PBJ Requires Hours Worked and Paid!

staffdatacollection@ahca.org

The deadline for nursing centers to gather and submit Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data for the first mandatory quarter is November 14, 2016. As you get ready, it’s important to remember that the system requires the reporting of hours per day and per employee that are worked. It’s also important to keep in mind that the employee must be paid for all of the hours reported.

Here are a few other things to keep in mind: 

1) Are facilities required to report hours paid or hours worked?

• Facilities (SNF/NF) will report hours paid for services performed onsite for the residents of the facility, with the exception of paid time off (e.g., vacation, sick leave, lunch, etc.). For example, if a salaried employee works 10 hours but is only paid for 8 hours, only 8 hours should be reported

2) I know that only the hours paid for a salaried employee shall be submitted. Can you clarify if I can submit the hours for an extra shift that my salaried employee works, if I pay them a bonus for these additional hours?

• The hours may be reported under the following conditions: The payment must be directly correlated to the hours worked and must be distinguishable from other payments. (e.g., cannot be a performance-based or holiday bonus). Additionally, the bonus payment must be reasonable compensation for the services provided.

3) When considering reporting, realize that you can report fractions of time as follows.

• Fractions of time should be reported under the following protocol that converts from minutes to tenths of an hour:

• 1 to 6 Minutes = 0.1 
• 7 to 12 Minutes = 0.2 
• 13 to 18 Minutes = 0.3 
• 19 to 24 Minutes = 0.4 
• 25 to 30 Minutes = 0.5 
• 31 to 36 Minutes = 0.6 
• 37 to 42 Minutes = 0.7 
• 43 to 48 Minutes = 0.8 
• 49 to 54 Minutes = 0.9 
• 55 to 60 Minutes = 1.0

As always, consult the PBJ Policy Manual, FAQs, etc., for more information. Questions can always be sent to staffdatacollection@ahca.org.