1.03.02 Compensation
1.03.02 Compensation (Revision 01/2023)
OVERVIEW
Amerimed payroll operates on two week pay cycles. Therefore, there are twenty-six (26) pay periods per year.
Each pay period includes two (2) weeks with each week calculated independently starting at 0000 hours on Sundays and ending at 2359 hours on Saturdays. Therefore, each pay period consists of week-1 (Sunday to Saturday) and week-2 (Sunday to Saturday)
For hourly associates, pay will be based on ACTUAL work hours during each pay week, not scheduled work time. Any time of more than 40 hours per week will be payable at overtime rate in accordance with contemporary state and federal labor laws. Overtime rate will be calculated at time and ½.
Time worked performing a job that is different than your normal assignment will be paid separately at a rate of pay assigned to that particular position. For example, if a Paramedic works a shift in the communications center as a Dispatcher, the Paramedic will be paid the appropriate wage for a Dispatcher, not a Paramedic.
While some associates are paid on an hourly basis, Amerimed also provides compensation plans for certain executive, managerial, and specialized roles that include salaries and/or commission-based pay.
SECTION A
The following mandatory deductions will be made from every associate’s gross wages: Federal Income Tax, Social Security Tax, Medicare Tax, State Tax (if applicable), and garnishments (if applicable).
All Associates must fill out and sign a federal withholding allowance certificate, IRS Form W-4, on or before his/her first day on the job. This form must be completed in accordance with federal regulations. The associate may fill out a new W-4 at any time when his/her circumstances change. Associates who paid no federal income tax for the preceding year and who expect to pay no income tax for the current year may fill out an Exemption Form Withholding Certificate, IRS Form W-4E. Associates are expected to comply with the instructions on Form W-4. Questions regarding the propriety of claimed deductions may be referred to the IRS in certain circumstances.
Every associated must complete a state income tax withholding certificate (if applicable), on or before his/her first day on the job. The form(s) must be completed in its entirety and in accordance with appropriate state guidelines.
Other optional deductions may include: associate’s portion of group health, dental and/or vision insurance premiums, 401K contribution, Supplemental/Optional Insurance premiums, reimbursements to Amerimed, and/or other optional company-sponsored fees.
Every associate will receive an annual Wage and Tax Statement, IRS Form W-2, for the preceding year on or before January 31. It is each associate’s responsibility to monitor their withholding settings for any given pay period to ensure it is correct as desired. Any associate who believes that his/her deductions are incorrect for any pay period, or on Form W-2, should check with Amerimed Administrative Services immediately.
Additional information for mandatory and voluntary payroll deductions can be found here 1.16.02 Payroll Deductions
SECTION B
Time Keeping
Associates will clock in and out using the Amerimed time & attendance system as per local directives. At no time should an associated ever clock in or out for another associate. Please see 3.4.1 Daily Operations Routine for detailed information.
Amerimed’s Time and Attendance System does not use “rounding” for calculating time worked. Amerimed’s system calculates actual time worked based on the elapsed time between actual clock-in and actual clock-out times to the 100th of a minute.
Clock-in grace period: Hourly Associates are authorized to clock-in up to 10 minutes prior to their scheduled shift start time. Supervisory approval is required to clock-in prior to 10 minutes before scheduled shift start time, and must be accompanied by an Associate Payroll Exception Form.
Tardies: Associates are considered tardy for any incidents in which their clock-in time is one or more minutes past their scheduled shift start time. Please see 1.01.02 Attendance/Tardiness for details related to Attendance.
Associates should clock in to assure management they are ready and available for the scheduled shift start time. Associates who are required to clock in early or late for operational reasons should complete an Associate Payroll Exception Form and have approval from his/her immediate supervisor. If associate is unable to clock in, associate must notify the on-duty shift commander as soon as possible.
If a shift commander is unavailable, the associated should contact the Division Manager as soon as possible. And, an Associate Payroll Exception Form should completed and provided to the Division Manager for processing.
Associates are encouraged to review their weekly work hours and provide a formal verification of their time for any given pay period. This will help to avoid any errors in pay based on work hour discrepancies. Any discrepancy in pay due to an associate’s neglect to clock in or out, failure to complete a Payroll Exception form, or failure to verify their time for each period, will require investigation. In these circumstances, corrections to pay will be made on the following pay period’s paycheck.
SECTION C
Holiday Pay
Hourly employees who are scheduled to work on certain federal (company approved) holidays may be eligible for additional compensation benefits. These holidays include New Year’s Day, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Compensation is equal to time and a half of the employee’s current hourly rate.
