We appreciate comments from panel attorneys about JCC’s recent announcement regarding the transition of Court Appointed Counsel payments from the State Controller’s Office (SCO) to ADP. The assistant director of a sister appellate project reached out to JCC personnel to share these concerns about the potential delay in payments. The following are highlights regarding the schedule:
- While the SCO issued payments three times a week, with a minimum of a five-business day turnaround (but often much longer, depending on staffing), ADP will send payments (either direct deposit or checks [“warrants”]) only once a week but with a two-day turnaround. The JCC expects this will result in panel attorneys generally actually receiving payments faster notwithstanding the once-a-week schedule.
- The way the schedule is designed to work is that the JCC will regularly submit to ADP on Thursdays the claims it has approved up through Wednesday of that week, with payments by ADP going out the following Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday).
During the transition period:
- Claims approved by the JCC and sent on to Accounting today (Friday, September 20) (having already been transmitted from the projects to the JCC by Wednesday earlier this week), will still go on to the SCO on Monday (September 23) for payment on Friday (September 27) at the earliest. After this point, the SCO will be out of the claim-payment loop.
- Monday, October 7, ADP will issue payments on claims approved by the JCC Monday, September 23, through Wednesday, October 2. [PLEASE NOTE: If the SCO were still in the picture under the old schedule, the claims approved by the JCC this coming Monday, September 23 (transmitted by the projects by yesterday or today), would be sent on to Accounting on September 25 (Wednesday), and then on to the SCO on September 26 or 27 (Thursday or Friday), with payments by the SCO on October 4, Friday (again at the earliest). Thus, the actual potential delay by reason of the transition to ADP is probably no more than a weekend.]
- Monday, October 14, ADP will issue payments on claims approved by the JCC Thursday, October 3, through Wednesday, October 9. Subsequent payments will thereafter continue to follow this same schedule.
CCAP will continue to process incoming compensation claims as expeditiously as possible. We hope this information assists you in understanding the new process.