[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80326-80327]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32875]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 247 / Friday, December 23, 2011 /
Notices
[[Page 80326]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket Number FSIS-2011-0029]
RIN 0583-AD40
2012 Rate Changes for the Basetime, Overtime, Holiday, and
Laboratory Services Rates
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMMARY: The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing
the 2012 rates that it will charge meat and poultry establishments, egg
products plants, and importers and exporters for providing voluntary,
overtime, and holiday inspection and identification, certification, and
laboratory services. The 2012 basetime, overtime, holiday, and
laboratory services rates will be applied on the first FSIS pay period
at the beginning of the calendar year, January 1, 2012.
DATES: FSIS will charge the rates announced in this notice beginning
January 1, 2012.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact
Michael Toner, Director, Budget Division, Office of Management, FSIS,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 2159 South Building, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700; telephone (202)
720-8700, fax (202) 690-4155.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On April 12, 2011, FSIS published a final rule amending its
regulations to establish formulas for calculating the rates that it
charges meat and poultry establishments, egg products plants, and
importers and exporters for providing voluntary, overtime, and holiday
inspection and identification, certification, and laboratory services
(76 FR 20220).
In the final rule, FSIS stated that it would use the formulas to
calculate the annual rates, publish the rates in Federal Register
notices prior to the start of each calendar year, and apply the rates
on the first FSIS pay period at the beginning of the calendar year.
This notice provides the 2012 rates, which will be applied starting
on January 1, 2012.
2012 Rates and Calculations
The following table lists the 2012 Rates, per hour, per employee,
by type of service:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
2012 Rate
(estimates
rounded to
Service reflect
billable
quarters)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basetime................................................ $ 54.24
Overtime................................................ 68.32
Holiday................................................. 82.40
Laboratory.............................................. 67.36
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSIS determined the 2012 rates using the following calculations:
Basetime Rate = The quotient of dividing the Office of Field
Operations (OFO) plus Office of International Affairs (OIA) inspection
program personnel's previous fiscal year's regular direct pay by the
previous fiscal year's regular hours, plus that quotient multiplied by
the calendar year's percentage of cost of living increase, plus the
benefits rate, plus the travel and operating rate, plus the overhead
rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate.
The calculation for the 2012 basetime rate per hour per program
employee is:
[FY 2011 OFO and OIA Regular Direct Pay divided by the previous fiscal
year's Regular Hours ($462,961,483/16,749,338)] = $27.64 + ($27.64 *
1.9% (calendar year 2011 Cost of Living Increase)) = $28.17 +
$8.63(benefits rate) + $.75 (travel and operating rate) + $16.68
(overhead rate) + $.02 (bad debt allowance rate) = $54.24.
Overtime Rate = The quotient of dividing the Office of Field
Operations (OFO) plus Office of International Affairs (OIA) inspection
program personnel's previous fiscal year's regular direct pay by the
previous fiscal year's regular hours, plus that quotient multiplied by
the calendar year's percentage of cost of living increase, multiplied
by 1.5, plus the benefits rate, plus the travel and operating rate,
plus the overhead rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate.
The calculation for the 2012 overtime rate per hour per program
employee is:
[FY 2011 OFO and OIA Regular Direct Pay divided by previous fiscal
year's Regular Hours ($462,961,483/16,749,338)]= $27.64 + ($27.64 *
1.9% (calendar year 2011 Cost of Living Increase)) =$28.17 * 1.5 =
$42.25 + $8.63(benefits rate) + $.75 (travel and operating rate) +
$16.68 (overhead rate) + $.02 (bad debt allowance rate) = $68.32.
Holiday Rate = The quotient of dividing the Office of Field
Operations (OFO) plus Office of International Affairs (OIA) inspection
program personnel's previous fiscal year's regular direct pay by the
previous fiscal year's regular hours, plus that quotient multiplied by
the calendar year's percentage of cost of living increase, multiplied
by 2, plus the benefits rate, plus the travel and operating rate, plus
the overhead rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate.
