Reference: Notices-WA State L&I

20 January 2011

RidgeStar (as a result of our business relationship with several Washington State Referee Chapters) is in possession of a letter issued today by Terry Fisher (CEO, Washington Youth Soccer) concerning the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries and the payment of premiums for completed Referee Assignments. We are also aware of subsequent correspondence issued in February 2011 containing further directions to Member Associations.

While the specific implementation within each Chapter and Youth Association may differ, depending upon the individual situation, it is RidgeStar's opinion that all Washington State based Referee Chapters should accomplish the following within their operation to comply with the implied requirements. Of course, these recommendations are restricted only to operational RidgeStar sites and their technical operation (each Chapter would be well advised to consult their own Accountant and/or Tax advisor for specific tax and reporting requirements that may apply).

Hours

As we understand the Letter's intent and, indeed, the applicable Washington State RCW statutes, the well organized Chapter should be able to report precisely when, where and for how long a specific Referee "worked" to satisfy an Assignment. Whether the resulting premiums are paid directly to the Department of Labor and Industries by the Chapter or via the contracting client, the ability to track and report on precise time involved in the Assignment is necessary.

Therefore, RidgeStar recommends the addition of a single numeric data field (Hours) to the related Accounting database table (where Match Report data is collected) that reflects the time required for the Referee to complete the Assignment. The availability of this information in the individual Accounting record provides for a very accurate recording of the number of Hours worked (or fraction thereof), which can be utilized for multiple purposes (including, of course, a summary of the number of Hours worked during a specific interval for a specific Referee, as well as a breakdown by Client, etc.).

Durations

To facilitate the collection of Hours worked, RidgeStar also recommends the implementation of Feature=Durations, which is an Option (Administrator: Options-Durations) that permits the storage of expected time intervals related to an Assignment. The Chapter can describe (using standard RidgeStar Pattern definitions), the length of time the Referee will spend for:

1. PreMatch: Interval before the initial whistle where the Referee is required to be at the pitch
2. Match: Time for the Match (total time played, without the Half Time interval)
3. Half: Length of time for the Half Time interval
4. PostMatch: Interval after the final whistle where the Referee is required to be at the pitch

The Hours worked (and stored in the Accounting table) is the sum of the PreMatch, Match, Half, and PostMatch specified intervals.

Reporting

Once the Hours are being properly collected and stored, the resulting detail and/or summary can be made available via applicable Download, on detailed Invoices, in interactive Results Listing...depending upon the individual Chapter and Client requirements.

Contact your Account Representative to request Feature=Durations and Hours for your site.