PS-05.A.23 - Employee Financial Responsibility
EFFECTIVE DATE: February 17, 2023
ISSUE #: 3
PRESIDENT: Dr. Loren J. Blanchard
1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this document is to define the financial obligations of employees to the UH-System and the sanctions for not fulfilling those obligations. This document applies to all faculty, staff, and student employees of the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) and to all financial obligations and payments due or made to the UH-System by the employees.
2. DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this document, the following definitions apply:
2.1 Applicant: A person applying for employment that has never been on the University of Houston System payroll; one whose employment with the university has been interrupted and who is applying for new employment; or an employee applying for renewal or extension of appointment or promotion to a new position within the University.
2.2 Employee: Any person employed to perform a service for the university and paid through the university payroll system--regardless of whether the person is staff or faculty, full-time or part-time, temporary or permanent, or holds student status.
2.3 Delinquent debt: Any obligation to the university that is not paid by the due date indicated on the billing statement, letter, citation, and/or financial suspension hold.
2.4 Financial obligations: Any debt owed to the University of Houston-Downtown, which includes but is not limited to payment for parking permits; parking fines; purchases of goods from university departments; payment for tuition, fees, library fines; Health Center or Counseling and Testing charges; travel advances; personal checks submitted for cash; checks that are returned unpaid by the financial institution; and reimbursement to the university for any erroneous payment to the employee.
2.5 Master Check List: The list, maintained by Student Accounting, of persons who have submitted two checks to the university that have been returned unpaid by the financial institution or one check which is not made good within 10 days.
2.6 Payment plan or payment agreement: An agreement arranged with the university by Student Accounting for regular payment of tuition debt over a defined period of time.
2.7 Returned check: A check presented in payment or for cash that is returned unpaid to the university by the financial institution for insufficient funds, because the account has been closed, the account number is invalid, or because a stop payment has been issued after goods or services have been delivered or the services rendered.
3. POLICY
3.1 University employees are required to satisfy their financial obligations to the UH-System in a timely fashion. Employee financial obligations include payment for parking permits; payment for parking citations or towing; purchases of goods or services from university departments; payment for tuition, fees, library fines, Health Center charges; any personal checks submitted for payment; or any other financial obligation to the university incurred by the employee.
3.2 Applicants for employment at UHD and current UHD employees applying for new positions within UHD will not be approved unless and until any delinquent debt to the UH-System is paid.
4. PROCEDURES
4.1 Applicants for employment at UHD and UHD employees applying for new positions.
4.1.1 Before an offer of employment is made by Human Resources (HR) to any applicant, university debt records should be verified through the Cashiers' Office to ascertain whether the applicant has delinquent UH-System debt. If delinquent debt is discovered, the offer should not be made unless and until the delinquent debt is paid. HR should notify the applicant that the offer cannot be made because of the outstanding debt to UHD.
4.1.2 If the prospective employee has a valid payment plan in effect with UHD Student Accounting, employment may be granted as long as the payments are up to date.
4.1.3 If a debt exists, it is the responsibility of the applicant to contact the Cashiers' Office and pay any delinquent debt to the university before employment related action can proceed.
4.1.4 Upon payment of the debt in full, all holds will be removed from the account. HR may then proceed with the hiring offer to the applicant.
4.2 Employees with Returned Checks
4.2.1 Checks may be accepted from employees in payment for goods, services, fees, fines or for cashing (up to $50) with two pieces of identification: a University of Houston-Downtown student, staff, or faculty I.D. and a driver's license. (If the individual writing the check does not have a driver's license, a picture I.D. issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety, or a passport may be accepted as the second identification. A driver's license alone is adequate identification if the individual is providing payment for which university status is not required.) The check writer's driver's license number is required on the face of the check along with the Employee ID number and office extension. The Student Account Specialist accepting the check is required to review the employee's account to verify that the employee has check-writing privileges.
4.2.2 Under certain circumstances, Texas statute defines theft as the writing and/or presenting of a check against insufficient funds or a closed account or the issuance of a stop payment after goods or services have been delivered. If an employee presents a check to the university that is returned unpaid by the employee's bank, the following will occur:
a. Within one week of receipt of the unpaid check, Student Accounting will notify the employee by certified mail and email with "read receipt" that the check was returned and for what reason(s); e.g., "nonsufficient funds," "account closed," or "stop payment."
b. The employee is then required to redeem the check within ten calendar days of the date of the notice at the Cashier's Office. Cash, cashier's check, travelers' check, or money order must be used to redeem the check.
c. A returned check charge of no less than $20.00 will be assessed to the employee at that time.
d. An employee who fails to make the returned check good within the ten-day time frame may have the following sanctions applied:
4.2.2.d.1 Immediate loss of check-writing privileges until the check is redeemed.
4.2.2.d.2 Suspension of any favorable personnel actions such as promotion, transfer, etc.
4.2.2.d.3 The transmittal of the check to the District Attorney or Justice of the Peace for possible prosecution. The employee will be liable for all collection and legal fees.
4.2.3 An employee who presents two checks to the university within one year that are subsequently returned unpaid by the bank (regardless of whether they are made good within the ten-day period) will be entered on the Master Check List and will forfeit his/her check writing privileges for one year. Persons whose names appear on the Master Check List must provide payment to the university by cash, credit card, money order, or cashier's check until they qualify for removal from the list. A check writer may petition the Director of Student Business Services for removal of his/her name one year after the first check has been made good, assuming the second one has also been redeemed. Instructions for petitioning for removal of one's name are available from the Cashiers' Office.
4.2.4 Any subsequent check submitted to the university that is returned unpaid will result in permanent suspension of that employee's check-writing privileges.
4.3 Employees with Delinquency Debt:
4.3.1 Employees may incur financial obligations to the University for goods, services, fees, fines, or erroneous payments by the university to the employee. Examples include parking permits; parking fines; library fines; or tuition, fees.
4.3.2 If the financial obligation is due to an overpayment of payroll, the overpayment will be deducted from a subsequent payroll payment.
4.3.3 Upon failure to pay for such obligations by the due date, the employee's account will reflect that it is delinquent, and the employee delinquent account information is made available to HR.
4.3.4 When an employee debt becomes delinquent, the following actions will be initiated:
4.3.4.a A hold may be placed on the employee's PeopleSoft financial record.
4.3.4.b HR will not approve a university award or any favorable personnel action that results in increased status and financial benefit for an employee whose account indicates delinquent debt, unless and until the debt is cleared. Delinquent tuition debt with UHD may be paid to the Cashiers' Office. All other delinquencies must be rectified with the department or UHS component that the debt is applicable to.
4.3.4.c For UHD tuition debt the employee will be contacted by Student Accounting, informing the employee of the requirement to pay or be subject to the university sanctions outlined in this policy document. A Notification of Delinquent University Debt email, a copy of the employee's account statement and/or additional information that can be provided regarding the debt, and a link to this policy document will be provided at that time.
4.3.4.d If the employee disagrees with the debt he/she may appeal by contacting the Director of Student Business Services who will research the account and provide final determination.
4.3.4.e Thirty days after the second notification by Student Accounting, if the delinquent debt has not been paid in full or if an approved payment plan is not in effect, the delinquent debts may be referred to a collection agency and a credit bureau. The employee will be responsible for all collection fees and fines assessed at that point.
5. REVIEW PROCESS
Responsible Party: Vice President for Administration and Finance
Review: Every three years on or before July 1st.
Signed original on file in Human Resources.
6. POLICY HISTORY
Issue #1: 01/29/14
Issue #2: 05/15/19
7. REFERENCES
There are no references associated with this policy.