Library /sys$common/syshlp/basichelp.hlb Constants, Packed Decimal  *Conan The Librarian (sorry for the slow response - running on an old VAX)

  A packed decimal constant is a number, either positive or negative, that
  has  a  specified  number  of  digits  (d) and a specified decimal point
  position (s).  You can specify the d and s values when you  declare  the
  constant  or use explicit literal notation.  If you do not specify d and
  s values, BASIC uses the current defaults for DECIMAL.