Settlement and Judgment Processing Guidelines

Processing Instructions for the Payment of Settlements and Judgments

Step	Action
1	The attorney general’s office (OAG) sends a letter to the paying agency requesting: An agency settlement (approval) letter A completed Comptroller’s office-approved purchase voucher A warrant distribution instruction memo A settlement/judgment coding block (use only if the settlement/judgment is over $250,000) For specific examples, see Sample Purchase Voucher and Sample Warrant Distribution Instruction Memo and the Settlements or Judgments Coding Block Form (74-218).
2	The purchase voucher is signed by an authorized employee of the paying agency verifying: The rate of interest and the date through which interest accrues are listed on the purchase voucher when a judgement orders interest to be paid. The paying agency has ensured the payee is set up correctly in the Texas Identification Number System (TINS).
3	The paying agency enters the payment in the Uniform Statewide Accounting System (USAS) using Document Type 9 (or Document Type 5 for payroll): Enter N (not confidential), S (some confidential) or Y (confidential) in the `CONFIDENTIAL INDICATOR (CONF)` field. If this field is left blank, it will default to an N (not confidential). Enter R in the `PAYMENT DISTRIBUTION TYPE (PDT)` field to generate a paper warrant. If a PDT other than R is entered in this field, USAS will override the entry and force an R. Enter 225 (Purchase) or 874, 875, 876, 877 (Payroll)– — some of the payroll T-codes may not apply to every payroll settlement/judgment. Balance and release the batch. The paying agency employee submitting the payment in USAS enters his or her name and phone number on the purchase voucher. Note: Agencies are responsible for determining how the payment will be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Specific USAS comptroller objects are used to record settlement and judgment payments. See Settlement and Judgment Comptroller Objects for the objects and their descriptions. When a settlement or judgement includes compensation that is wage-related (i.e. back wages, etc.), the agency must process a payroll document and complete the Settlement and Judgment Payroll Processing form (74-232). The deductions should also be entered in the `Amount` field on the purchase voucher.
4	The paying agency forwards the following to the OAG once an agreement to settle the claim has been reached: Purchase/payroll voucher for each payee Agency settlement (approval) letter Warrant distribution instruction memo Settlement/judgment coding block (if applicable)
5	The OAG submits the documents and settlement agreement/judgment to the governor for approval: If approved by the governor, the settlement/judgment package is forwarded to the Comptroller’s office for auditing. If approved by the Comptroller’s office, the Comptroller’s office enters Action Code 550 (“Approved by Audit”) into USAS for payment. The paying agency can review the USAS Document Tracking (S037) screen to verify when the document was approved.
6	In compliance with the warrant distribution memo, the warrants are delivered by courier to the OAG the next business day after the Comptroller’s office approves the document.
7	The purchase voucher and settlement/judgment documents are filed with the Comptroller’s office until the required retention period expires.