide pay period charts?
19. What do we do if we cannot locate pay period charts from previous years?
20. Can an employee displace another employee who has more retention points then they do?
21. Can someone in a lower classification displace someone in a higher classification if they have more points than the person in the higher classification?

Employees can be required by an agency to perform the duties of their current classification along with those of another classification. If the additional duties are considered to be “higher-level” duties, an employee cannot perform these duties more than 19% of the time.

The only branch of the service that is used in figuring prior service is time spent in the Ohio National Guard. National Guard service is considered to be prior state service under RC 9.44 so long as the service with the National Guard did not run simultaneously with the employee's state service.

Can we use classes listed in the State class plan to classify our county positions?

No. County agencies can only use class plans that are designated as county class plans. County agencies other than Job & Family Services should use OAC 123:1-8-02 and OAC 123:1-7-17. Job & Family Services should use OAC 123:1-7-19 and OAC 123:1-7-27.

Can an employee's position be reclassified if the individual is currently on probation?

No, an employee cannot be reclassified if they are currently on probation.

Since temporaries are now limited to 120 days what appointment type do we use for our Student Help?

We are currently in the process of developing an appointment type for student and college interns. Until this process is complete, please maintain the status quo and continue to use the temporary appointment category to appoint Student Help. The length of the appointment can continue to be for the duration of the school year.

Yes, a probationary period can be extended. The probationary period for all classified employees in the service of the county appointing authorities is fixed at one hundred and eighty calendar days. There are three ways a probationary period may be extended. First, an appointing authority may, with the consent of the employee and with the approval of the director, extend an individual employee's probationary period for up to sixty days to allow additional time to review the employee's performance. This type of extension shall only be granted if the employee consents to the extension prior to the end of the employee's normal probationary period and the total probationary time does not exceed one year. Second, a longer period may be established for specific job classifications upon agreement by the director of administrative services and the appointing authorities concerned, and with the submission of the proper documentation. Any probationary period that is extended cannot exceed one year. Finally, time spent on leave of absence without pay shall not be counted as a part of the employee's probationary period, and the probationary period shall automatically be extended by the number of days the employee spent in no-pay status.

How do I apply for a job audit?

If you are a classified non-bargaining unit employee who is not currently on probation, you can request that a position audit be conducted. A position audit request form must be completed and returned to the County Services Unit (CSU) via email at Sharon.Stevens@das.state.oh.us or by mail to the Office of Classification & Compensation, County Services Unit 30 E. Broad St. , 28 th Floor Columbus, Ohio 43215. The form can be found at (add link here) .Once the CSU has received the request and has verified that the employee is a classified employee, a Position Audit Questionnaire will be sent to the employee via email or regular mail.

For job audits pertaining to bargaining unit employees, please refer to the union contract.

Until February, positions that are being claimed as exemptions from the competitive classified service under 124.11(A)(8) must be filed with DAS within sixty days after taking office. Any exemptions being claimed for deputies and assistants under 124.11 (A) (9) of the ORC, shall be accompanied by a statement of the provisions of the law under which such deputies and assistants are appointed and a statement of the duties to be assigned to such appointees that shows they are acting for or on behalf of the agency and/or that they are performing duties that demonstrate an administrative and/or fiduciary relation with their agency.

Please submit exemptions form the competitive classified service to the following address:

Department of Administrative Services

Human Resources Division

County Services Unit

30 E. Broad Street , 28 th Floor

Columbus , Ohio 43215-3414

Attention: Sharon Stevens

We are currently in the process of amending the rules that relate to these types of filings, and additional guidance will be issued in February once the new rules become effective.

We are currently in the process of amending the rules that relate to these types of filings, and additional guidance will be issued in February once the new rules become effective.

Prior service should include name of agency, starting and ending date (month, day & year) and be calculated into total years and days.

