Overview
VA Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) Agreements serve as an assignment agreement that constitutes a written record of the obligations and responsibilities of the parties to a temporary assignment arranged under the provisions of the Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970. All parties must adhere to this procedure in order to expedite the process in a consistent and timely manner. IPA agreements must be signed and submitted to the VA prior to the agreement start date in order to avoid a reduction in the employee's salary for the day(s). lost due to late execution and submission. The procedure for these agreements is outlined below.
Origination
- IPA Agreements are produced by the VA, and the employee's salary is paid at the Vanderbilt rate based on their Personnel Action Form (PAF).
- Potential IPA Employees must first be employed at Vanderbilt for at least ninety (90) days before they are eligible.
- Per Federal regulations, an IPA employee must be on a sixty (60) day break after being employed for three (3) years.
- The VA produces 6 original agreements and routes them to the Department Business Officer to obtain the Employee's signature on all (6) original Agreements.
Departmental Responsibilities
- New Agreement -- If request is a new IPA Agreement, the Department Business Officer must submit a signed Center Number Request form to OCM
- Renewal -- Annual review/renewal notices are routed to the Department Business Officer two months (60 days) prior to the end of the current performance period.
- If the agreement will renew, the Departmental Business Officer should submit to OCM a PEER Contract Request for the renewal period. Be sure to choose "Renewal" in PEER and to provide the VUMC number of the contract.
- If the agreement will not renew, the Department Business Officer should submit to OCM written confirmation via e-mail, or respond to the PEER expiration notice, and to the VA, Attention: Debra Moore at the VA, requesting termination.
- Review & Signature Routing -- Once the Department Business Officer receives the original agreements, route all six originals, as well as the Transmittal Form, to OCM, Attention: Sonja McCord. OCM will coordinate Finance's review.
OCM Responsibilities
- OCM will review the Agreement after the original IPA Agreements, and approval from Finance, have been received.
- Signature Process
- After internal review and approval has been obtained, OCM will route all 6 originals to Libby Salberg or her designee for institutional official signature.
- Once institutional official signature has been obtained, and prior to the start date of the agreement, OCM will routes all 6 originals to Debra Moore at the VA.
- After the agreement is fully executed (signed by both Vanderbilt and the VA), the VA will send an original back to OCM for filing, and a PDF will be sent to Department of Finance.
Required Forms
- Signed Transmittal Form
- Signed Center Request Form
- 6 IPA Agreement originals