Temporary Grant / Time-Limited Project Positions FAQs
OHR Home Page   jobs.sc.gov   Hot Topics Career Opportunities Employee Services Employer Services Training & Development Statistical Info How to Contact Us OHR Webmail Other Agencies State Employees Weather Alert Workforce Planning Sam Wilkins, Director 1201 Main Street Suite 800 Columbia, SC 29201 Phone: (803) 737-0900		References SC Code of Laws § 8-11-196 General Information Q: What are temporary grant positions? Why were they created and when? A: Temporary grant positions are non-full-time equivalent (FTE) positions established to perform work directly associated with federal grants, public charity grants, private foundation grants, or research grants. Temporary grant positions were originally created by a proviso in the FY 1990-91 Appropriation Act and were subsequently codified in the Code of Laws, Section 8-11-196. The position category provides state agencies with additional flexibility to hire and terminate employees responsible for performing grant work. Q: What are time-limited project positions? Why were they created and when? A: Time-limited project positions are non-FTE positions established to perform work directly associated with a time-limited project. The authority for time-limited project positions was added to the same proviso that created temporary grant positions in the FY 1995-96 Appropriation Act and were subsequently codified in the Code of Laws, Section 8-11-196. Time-limited projects are specific work products or services provided by one state agency to another state agency, local government, or other public or private entity over a specified time period as a contractual arrangement between the agencies. Q: How are these positions funded? A: For temporary grant positions, these funds will typically be Federal or Other Funds, but may include State dollars only if they are considered as a match to a Federal grant. For time-limited project positions, the funds may be Federal, State, or Other. Only funds authorized within the grant or time-limited project may be used to pay a temporary grant or time-limited project employee's salary and benefits. Q: Should agencies be required to post temporary grant or time-limited project position vacancies? A: Although agencies are not required by statute to post these positions, OHR always encourages agencies to post any vacant position to maximize its recruitment and selection opportunities. Q: Should agencies maintain job descriptions for these positions? A: Yes, agencies should maintain job descriptions for all positions for job documentation purposes as well as compliance with the American with Disabilities Act. Q: Are there any limitations on the length of employment for temporary grant and time-limited project positions? A: Temporary grant or time-limited project positions may not extend beyond the duration of the grant or time-limited project or any subsequent renewal of it; however, at the discretion of the public institutions of higher education, including the technical colleges and schools, grant generated revenue may be used to fund continued employment between the expiration of one grant and the subsequent renewal of the same or similar grant. State agencies must terminate all temporary grant or time-limited project employees and their positions at any time funding is terminated or should funds provided in the grant or time-limited project become insufficient to continue payment of the employee. Q: Can time in these positions be credited towards a probationary period? A: Yes, continuous satisfactory service in a temporary grant or time-limited project position may, at the discretion of the agency head or his designee, be counted toward the completion of the required probationary period for an FTE position. Q: Is time in a temporary grant or time-limited project position credited as state service time? A: State Human Resources Regulations defines "state service time" as the total employment time defined in years, months, and days in which an employee has served in a FTE position, including, part-time service. Only when time in a temporary grant or time-limited project position is counted toward completion of a probationary period, can the time be credited as state service time. Establishing Positions Q: How are temporary grant and time-limited project positions established? A: To establish temporary grant or time-limited project positions, the agency must submit a Grants and Contracts Review (GCR) form to the State Budget and Control Board's Office of State Budget (OSB) that either creates a new grant or time-limited project or extends or renews a current grant or time-limited project. The agency must also send a Request for Temporary Grant or Time-limited project position Action form along with the GCR form. The Request for Temporary Grant or Time-limited Project Position Action Form includes: The agency budget code and name; The type of action requested: new grant, new time-limited project, extension or renewal of a grant or project, or adding positions to a previously established grant or project; The control number for the grant or time-limited project; The grant or project title; The funding source; The grant or project beginning and ending date; and The positions to be established, including the class or unclassified state title code, number of positions, FLSA designation, hours per week, county code, and whether or not the position is in the agency's central office. (This part of the form is only necessary if establishing positions for a new grant or project, adding positions in conjunction with extending or renewing a grant or project, or adding positions to a previously established grant or project. Once the grant or time-limited project has been approved by OSB, the Request for Temporary Grant or Time-Limited Project Position Action form is sent to the Office of Human Resources (OHR). OHR's Operations Staff inputs the information into the Human Resources Information System (HRIS). An approved copy of the Request for Temporary Grant or Time-limited Project Position Action form is then sent to the agency. The Operations Staff also keeps a copy. Compensation and Classification Q: What determines how temporary grant or time-limited project employees are paid? A: The salary is set at the discretion of the agency, considering a number of factors, including the availability of funds in the grant or time-limited project. Temporary grant or time-limited project employees must be paid within the pay band associated with the position's comparable classification as defined by the agency. Q: What types of salary increases may temporary grant and time-limited project employees receive? A: Agencies have the flexibility to give salary increases to a temporary grant and time-limited project employee for any appropriate