AmeriCorps State Pre-Enrollment Training Template for State Service Commissions

1. AmeriCorps State Pre-Enrollment Training Template for State Service Commissions America’s Service Commissions 07.23.19 - Draft

2. Purpose of This Template This PowerPoint deck was developed by the ASC Pre-Enrollment Work Group as a collaboration between state service commissions, AmeriCorps State and AmeriCorps National programs. This training is intended to complement any training and guidance provided by CNCS to assist in the successful enrollment of eligible AmeriCorps State and National members. This training does not go into the details of NSCHC (National Service Criminal History Checks) requirements and timing. To find more information on NSCHC visit: https://nationalservice.gov/resources/criminal-history-check To view CNCS materials and policy related to member enrollment visit: https://nationalservice.gov/build-your-capacity/grants/manage-americorps-state-and-national-grants No part of this template should be construed as formal guidance. This template can/should be edited by the state service commission to reflect your state specific requirements before presenting to your programs.

3. Purpose of This Training for Programs

4. Definition of Pre-Enrollment For the purpose of this training, the term pre-enrollment will be used to describe the process and related steps that are necessary to complete prior to being able to enroll a member in eGrants. Until a member is successfully enrolled in eGrants, they should not accrue any service hours or receive a stipend. The effective start date in eGrants is the member’s official start date and they should not accrue any hours or stipend until that date. The start date in eGrants should align with the start date on the Member Service Agreement and no hours should be logged on their timesheet until that date.

5. Points of Clarification for Programs Some programs may use the MyAmeriCorps Portal as a part of their recruitment and selection process while other programs conduct selection separate from the MyAmeriCorps Portal and your incoming members’ first interaction with the portal will be during “pre-enrollment”. Due to the above variances this training will focus on the point we consider to be the beginning of the pre-enrollment process. That point is once an incoming member has been selected by a program and the program has begun and/or completed the criminal history check (CHC) screening process to determine whether the member is eligible to serve. There will be slides where enrollment steps related to criminal history checks will be explained because CHC is a part of the pre-enrollment process, but this training will not go in depth into the CHC process. Programs should review additional training and guidance on NSCHC prior to taking any further action on member enrollment This training is based on the most up-to-date information available, but the field’s knowledge on pre-enrollment is continuously evolving and we will do our best to provide updated information, as available. Our recommendations are based on experience and recommendations from the field (from both programs and other commissions) and err on the side of caution to help ensure that the enrollment process goes as smoothly as possible Now…let’s begin!

6. Before you can enroll Set up service locations in eGrants Submit service opportunity listing(s) in MyAmeriCorps You’ll need you grant ID number from your state service commission

7. Grant ID Number Before you can invite a member to complete the necessary online form for the My AmeriCorps Portal you must have your Grant ID Number from your state service commission. The Grant ID is not available to the state service commission until the Notice of Grant Award (NOGA) is provided by CNCS to the state service commission. In some cases the NOGA may not be awarded to the state commission until the date before your program start date. To the degree possible you may want to provide yourself some additional time between your program start date and the date you may need to start inviting members to the MyAmeriCorps Portal. As soon the Grant ID is available, the state service commission will notify you. According to CNCS programs need to have a grant award with available slots to invite a member.

8. Inviting a Member The option to conduct batch/group uploads is now available. CNCS has a recorded webinar on group uploads here. The slides for that can also be found here.

9. Member Invitation • In order to be enrolled in the National Service Trust, the prospective member’s Name, SSN, and Date-of-Birth must be consistent with Social Security Administration records. If these values differ from that held by the Social Security Administration, they will not be verified automatically and they will be required to submit documentation for manual verification. • At the time of inviting a member - if the government ID and social security card name differs, use the name as listed on the social security card. • The identification requirements for National Service Criminal History Check are separate from enrolling in the National Service Trust. • For more information see: • FAQ B. 21 “When a program enrolls a member the SSN verification process is triggered” • §2540.206 “What documentation must I maintain regarding a National Service Criminal History Check for a covered position? • (a) Document in writing that you verified the identity of the individual in a covered position by examining the individual's government-issued photo identification card, and that you conducted the required checks for the covered position…”

10. Member Invitation The link in the email connects to the MyAmeriCorps Portal where the member’s identity will be verified. Please stress to members it is a secure site and that the information that they enter must be accurate with no errors. Hyphens, spaces, multiple middle or last names are examples of common errors between what is entered and what is on the government issued ID. The link will be broken if the program resends or deletes the invitation.

11. Member Acceptance via MyAmeriCorps Portal

12. Member Invitation If members incorrectly list the 4-digit postal code after the first 5-digit code their enrollment may be held up. You may want to give members a heads up they will have to select a sex from the dropdown. Once the member clicks save information to submit the form the eligibility verification process is initiated.

