Eligibility
Have you completed all four core area assessments and all four functional area assessments?
If YES, you are eligible to apply for a Full Certification.
If NO, you are not yet eligible to apply for Full Certification.
In other words, when you successfully complete all four core and all four functional areas you are eligible to apply for your Initial Monthly Differential Pay.
To retain Full Certification (Recertification), which includes the continuation of your monthly differential pay, have you successfully completed 20 credit service hours and enrolled in the re-certification assessment by your re-certification date?
If YES, you are eligible to apply to retain your Full Certification.
If NO, you are not yet eligible to apply to retain your Full Certification.
In other words, to retain full certification, you must complete and document 20 credit service hours every two years and must successfully complete a re-certification assessment every two years.
Applying for Initial Full Certification Monthly Differential Pay
Monthly differential payments are made to fully certified participants for a period of 24 months. Application must be submitted by the applicant, approved by the Certification Program office, and sent to DHS-HRM Classification/Compensation, before forwarding to DHS payroll by the first week of the month. The monthly differential payment becomes effective the pay period following after the 45 days and approval of the proper authority.
When you are applying for your last Functional Area skill-based pay (refer to CSQuest article Functional Area Certification and Skill-Based Payments), you need to decide if you also want to apply for your initial Full Certification with monthly differential pay.
Application
(1) Complete and email the Monthly Differential and Recertification Application. This can be emailed at the same time or shortly thereafter as your last Functional Area Skill-Based Pay Application.
(2) Complete the application, which is self-explanatory, with required e-signatures as indicated on the application. Required signatures are your signature and your Managing Attorney’s or District Attorney’s signature. After you sign, please click on the “envelope” icon at top of page to send it on to your Managing Attorney or District Attorney. They or you can then click on the Submit button (under Routing) on the bottom right to send the application on to the Certification Program Office.
(3) You should make sure you keep a copy of your email that you send to the Certification Program Office.
(4) If approved, the Certification Office will wait until 45 days has passed since the last Skill-Based Payment has been received. This wait is necessary to ensure the accuracy of the payment process for the monthly differential.
Applying for Recertification and Monthly Differential Pay
After initial certification, every two years participants will take one comprehensive test on the four functional areas, and they just have 20 documented credit hours of service as a subject matter expert. The monthly differential application is submitted to the appropriate authority. The monthly differential payment becomes effective the pay period following the approval the proper authority.
Participants must re-certify by the end of two years to continue receiving differential pay. The differential will automatically end upon the completion of the two years if DHS-HRM has not been notified of the participant’s recertification. The completed and approved application must be submitted to DHS-HRM one month prior to the expiration of the participant’s recertification.
Application and Documentation
(1) Throughout the two years since your initial certification, you should keep track of your service credit hours using the Recertification Service Credit Hour Documentation Form. The form also tells you the accepted sources for services hours. This completed form can be emailed with the Monthly Differential and Recertification Application or any time prior to the application being sent.
(2) Complete and email the Monthly Differential and Recertification Application along with a copy of your Recertification Assessment confirmation email from OU.
(3) Complete the application and the documentation form, which are self-explanatory, with required e-signatures as indicated on the forms. Required signatures are your signature and your Managing Attorney’s or District Attorney’s signature. After you sign, please click on the “envelope” icon at top of page to send it on to your Managing Attorney or District Attorney. They or you can then click on the Submit button (under Routing) on the bottom right to send the application on to the Certification Program Office.
(4) You should make sure you keep a copy of your email(s) that you send to the Certification Program Office.