SECTION 260:25-7-6. Sign-on pay incentive

(a)   Appointing Authorities may implement a pay incentive for the following individuals who are appointed to positions in job families for which there are critical recruitment and retention problems as identified by the Appointing Authority [74:840-1.6A(11)]:

(1)   individuals not currently employed in state government;

(2)   Carl Albert Executive Fellows and other professional trainees and students employed pursuant to paragraphs 10 and 11(a) and (b) of Section 840-5.5(A) of Title 74 of the Oklahoma Statutes; or

(3)   individuals employed pursuant to the Cooperative Engineering Trainee Program.

(b)   Appointing Authorities who choose to implement the pay incentive shall file a plan with the Office of Management and Enterprise Services which contains information related to the implementation of the pay incentive within the agency. The plan shall provide documentation of the critical recruitment and retention problems and shall include a project description, specific prerequisites that each employee shall meet in order to receive the pay incentive, and information concerning the funding of the incentive from the agency's existing budget. The plan shall be signed by the Appointing Authority, and this signature requirement may not be delegated. No payment shall be made under this Section until the plan has been reviewed and accepted by the Administrator.

(c)   The pay incentive shall not exceed $5,000.00 and is payable to eligible individuals as a lump sum payment or in two equal payments during the first six months of state employment. Former state employees may be eligible for the pay incentive following a break-in-service of at least 180 days.

(d)   To receive the pay incentive, an eligible individual shall be required to sign an agreement form acknowledging that the individual is obligated to repay the entire incentive, including tax withholdings on the incentive, if the individual leaves state employment or accepts employment with another state agency within 1 year after he or she receives the pay incentive. Appointing Authorities may use the agreement form developed by the Administrator or any other agreement form which is consistent with the provisions of this Section.

(e)   An individual may receive only one sign-on pay incentive during his or her state employment.

[Source: Added at 31 Ok Reg 1346, eff 9-12-14; Amended at 34 Ok Reg 1240, eff 9-11-17]