13. Confirming SSN and Citizenship

14. SSN and Citizenship Verification Once the member saves the information in the enrollment form, the citizenship eligibility verification process is initiated, and the Portal submits the record to the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSA checks the member’s citizenship status and social security number (SSN) validity. Within 3 business days (sometimes by the next day), the record indicates “Verified”, or if not verified, “Returned” for both the SSN and citizenship status. Both the SSN and citizenship status must be noted as “Verified” or “Manually Verified” in the Portal for the member to be enrolled.

15. Running a SSN and Citizenship Status Report

16. Grantee and subgrantee eGrants System users are only permitted to access components of the system as permitted by their role. SSN and citizenship information is considered especially sensitive Personal Identifying Information and it should not be disclosed without a demonstrated need.Grantee Administrators for each grantee organization are responsible for assigning roles to users associated with their organization’s accounts. Only those eGrants users with a Validation of Reports role in eGrants are permitted to run the SSN/Citizenship Report.Resources: eGrants Training and Technical Assistance Page under “User Roles and Management- Implementing (Part II)”:   https://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/americorps/myamericorps-support-americorps-state-commissions-and-sub-grantees-egrants-0 Running Verification Reports

17. Example of a SSN and Citizenship Status Report The SSN and Citizenship Verification Report only returns cases where pending or enrolled members do not have Verified or Manually Verified SSN and/or citizenship values. In addition to the SSN and Citizenship Status Report, grantee staff persons in a Grantee Administrator role for the grantee organization in eGrants receive emails from the system notifying them at the time a prospective member accepts their invitation if that person is not automatically Verified by the Social Security Administration. An additional follow up email is sent 25 days later if the issue is not resolved.

18. Programs will have to manually check to see if each member has been verified. An email will not be sent notifying the program of each member’s successful verification status. If a member is not automatically verified by SSA, the program (person noted in eGrants as the grantee administrator) will receive an email notification that the member’s status is returned and indicate that additional documentation must be submitted Citizenship verification: see 45 CFR 2522.200(c) SSN Verification: social security card name change documentation (ex. marriage certificate, court order, etc.) The program must request a Secure File Link from the CNCS National Service Hotline and submits the necessary documents If the submitted documentation is sufficient to verify eligibility, CNCS will update the record to “manually verified” within 3 business days. Programs will not receive email notification of the change of status to “verified” so they will have to manually  check the member’s status in eGrants. If additional documentation is not sufficient or is not legible, the program will be notified via email.  This will delay the manually verification process. Some members may require more than one round of manual verification and the entire verification process has taken as many as 2 – 3 weeks in some cases Member hours do not count until the member is enrolled and the stipend is not an allowable cost until the member is enrolled SSN Verification

19. Requesting a Secure File Link Go to https://questions.nationalservice.gov to request helpdesk ticket(s) – reach out immediately with any problems We recommend requesting a helpdesk ticket via email (for every issue) and then following up immediately with a call or online chat and reference your ticket number – try to acquire documentation or create your own documentation of any helpdesk interactions Programs may need to follow up with the helpdesk daily as their member start date approaches – be sure to note with the helpdesk staff person that your program’s start date is approaching When requesting a secure file link try to anticipate the number of member files you will need to upload and ask for a link for that will accommodate that number of member files Take a screenshot to document that the file upload is complete Be in communication with your state service commission Program Officer as soon as you encounter any challenges

20. Completing the Enrollment Form

21. Completing the Enrollment Form - Verification Status Programs cannot enroll a member until the member’s SSN and citizenship status is verified or manually verified The Portal will not allow programs to list a member’s start date earlier than the member’s verification dates. Your program should set a policy aligning with the AmeriCorps Terms and Conditions related to the appropriate maintenance of citizenship/SSN documentation.

22. Completing the Enrollment Form - Criminal History Checks NSOPW completion and FBI check initiation must be certified by checking the relevant boxes on the Member enrollment form no later than the member’s start date We recommend checking the CHC enrollment form boxes at least 24 hours before the member’s start date Be sure to click save information after checking the CHC boxes The date that will be listed after checking the CHC boxes will be the date that the program clicked the save information button – this date does not have to align with the date that the check(s) were completed The member’s start date cannot be earlier than the date when the CHC boxes were checked

23. Completing the Enrollment Form Enter the member placement information on the enrollment form including the start date, program year, program title (operating site name), service location (if applicable) and slot type Once all the information has been entered correctly, the enroll member button will become active All information on the form can be entered and saved ahead of time except the member start date and slot type, which cannot be saved prior to the date of enrollment Programs have 8 calendar days (including the member start date) to click the enroll member button and finalize the enrollment process. Another way of stating the 8 days is you have 7 days from the member start date.

24. Partial Award Acknowledgement If a member will exceed the equivalent amount of two full-time education awards while serving with your program, the member will need to acknowledge partial or no education award prior to enrollment We recommend asking applicants if they have previously received an education award(s) during the selection process Program view:

25. Partial Award Acknowledgement When the program attempts to click “enroll” you will see this note (“An email notification was sent to member applicant to acknowledge partial award.”) for members who need to perform this acknowledgment. Below is a copy of the email that will be send to the member. Make sure member’s complete this acknowledgement and go back to click “enroll” once they have completed this acknowledgment.

