The West Virginia Employee Suggestion Award Board has changed the procedural rules governing the Employee Suggestion Award Program. The new rules went into effect on July 6.

The Board voted to modify the rules to streamline the application and review process and to better monitor the number of suggestions that have been submitted and are under review by state agencies, according to a June 30 letter to Supreme Court Administrator Steve Canterbury from Denny Rhodes, a Board staff member.

Provisions relating to idea counselors and departmental awards committees have been eliminated. Agency heads may choose to retain counselors or departmental awards committees for internal review of suggestions, but the procedural rules no longer require suggestions to be reviewed by them.

Suggestions are now initially sent directly from the employee to the Board. Board staff members then forward suggestions to the appropriate department heads for processing.

Agencies now have sixty days to evaluate suggestions and submit a report to the Board. The report must include a recommendation about whether the Board should make an award, and the report must estimate the savings that could be expected if the suggestion is implemented.

The Board also has made some changes in employee eligibility. The Board may postpone reviewing a suggestion if the employee making it is under suspension or investigation for misconduct as a result of conduct related to his or her employment. Also, the Board may consider an employee ineligible for an award if the employee is involuntarily terminated as a result of misconduct after an award has been submitted.

The Procedural Rules are available at http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Joint/EMPSUG/ESAB_rules.pdf.

The Employee Suggestion Award gives monetary or honorary awards to state employees if their suggestions are adopted and result in substantial savings or improvements in state operations.

Monetary awards are based on the first year's estimated savings after the suggestion has been fully implemented. The award amount is up to twenty percent of the first year's savings, with a maximum award of $10,000. For example, if a suggestion is implemented and saves an agency $5,000 in the first year, the employee is eligible for an award of up to $1,000.

All West Virginia state government employees are eligible to participate, as are former state employees who submitted suggestions prior to leaving state government employment.

Employees not eligible include those who make a suggestion that would be considered a normal part of their duties and responsibilities, some supervisory employees, and state employees convicted of a felony connected with state government employment.

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