January 9, 2025 — Performance awards, also sometimes called longevity payments, are annual lump sum payments typically given to PEF members who have been at the top of their salary grade for at least 5 years. Historically, performance awards of $1,250 were provided at five to nine -years at the top of one’s salary grade and performance awards of $2,500 were provided at 10 or more years at the top of one’s salary grade. With the ratification of the 2019-2023 PEF/State Collective Bargaining Agreement, the 5-year award was increased to $1,500, the 10-year award was increased to $3,000. In 2020, a $4,500 15-year award was added.
This year, in April 2025, additional changes are coming to performance awards that will put even more money in many PEF members’ pockets.
The major change deals with the eligibility criteria.
Instead of members becoming eligible as they reach five, 10 and 15 years at the top of their salary grade, members will now be eligible upon reaching 12 years of continuous state service. State service includes continuous years of service, regardless of whether a member was a part of PEF or not during those entire 12 years. This means members who were once part of different bargaining units, like CSEA, will be eligible for this new performance award criteria as long as they have the requisite years of state service.
“This is something that the Contract Team fought hard to achieve as many members have been promoted into the PEF unit and we didn’t want them to not have those years count,” said PEF Director of Contract Administration Debra Greenberg. “In addition, many members could have decades of State service but because of promotions, never received a performance award because they never reached five years at top of grade during their career. Now, we might have members going from never having received a longevity payment to receiving the 22-year $4,500 award!”
Members who have worked for the state for 12 continuous years as of March 31, 2025, will be eligible for performance awards in April 2025, provided they don’t have an unsatisfactory performance evaluation in the prior year. For members who have between 12 to 16 years of state service, the award is a $1,500 lump sum payment. For members with 17 to 21 years of service, the payment increases to $3,000 and for members with 22 years of service or more, the payment increases to $4,500.
Greenberg said that PEF members who were eligible for previous performance awards in 2024, which were based on the top salary grade requirement, will be “grandfathered” into the new system and will not lose their longevity payments even if they do not meet the new years of State service eligibility criteria.