26. Partial Award Acknowledgement

27. What To Do If the Enroll Button Isn’t Active If you are past the 8 day (7 days after start date) window to enroll the enroll button will not be active.

28. 8 Days to Enroll - Example Member start date is listed on paperwork as August 20, 2019 Staff must enroll the member in eGrants no later than August 27, 2019

29. Visual Flowchart of Pre-Enrollment Steps Follow up to make sure member completes These should be checked 24 hours before enroll. This could take up to 3 weeks until manually verified You have 7 days from the member’s start date to enroll.

30. CAUTION If members can’t be enrolled they can’t start hours or start receiving a living allowance. A member’s start date may have to be delayed until their citizenship/SSN are verified and all pre-enrollment steps are completed Note, the CNCS eGrants tutorial is outdated and does not reflect the recent changes in the CNCS pre-enrollment process. For example, hard copies are no longer used for enrollment or exit. A program may execute a member exit and enrollment for an individual on the same day, however, the Effective Date of exit and re-enrollment for a member may not be the same (if the member is filling a three-quarter or full-time slot). The exit and enrollment dates are values entered by the program and there is no timestamp value included in these date entry fields. If a program attempted to enroll a member on a day when the member was already enrolled, that member would exceed a one MSY slot. Members may not encumber slots valued at more than one full MSY equivalent at any given time.

31. 19-20 Enrollment Member Date Appeal Process Per the 19.04 Enrollment Date Change Policy: Programs must verify that individuals are eligible to serve based on the requirements specified in 45 CFR § 2522.200. The system is set up so that: An individual may not start service until CNCS has automatically or manually verified an individual’s Social Security Number and citizenship eligibility. An individual may not start service until: The program certifies that it has conducted and adjudicated the results of the nationwide NSOPW.gov check; and The program certifies that it has initiated any required state and FBI criminal history checks, as appropriate for the individual’s level of access to vulnerable populations. If the member is not eligible for the full education award due to prior service, the member has completed the member acknowledgement for reduced or no award. After the completion of steps 1 and 2, above, programs must enter the members’ start date, assignment and term of service to complete the member enrollment in the National Service Trust through the MyAmeriCorps Portal no more than eight days after the individual starts their term of service.

32. 19-20 Enrollment Member Date Appeal Process Correcting Errors that Require CNCS Review Changes to an individual’s start date after the eight-day enrollment period ends require CNCS review and approval. Grantees and AmeriCorps members have 30 days from the effective date of enrollment to request an Administrative Review to modify an enrollment record. CNCS will consider changes in member start date if: The member or program can document a failure of CNCS’s technology platform that prevented the member or program staff from completing the enrollment within the required timeframe; or The member or program can demonstrate other circumstances that prevent a program from making a timely enrollment to the MyAmeriCorps Portal, such as a natural disaster.

33. 19-20 Enrollment Member Date Appeal Process Requesting an Administrative Review of a Member’s Enrollment or to Appeal SSN or Citizenship Ineligibility: Members or grantee organizations may request an Administrative Review in writing to ASNAdministrativeReview@cns.gov. The request for an Administrative Review must include all information and supporting documentation needed for CNCS to make a decision on changing the start date or reconsidering eligibility. At a minimum the information must include: Member Name NSPID Grantee Organization Program Name Program Code Program Year Desired Data Correction(s) (e.g., enrollment start date, service hours, other) Justification for Making the Requested Change(s) Requestor’s Contact Information CNCS will consider requests submitted and provide a written determination as to whether changes can be made. If an Administrative Review Request requires the submission of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), please contact the National Service Hotline and request a Secure File Transfer Link to transmit PII separately. • There is no timeline provided by CNCS on how long the appeal review will last. We are aware of at least one taking more than 6 weeks and it was denied. It is unlikely appeals will be approved.

34. Tips and Best Practices Consider moving your member start date so that members do not start on your program’s grant start date Schedule your member start date at the start of a stipend pay period to allow members who needed to be manually verified to have a later start date and still receive a stipend within your program’s first member pay period Build additional time in to your enrollment process in anticipation for manual verifications Prepare incoming members to be responsive to the email invitation and follow up with them if you note that their invitation is still pending If your program does not keep copies of SSN or citizenship status verification on file, then ask your members to have those documents readily available in case they must be manually verified Do a regular (potentially daily/as needed) audit of member verification status

35. Tips and Best Practices Document all interactions with the helpdesk (including saving screenshots) Run an enrollment report before the end of the 8-day enrollment period to check on the enrollment status of all of your members If you have members who had a later start date because they were manually verified, be sure to track their hours throughout the year to ensure they are on track to fulfill their hours Be in communication with your Program Officer if you experience any issues

36. CNCS Resources https://www.nationalservice.gov/resources/member-enrollment-resources Member enrollment presentation Member enrollment flow chart Enrollment date change policy Recorded webinar on the member enrollment process Webinar on the group enrollment process