Enter Employee Data

Under the Forms menu, click BA-4. This brings up a screen where you enter the identifying information of the employee. Each BA-4 is a separate action. If the information you entered matches a record in the RRB database, the BA-4 screen will appear with the employee’s service and compensation information pre-filled. Otherwise, you will receive a message telling you there is no matching record as described below.

No Matching Record

An employer cannot decrease service and compensation for an employee when there is no record that that employer ever reported service and compensation for that employee in that year. Therefore, we initially match the name and year that you entered, along with the BA number associated with your logon, to a record in our database. If a complete match is not found, a message will appear to that effect and ask if you want to continue with this account. If you choose to continue, you are limited to filing an increase.

There are three basic reasons why there may be no matching RRB record.

Enter Service and Compensation Data

The BA-4 screen will display the RRB record for the employee you are adjusting. Use this information to determine the correct adjustment. First select increase or decrease by clicking the appropriate radial button. To increase or decrease service months, click the buttons for the individual months. Enter the adjusted compensation amounts in the ‘Adjustment Amt’ boxes. The system will calculate the new totals and display them under ‘New Amt.’

Increase and Decrease Adjustment for Same Employee

You can process an increase and decrease adjustment for the same employee and year but you cannot process two or more increases or two or more decreases at the same time. It is expected that you will combine the multiple increases (or multiple decreases) into a single adjustment. When an adjustment already exists on the ERS system for the employee and year that you select, the system will alert to the existence of the prior adjustment.

System Edits of Your Data

When you enter an amount in a BA-4 adjustment field and press the Tab key, the screen will calculate the new amount and display it. When you press the Update key, the screen will edit the amounts. You will receive an error message if the new amount is over the maximum (See note in Getting Started.) or less than zero or the new Tier amounts are not in correct relation. When you close the error message, the cursor will be at the field that requires correction.

Checkbox for Sick Pay Paid

Generally, this box will be blank. If you are not sure whether to check this box, leave it blank. If the cumulative Tier II compensation exceeds the cumulative Tier I compensation, the system will provide you an error message. If Tier II compensation exceeds the Tier I compensation because sick pay was paid to the employee in an amount equal or greater than the amount shown with the check box, then check the box and the BA-4 compensation will be processed as entered.

BA-4 Adjustment Outside Statute of Limitations

Completion of this section is optional and applies only if the service and compensation year is more than four years prior to the current year. If the report year is more than four years prior to the current year and the report is being filed timely based on the payment date, indicate the type of payment by clicking the appropriate button. For a definition of the types of payments refer to Part IV.

Process Buttons

There are three buttons at the bottom of the BA-4 screen.

Update; click this to process the completed BA-4.
Reset; click this to clear your entries (pre-filled data will remain.)
Cancel; click this to exit the BA-4 process without filing a BA-4.

After a form has been updated, a user with approval authority will see two additional buttons.

Approve; click this to certify and file the BA-4 form with the RRB.
Delete; click this to delete the BA-4 form from the system. If a form is deleted, no record of it exists. The form cannot be recalled or re-instated. A user with Approval access, can change any data on a BA-4 but for security reasons, the BA-4 must be updated again before it can be approved.