February 2003 Announcements

Please click on the topic below to view the most recent announcements:

The SLD has started issuing Receipt Acknowledgment Letters (RALs) for Funding Year 2003 applicants. Please review the information contained in the RAL carefully. Certain information in the RAL can be changed if it is incorrect, and the RAL contains instructions on how you may request these changes.

• Funding requests can be reduced. This action is especially important if the applicant entered an amount larger than needed due to a data entry error, or if the request was a duplication of a Funding Year 2002 request that has now been funded.
  
  SLD has identified a number of errors that significantly overstate requests in online applications. Correcting those errors will assure a more accurate demand estimate and enable SLD to better allocate the funds available for Funding Year 2003. These corrections are not subject to the three-week deadline for return of information stated in the RAL.
• Other errors, such as incorrect address or contact information, incorrect SPINs, and bundled FRNs, can also be corrected, although these corrections must be returned within three weeks of the date on the RAL.

Please call the Client Service Bureau at 1-888-203-8100 if you have any questions.

The general reminders and the Form 470 and Form 471 reminders that have been displayed at the top of the SLD home page during most of the Funding Year 2003 filing window have been moved to the Reference Area of this web site. You may find them under "Forms - General Reminders," "Form 470 Reminders," and "Form 471 Reminders."

Funding Year 2002 Wave 23 FCDLs would normally be issued on Monday, February 24, 2003. However, applicants with FCDLs dated on or after March 1, 2003, qualify for an automatic extension to September 30, 2004, for delivery and installation of non-recurring services. Consequently, the SLD will issue FCDLs for Wave 23 on Monday, March 3, to qualify applicants for this automatic extension of time. FCDLs for Wave 24 are scheduled to be issued on Monday, March 10.

Following is a list of the documents or pages that have changed on this web site since the last posting on updates:

A new field (data point) has been added to the Data Retrieval Tool that provides the Form 470 Application Number.

The "Certified" status featured on the Form 471 Application Status tool has been subdivided for clarity. Form 471 search results will now show either "Certified - In Window" or "Certified - Out of Window." The Form 471 Application Status tool can be accessed from the Apply Online & View Forms page.

The Form 470 Receipt Notification Letter, the Form 471 Receipt Acknowledgment Letter, and the Form 486 Notification Letter under the Letters (Samples) title in the Reference Area have been replaced with the updated versions currently in use.

The Client Service Bureau (CSB) will be open on the final day of the Form 471 application filing window, Thursday, February 6 from 8:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. EST. However, applicants are cautioned not to wait until the last few hours of the application window to file Form 471. Applicants who wait until the last minute may not have all the necessary information to complete their Form 471 within the window, and their funding may be jeopardized.

You can reach the CSB by calling 1-888-203-8100.

The SLD has updated the Obligation to Pay Non-Discount Portion document posted in the Reference Area of this web site. This document now includes language from other sources on the web site clarifying that applicants must pay the non-discount portion of the costs of goods and services, and they must be able to show that these funds are part of their annual budget. These funds CANNOT come directly or indirectly from the service provider - as credits, equivalent good and/or services, grants, or in any other form.

This information is also featured in the Free Services Advisory posted in the Reference Area of this web site and in the Form 471 Reminders posted above.

The following materials associated with Funding Year 2003 Forms 471 must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 6, 2003 or postmarked on or before February 6, 2003 in order for the request to receive consideration as inside the window. These materials are:

• The Form 471 itself (whether online or paper)
• The Block 6 certification of the Form 471 with the signature of the authorized person (whether online or paper)
• The Block 5 certification of any Form 470 cited in a Funding Year 2003 Form 471 with the signature of the authorized person (whether online or paper).

To check the certification status of a Form 470 cited on a Form 471, locate the Form 470 by using the “Search Posted” button under the “Form 470” heading in the Apply Online & View Forms area of this web site.  The Form 470 display will show both the “Application Status” and the “Certification Received Date” at the top of the form.

Applicants are also advised to keep proof of the date of mailing.  If an application is placed in a drop-off box, the postmark date may be after the drop-off date if the last pickup of the day has already occurred.  For more information, please refer to Proof of Postmark or Delivery posted in the Reference Area of this web site.