ACTION BULLETINS (PY 2002)

AB - 24 Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) Invoice Reconciliation for Individual Training Accounts (ITA) and On-the-Job Training Contracts (OJT)

AB - # 24
Effective Immediately


ACTION BULLETIN

TO: One-Stop Career Centers Site Managers

DATE: December 16, 2002

SUBJECT: Oakland Private Industry Council (OPIC) Invoice Reconciliation for Individual Training Accounts (ITA) and On-the-Job Training Contracts (OJT)



PURPOSE OF BULLETIN:
The purpose of the bulletin is to provide information and instructions on the Alameda County Workforce Investment Board’s (WIB) policy regarding delinquent training enrollment/registration forms for reconciliation of the Individual Training Account Invoice received each week from OPIC for the WIA Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker programs.

BACKGROUND:
The training dollars to cover the ITA and OJT Contracts for the WIA Title I Adult and Dislocated Worker programs are managed by OPIC, for the WIB, through a reimbursement contract. Upon receipt of an ITA or OJT request, OPIC staff, check the JTA system to ensure that the customer is enrolled in WIA Title I programs, however, the check does not verify enrollment in a training activity because ITA requests precede the training start date. During and upon completion of training the vendor invoices OPIC for payment. OPIC then invoices the WIB for training disbursements to vendors and employers of ITA and OJT contracts. Up to November 2002, due to an oversight, the WIB was not crosschecking the reimbursement invoices against the training activity enrollment/registration forms in the Job Training Automation (JTA) system. In November, an independent County auditor recommended we initiate a crosscheck procedure. The first crosscheck was for the invoice period ending November 18, 2002.

Upon crosschecking the invoice, the WIB found 5 out of 32 clients invoiced for reimbursement that were not enrolled in a training activity even though an ITA or OJT request had been submitted by the One Stop Career Center and training was in process or completed. An email message was sent to each case manager and their site manager regarding the oversight, and all enrollments were subsequently submitted. However, the WIB staff felt it was necessary to institute a policy to identify specific consequences when training enrollment/registration forms submittal lag.

POLICY AND PROCEDURE

1. The One Stop Career Centers are responsible for the prompt submittal of the training activity enrollment/registration form to the Certification/Information Processing Unit (C/IPU) as of the start date of the training service.
2. The WIB staff will review every invoice from OPIC to ensure that clients listed on the invoice appear in the JTA system as enrolled in a training activity.
3. If the client is not shown as enrolled in a training activity in the JTA system, WIB staff will send an email notice to the appropriate case manager and the site manager requesting training enrollment/registration form(s) within five (5) working days of notice.
4. The WIB fiscal manager will withhold reimbursement to OPIC for those clients not reflected as enrolled in a training activity until an enrollment/registration form is received from the One Stop Career Center.
5. The WIB will monitor forms submittal and apply the following consequences for repeated failure to submit training activity form(s) in a timely manner as follows:

a. The first invoice that shows non-enrollments in a training activity, the One Stop Center will be required to submit the enrollment/registration form(s) within 5 working days with no additional consequences.

b. The second invoice that shows non-enrollments in a training activity, the One Stop Center will be required to submit the enrollment/registration form(s) within 5 working days, but will be warned, in writing, that the next oversight will result in the WIB staff notifying OPIC not to honor new ITA or OJT requests until further notice.

c. The third invoice that shows non-enrollments in a training activity, the One Stop Center will be required to submit the enrollment/registration form(s) within 5 working days, and the WIB staff will notify OPIC and the One Stop Career Center, in writing, not to honor new ITA or OJT requests until further notice from the WIB. WIB program staff will provide technical assistance to the One Stop Center.

The WIB will be advising OPIC of our new policy and procedures to ensure the proper flow of information and paperwork.

For information and inquiries please contact Linda Slater, Information System Analyst at (510) 259-3802 or by email "lslater@co.alameda.ca.us"