Which control helps prevent duplication when processing multiple pay actions for a member?

• A. Batch controls
• B. Duplicate checks
• C. Manual re-entry
• D. Random sampling

Answer: (A)

Batch controls ensure that when multiple pay actions are processed for a member, each action is accounted for and not duplicated. In payroll processing, actions can come in a batch, and a batch identifier plus total counts and amounts are used to verify everything adds up. Before posting, the system checks that the batch total matches the sum of all entries and that each transaction has a unique identifier. If the same pay action is attempted again, the batch control system recognizes the duplicate and prevents it from being posted. This helps prevent paying the same action twice due to retries, data entry errors, or system reprocessing. Duplicate checks would catch duplicates after the fact, manual re-entry invites duplicates, and random sampling doesn’t address duplication in batch processing.