Recording Communications

This chapter provides an overview of pension communications and discusses how to record pension communications.

Understanding Pension Communications

As a retiree, beneficiary, or QDRO alternate payee prepares to receive pension payments, you need to gather certain information, such as verification documents for birth dates and marital status, spousal waivers, and payment elections. As you work with a payee to produce a final calculation, you need to keep records of your interactions.

Pension Administration provides two methods for tracking pension-related communications:

Activity lists for administrative processes that require you to perform a standard set of tasks.

For example, you might set up a retirement activity list that includes the tasks (or “activities”) you must perform when a person retires. When Onslow retires, you create a checklist for him by copying the standard retirement checklist. You use Onslow's checklist to keep track of the activities required to process his retirement. As you complete each activity, you can check it off, make comments, and add the date.

You can keep several activity lists for a single employee. For example, when Onslow dies, you can create a checklist to manage his death-related activities.
General comments pages for free-form comments.

For example, you might add a comment about a conversation you have with Edith about the amount of her pension.

Recording Pension Communications

This section lists the pages used to record pension communications and discusses how to:

Set up activity lists
Enter general comments

Pages Used to Record Pension Communications

Page Name	Object Name	Navigation	Usage
Activity List	PA_RT_EMP_LIST	Pension, Pension Information, Assign Activity List, Activity List	Set up a checklist for an employee's pension activity.
General Comment	PA_RT_EMP_CMNT	Pension, Pension Information, Capture Comments, General Comment	Record general pension-related comments.

Setting Up Activity Lists

Access the Activity List page.

ID and Rcd#

You maintain an activity list using the ID and the record number (job record). This means that if, for example, a retiree has two retiree jobs, one for a salaried plan and one for a supplemental executive plan, you can establish activity lists under both. This enables you to track activities that must be performed for each plan—for example, recording the optional form selection and tax withholding elections.

Activity List

Select a list from the standard lists that your organization uses.

Note. You use the Define Activity Lists (PA_RT_ACTIVITY) - Activity Lists page to create or modify an activity list.

Activity

An activity list includes a list of activities. When you select an activity list, all the activities that it includes appear.

Completed

Select this check box for an activity when you complete the activity.

Date Completed

When you complete an activity, enter the completion date.

Comment

Use the Comment text box to record comments about an activity.

Your company may have separate activity list for tasks that are performed only once, regardless of the number of plans in which a payee participates. These are activities such as verifying birth dates and marriages. This way, you do not have to check off those activities for each plan. If your company uses such a list, always set it up for a payee under a default job—for example, the active employment record (Rcd#). This makes it easy to find, regardless of the number of plans from which a payee receives benefits.

Entering General Comments

Access the General Comment page.

Benefit Plan and Calc Name

These fields enable you to prompt for the names of your plans and the calculations you have run. You do not have to enter values in these fields if a comment is not related to a specific plan or calculation.

Create Payee

Click this button to transfer to the Create Payee page to establish payee records for retirees, beneficiaries, and QDRO alternate payees.

Payment Schedule

Click this button to transfer to the Payee Payment Schedule page to schedule recurring pension payments.

Adjust Schedule

Click this button to transfer to the Payee Adjustment Schedule page to schedule one-time pension payments.

DRO

Click this button to transfer to the Record DRO page to track receipt of domestic relations orders (DROs) from the court.

Unlike activity lists, general comments are not associated with job numbers. This enables you to keep one uninterrupted log of your interactions with payees.

ID and Rcd#	You maintain an activity list using the ID and the record number (job record). This means that if, for example, a retiree has two retiree jobs, one for a salaried plan and one for a supplemental executive plan, you can establish activity lists under both. This enables you to track activities that must be performed for each plan—for example, recording the optional form selection and tax withholding elections.
Activity List	Select a list from the standard lists that your organization uses. Note. You use the Define Activity Lists (PA_RT_ACTIVITY) - Activity Lists page to create or modify an activity list.
Activity	An activity list includes a list of activities. When you select an activity list, all the activities that it includes appear.
Completed	Select this check box for an activity when you complete the activity.
Date Completed	When you complete an activity, enter the completion date.
Comment	Use the Comment text box to record comments about an activity.

Benefit Plan and Calc Name	These fields enable you to prompt for the names of your plans and the calculations you have run. You do not have to enter values in these fields if a comment is not related to a specific plan or calculation.
Create Payee	Click this button to transfer to the Create Payee page to establish payee records for retirees, beneficiaries, and QDRO alternate payees.
Payment Schedule	Click this button to transfer to the Payee Payment Schedule page to schedule recurring pension payments.
Adjust Schedule	Click this button to transfer to the Payee Adjustment Schedule page to schedule one-time pension payments.
DRO	Click this button to transfer to the Record DRO page to track receipt of domestic relations orders (DROs) from the court.