To qualify for holiday pay the employee must work between the hours of 00:00 – 23:59 on the specific holiday. Shifts that begin the day before and/or end the day after are only eligible for time and a half for the hours that fall on the actual holiday.
Salaried and commission-based associates are authorized to be away from work on company approved holidays without any deductions in their current PTO balance.
Hourly administrative/office and support staff have the option to not work on holidays but will not receive any compensation for that holiday. If they elect to work during a company approved holiday, he/she will receive time and a half pay rate.
“Hybrid” hourly associates, (employees that provide both field and office support service), are not typically required to work on approved holidays, and therefore, are not eligible to receive holiday pay.
SECTION D
Vacation and Sick Leave
Full time employees are eligible for compensation during vacation and/or sick leave provided they have met the policy requirements. See 1.20.2 Time Off.
SECTION E
Pay Method
Amerimed uses a payroll processing system that allows for Direct Deposit of pay for all associates. It is required that all associated provide bank account or an appropriate debit card account whereby their pay can be delivered electronically for each pay date.
If bank accounts are not available, the Associate will be required to provide a debit/credit card that contains bank routing and account numbers.
Associates that do not provide such means for electronic delivery of pay may be charged a $20 per paycheck fee for processing paychecks.
Pay is delivered on a bi-weekly Friday schedule by no later than 1700 hours local time, (but is usually delivered earlier via the direct deposit system).
SECTION F
T I P S Program
TIPS Program Purpose: A monetary profit-sharing system designed to provide Amerimed Associates the opportunity to receive weekly cash incentives (above and beyond their regular wages) for meeting baseline job expectations concerning attendance, performance and documentation requirements. Amerimed Senior Leadership considers the TIPS Program to be a monetary form of Associate recognition for performance at or above the minimum job expectations. TIPS is not earned. It is simply recognition for meeting minimum baseline job performance expectations in a given role within the Team.
Criteria to Receive Incentive: For each individual work week, defined as Sunday through Saturday, Associates will be eligible to receive the Profit-Sharing Incentive, based on the number of transports completed by each Associate, if the following requirements are met.
- Tardiness: Associates arrive to work on time and Clock-in on time for every shift. On time is defined as zero minutes past the scheduled start of your shift. For example, clocking in for a 0700-1900 shift at 0701 is considered tardy and will disqualify you for the entire week.
- Attendance: Associates work all assigned and / or regularly scheduled shifts in their entirety through the work week unless given permission to leave early by Amerimed Leadership (Shift Commander and up). Exceptions to this requirement are:
- Absences related to immediate family member crisis and / or bereavement
- Absences related to Military Leave
- Absences related to mandatory Jury Duty
- Absences related to a Work-Related Injury / Illness
- Absences related to properly approved and executed vacation time
- Documentation Requirements: Associates will have zero incidence of rejection by Amerimed Leadership or Patient Accounting Department of ePCR Documentation or missing critical supplemental documentation for any patient transport.
- Formal Corrective Action: Associates will have zero incidence of formal Corrective Action anytime during the applicable week.
Implementation Method: If all criteria noted above are met, Associates will receive a monetary Profit-Sharing Incentive for every transport completed during each week. The current incentive (payment) for each completed patient transport is $10.00 per transport. Any violations of the criteria noted above will result in the loss of the entire TIPS potential for that week. TIPS payments, when applicable, are added to Associates’ paychecks as a lump sum payment under the separate heading of “TIPS – Profit Share”.
- Example #1 – Assuming all qualifying criteria noted above are met, and an Associate completed an average of three (3) transports per 12-hour shift in each week, the Associate will see an additional $30.00 for each 12-hour shift completed in that week. This is equal to an additional $2.50 per hour ($30.00 / 12 hours). This could amount to a total payment of $210.00 per paycheck in a normal California Rotation where Associates work seven 12-hour shifts in a two-week pay period.
- Example #2 – Assuming all qualifying criteria noted above are met, and an Associate completed an average of five (5) transports per 12-hour shift in each week, the Associate will see an additional $50.00 for each 12-hour shift completed in that week. This is equal to an additional $4.17 per hour ($50.00 / 12 hours). This could amount to a total payment of $350.00 per paycheck in a normal California Rotation where Associates work seven 12-hour shifts in a two-week pay period.
Special Note: All incentive programs are at the discretion of Amerimed EMS Office of the Chief Executive (OCE) and should not be considered or included as part of any employment packages, terms, conditions, or otherwise. Any exceptions to the loss of TIPS can and will be applied in circumstances outside Associates’ control. Additionally, General Managers may appeal to Senior Leadership for additional exceptions on a case-by-case basis.