reason as long as the increases do not place the employee's salary above the maximum of the position's comparable pay band and the grant or time-limited project can fund the increase. However, the Annual Appropriation Act does not typically provide funds for these employees to receive general or merit increases. Q: How are classification and pay changes for these employees implemented in HRIS? A: Once a temporary grant or time-limited project position has been established, the agency reports all classification and compensation changes on HRIS. These changes are accomplished by using the Contract Re-negotiation (31) code. Performance Review Q: Does the Employee Performance Management System (EPMS) apply to temporary grant or time-limited project employees? A: Temporary grant and time-limited project employees are not covered by EPMS, but they should receive regular performance feedback. Leave Q: For what types of leave are temporary grant and time-limited project employees eligible? A: These employees may be eligible to receive all types of leave available to state employees in FTE positions, to include: Annual leave; Sick leave; Family Sick leave; Advancement of sick leave; Military leave; Court leave; Funeral leave; Adoption leave; American Red Cross Certified Disaster Service leave; Blood drive and donation leave; Bone marrow donor leave; Educational leave; Extended disability leave; Family Medical Leave Act leave; Hazardous weather and emergency leave; Sabbatical leave; Voting leave; Leave Without Pay; or Administrative leave. Temporary grant and time-limited project employees are not eligible to donate or receive leave from an agency's leave transfer pool. Q: Can leave be transferred from an FTE position to a temporary grant and time-limited project position or vice versa? A: If an employee in an FTE position chooses to accept employment in a temporary grant or time-limited project position, no annual or sick leave may transfer from the previously held position for use in the new temporary grant or time-limited project position. The agency should make a lump sum payment to the employee for any authorized unused annual leave at the end of employment in a FTE position. All accumulated sick leave is forfeited. Also, if a temporary grant or time-limited project employee moves to an FTE position, no annual or sick leave will transfer to the new FTE position. Therefore, annual or sick leave cannot be transferred between FTE and temporary grant and time-limited project positions. Q: Can leave be transferred between grants or time-limited projects? A: Leave may be transferred from one grant to another grant or from one time-limited project to another provided the receiving grant or time-limited project has the available funds to accept the liability of the employee leave balances from the previous grant or time-limited project and the transfer is acceptable to the grant or time-limited project source. Q: If an employee in a temporary grant or time-limited project position accepts employment in an FTE position, does the previous time in a temporary grant or time-limited project position count toward bonus leave accrual in an FTE position? A: If time spent in a temporary grant or time-limited project position is counted toward the completion of an employee's probationary period, it would result in an adjustment to that employee' performance review date and state service date, and count towards bonus leave accrual. Benefits Q: Are temporary grant and time-limited project employees eligible for benefits? A: Temporary grant or time-limited project employees may be eligible for benefits, excluding covered or probationary employment status, not to exceed those benefits available to state employees in FTE positions provided that such funds are available within the grant or time-limited project. Therefore, temporary grant and time-limited project employees are eligible for all, some, or none of the same benefits available to state employees in FTE positions. Q: Do these employees have grievance and reduction in force rights? A: Employees in temporary grant or time-limited project positions have no grievance rights or rights under reduction in force policies. Q: For what other types of benefits are temporary grant and time-limited project employees eligible? A: Temporary grant and time-limited project employees are covered by unemployment insurance and workers' compensation. In addition, agencies have the discretion to provide the same benefits received by employees in FTE positions, such as health insurance, dental insurance, holidays, retirement, life insurance, and long term care insurance. However, the funds for these benefits must come from the grant or time-limited project. Retirement Q: Are temporary grant and time-limited project employees required to participate in the South Carolina Retirement System? A: Temporary grant and time-limited project employees should be given the option of participating in the South Carolina Retirement System if the grant or time-limited project allows for the benefit. These employees, however, must continue membership with the Retirement System if the grant or time-limited project allows for fringe benefits and if the employee has contributions on deposit from previous employment. Bonuses Q: Are temporary grant and time-limited project employees eligible to receive bonuses? A: Temporary grant and time-limited project employees are eligible to receive bonuses within the State Budget and Control Board's guidelines for employee bonuses. The bonuses must be funded by the grant or time-limited project. Break in Service Q: What constitutes a break in service? A: An employee in an FTE position accepting employment a temporary grant or time-limited project position will experience a break in service and will not maintain continuous state service. [State Human Resources Regulation 19-707.04 (D)] Because temporary grant and time-limited project positions do not earn state service, the concept of a break in service does not apply to movement involving employees in temporary grant and time-limited project positions. Teacher and Employee Retention Incentive Program (TERI) Q: Can an employee participating in the Teacher and Employee Retention Incentive Program (TERI) move from an FTE position to a temporary grant or time-limited project position and vice versa? A: A TERI employee can move from an FTE position to a temporary grant or time-limited project position or from a temporary grant or time-limited project position to an FTE position. These employees should be advised that they would be subject to the policies and procedures of the new position. Please refer to the TERI Guidelines and the State Human Resources Regulations for further information regarding break in service.

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