The calculation for the 2012 holiday rate per hour per program
employee calculation is:
[FY 2010 OFO and OIA Regular Direct Pay divided by Regular Hours
($462,961,483/16,749,338)] = $27.64 + ($27.64 * 1.9% (calendar year
2011 Cost of Living Increase)) = $28.17 * 2 = $56.33 + $8.63(benefits
rate) + $.75 (travel and operating rate) + $16.68 (overhead rate) +
$.02 (bad debt allowance rate) = $82.41 (rounded to $82.40).
Laboratory Services Rate = The quotient of dividing the Office of
Public Health Science (OPHS) previous fiscal year's regular direct pay
by the OPHS previous fiscal year's regular hours, plus the quotient
multiplied by the calendar year's percentage cost of living increase,
plus the benefits rate, plus the travel and operating rate, plus the
overhead rate, plus the allowance for bad debt rate.
The calculation for the 2012 laboratory services rate per hour per
program employee is:
[FY 2011 OPHS Regular Direct Pay/OPHS Regular hours ($23,425,344/
578,026)] = $40.53 + ($40.53 * 1.9%
[[Page 80327]]
(calendar year 2011 Cost of Living Increase)) = $41.30 + $8.63
(benefits rate) + $.75 (travel and operating rate) + $16.68 (overhead
rate) + $.02 (bad debt allowance rate) = $67.37 (rounded to $67.36).
Calculations for the Benefits, Travel and Operating, Overhead, and
Allowance for Bad Debt Rates
These rates are components of the basetime, overtime, holiday, and
laboratory services rates formulas.
Benefits Rate: The quotient of dividing the previous fiscal year's
direct benefits costs by the previous fiscal year's total hours
(regular, overtime, and holiday), plus that quotient multiplied by the
calendar year's percentage cost of living increase. Some examples of
direct benefits are health insurance, retirement, life insurance, and
Thrift Savings Plan basic and matching contributions.
The calculation for the 2012 benefits rate per hour per program
employee is:
[FY 2011 Direct Benefits/(Total Regular hours + Total Overtime hours +
Total Holiday hours) ($166,026,487/19,605,254)] = $8.47 + ($8.47 * 1.9%
(calendar year 2012 Cost of Living Increase) = $8.63.
Travel and Operating Rate: The quotient of dividing the previous
fiscal year's total direct travel and operating costs by the previous
fiscal year's total hours (regular, overtime, and holiday), plus that
quotient multiplied by the calendar year's percentage of inflation.
The calculation for the 2012 travel and operating rate per hour per
program employee is:
[FY 2011 Total Direct Travel and Operating Costs/(Total Regular hours +
Total Overtime hours + Total Holiday hours) ($14,478,697/19,605,254)] =
$.74 + ($.74 * 1.6% (2012 Inflation) = $.75.
Overhead Rate: The quotient of dividing the previous fiscal year's
indirect costs plus the previous fiscal year's information technology
(IT) costs in the Public Health Data Communication Infrastructure
System Fund plus the previous fiscal year's Office of Management
Program cost in the Reimbursable and Voluntary Funds plus the provision
for the operating balance less any Greenbook costs (i.e., costs of USDA
support services prorated to the service component for which fees are
charged) that are not related to food inspection by the previous fiscal
year's total hours (regular, overtime, and holiday) worked across all
funds, plus that quotient multiplied by the calendar year's percentage
of inflation.
The calculation for the 2012 overhead rate per hour per program
employee is:
[FY 2011 Total Overhead/(Total Regular hours + Total Overtime hours +
Total Holiday hours)($321,859,390/19,605,254)] = $16.42 + ($16.42 *
1.6% (2012 Inflation) = $16.68.
Allowance for Bad Debt Rate = Previous fiscal year's total
allowance for bad debt (for example, debt owed that is not paid in full
by plants and establishments that declare bankruptcy) divided by
previous fiscal year's total hours (regular, overtime, and holiday)
worked.
The 2012 calculation for bad debt rate per hour per program
employee is:
[FY 2011 Total Bad Debt/(Total Regular hours + Total Overtime hours +
Total Holiday hours) = ($330,639/19,605,254)] = $.02.
Additional Public Notification
FSIS will announce this document online through the FSIS Web page
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS
Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription
service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food
safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Email_Subscription/. Options range
from recalls to export information to regulations, directives and
notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have
the option to password protect their accounts.
Done at Washington, DC, on: December 19, 2011.
Alfred V. Almanza,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-32875 Filed 12-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P