Example: (To calculate prior full-time service)
Date of Hire, 5/23/05 – Date of separation 12/08/07

2005 = 0 Years 224 Days
2006 = 1 Year
2007 = 0 Years 342 Days
Total = 2 Years 201 Days

Prior service for other than full-time should include name of the agency, starting and ending date (month, day & year) and the number of pay periods in active pay status each year. The number of pay periods multiplied by 14 days = total service.

Example: (To calculate other than full-time service)
Date of hire, 2/23/92 as intermittent – Date of separation 8/6/94

1992 = 8 pay periods
1993 = 10 pay periods
1994 = 12 pay periods
Total = 30 pay periods

30 pay periods x 14 days =420 days
420 days – 365 days 01 Years, 055 days

Regardless of the number of pay periods an employee gets paid, the employee can only receive service credit for pay periods where the employee actually worked some portion of the pay period. However, if the employee worked only a portion of the pay period (i.e. two days), the employee will receive service credit for the entire pay period.

In order to verify prior service, the agency will need to obtain a verification letter from each agency the employee wants to claim prior service. The verification letter will need to show the start date, end date, total service and pay periods if the service was other than full-time.

A person employed, other than as an elective officer, by the state or any political subdivision of the state, earning vacation credits currently, is entitled to have the employee's prior service with any of these employers counted as service with the state or any political subdivision of the state, for the purpose of computing the amount of the employee's vacation leave. This includes all offices and positions of trust or employment in the service of the state and in the service of the counties, cities, city health districts, general health districts, and city school districts of the state.

Time spent in the Ohio National Guard is also considered to be prior state service, so long as the service with the National Guard did not run simultaneously with the employee's state service. See question 2.

Certain collective bargaining agreements may exclude these types of prior service and should be referenced when making prior service determinations.

Effective 07/01/07 (per HB 187), DAS no longer processes job abolishments. The agency will process the job abolishment, and the burden of proof will then be on the agency to defend the abolishment at SPBR if an appeal is filed.

DAS still processes layoffs that are for lack of funds or lack of work.

Each employee receives base retention points of 100. Each full-time employee receives 1 point for each pay period of continuous service. Each part-time employee receives .05 points for each pay period of continuous service. Add base points of 100 to total points of continuous service to get total retention points

“Continuous service” - means the uninterrupted service of an employee with a state agency, a county office or a state supported college or university where no break in service occurs.

“Break in service” – Means an employee has had a separation from service of thirty-one days or more. An authorized leave of absence, granted pursuant to rule 123:1-34-01 of the Administrative Code, or any separation from service which carries with it the right to reinstatement, or reemployment as a result of a layoff, shall not constitute a break in service, provided the employee is reinstated or reemployed within their allowable time. The time the employee was separated shall not count towards the calculation of retention points for continuous service.

Yes. Time worked at other state and county agencies in Ohio , including state-supported colleges and universities counts as prior service provided there was not a break in service of over 30 days. Also, be sure double credit is not given to an employee who may have worked for two separate agencies at the same time. An employee can only get credit for working at one agency for any given period.

Yes. Authorized leaves of absence without pay count as service credit for annual step increases, layoff purposes, and for computing the amount of vacation leave, provided the employee is properly returned to service and is not serving a probationary period. Employees that do not return to service from a leave of absence without pay shall not receive service credit for the time spent on such leave.

You should have copies of pay period charts that go back as far as the hire date of the most senior employee being affected by the layoff. If an employee has had prior continuous service with another agency, pay period charts must be submitted to include this period of time also.

What do we do if we cannot locate pay period charts from previous years?

Contact your county auditor's office. They should have pay period charts on file. If they do not have all the charts please feel free to DAS County Services Unit @ 614-466-0901 for help. It is essential that you submit these charts so that DAS to verify retention points.

No. Under no circumstances may an employee displace another employee who possesses more retention points.

No. An employee may only displace someone in the employee's class or a lower class in the class series, regardless of the number of retention points the employee has.