Dear AmeriCorps Program Staff,
Below you will find important Fiscal and Programmatic Reporting information for
the 2008-09 AmeriCorps year. There is a great deal of material, but I ask that you
read everything closely to help facilitate a smooth program year, and contact your
Program Administrator with any questions.
2008-09 Reporting Transition
As we discussed at Project Director and Financial Staff Training in October, all
AmeriCorps programs in New York State will be required to use the Office of Children
and Family Service's Contract Management System (CMS) to comply with reporting requirements
that used to be fulfilled by WBRS. You will be using the CMS system to report beginning
with the 2008-09 program year. Any reports to be submitted for the 2007-08 program
year (ie. fiscal report due 1/20/09) must still be submitted in WBRS.
To see 2008-09 reporting schedule, click here.
NOTE: No reports (including advancements and/or expenditures) can be filed in CMS
until your 2008-09 Contract has been approved by the NYS Comptroller's office. Your
program will not be penalized for late submission if your contract has not been
approved. However, once your contract has been approved, the State Commission will
require on-time reporting. Please be aware of the reporting schedule below and communicate
with your Program Administrator regarding this issue if you have any questions.
Reporting Forms will be accessible to you as a Word document in CMS. Once your contract
is approved you can download, complete, and upload the reporting form into to CMS
as a .pdf document.
Please remember that your fiscal report must contain the following documents that
are described in the instructions:
- Claims Report (form within CMS)
- Match Report (uploaded into CMS by you)
- Member Report (uploaded into CMS by you)
Advancements & Expenditures
If you would like an advance on your 2008-09 program payments, you must request this
prior to requesting reimbursement through an expenditure report.
CMS User Roles
As you know, all 2008-09 AmeriCorps voucher and reporting documents must be submitted
in CMS. All AmeriCorps Programs are required to designate a staff person as the
"Claim Signatory" in order to submit claims through CMS. If you have not yet requested
this status for an individual in your organization, please submit the attached form
to William Gaudette at OCFS (william.gaudette@ocfs.state.ny.us)
and copy your State Commission Program Administrator ASAP. Click here to
see the CMS Claim Signature Authorization Form.
Different organizations have different processes by which they complete, review
and submit voucher and reporting documents. The individual who completes your AmeriCorps
voucher and reporting documents holds the “Contract Developer" role. The person
who reviews and signs the report holds the “Claim Signatory” role in CMS. In some
cases, one individual may hold both roles, however it is critical that you notify
your Program Administrator ASAP of your CMS User Roles so that an accurate schedule
can be set up in CMS for your contract.
Example #1: Organization X has someone that completes the reporting and voucher
documents and has the head of finance sign the reports and voucher. In this case,
the State Commission will need to set up a claim schedule in CMS that would include
a CONUSER stage and a CLAIMSIG stage.
Example #2: Organization Y has limited administrative staff so the same individual
completes the reporting and voucher documents, and signs them. In this case, there
is only a CLAIMSIG stage on the CMS schedule.
CMS Instructions and User Support
There are several opportunities available to help you learn about the CMS reporting
system, as well as the New York State AmeriCorps reporting requirements. Please
review them prior to your first submission.
- There are two on-line learning modules available at the CMS homepage (http://www.ocfs.state.ny.us/main/bcm/cms_training.asp).
These tutorials walk you through the steps relative to report submission.
- The CMS User Manual (Chapters 7 and 8) provide information relative to processing
advances and expenditures, as well as requesting budget modifications.
- The AmeriCorps Fiscal Manual has been updated and is attached to this message.
- Appendix C of your AmeriCorps Contract has reporting requirements and due dates
included. A complete 2008-2009 AmeriCorps Reporting Schedule is attached.
As you know, the Corporation for National Service is in the process of closing WBRS,
and although AmeriCorps Programs and State Commissions still have mandatory reporting
requirements, a replacement system for WBRS was not provided. The New York State
Commission is one of very few in the nation that have a new, statewide reporting
system in place for the 2008-09 program year and did not have to purchase and pass
on administrative costs to our AmeriCorps programs. This is exciting news for us
all!
With that in mind, I did want to remind you that CMS is a new system for each of
you as well as the State Commission staff so we will be learning together. The good
news is that CMS is our system, and can be modified to a certain degree and improved.
The CMS Programmers are housed in the same building as the State Commission which
will facilitate updates, troubleshooting, and continuous improvements. I strongly
encourage you to provide feedback (positive or negative) to you Program Administrator
throughout the year.
As you know, the State Commission has been working very hard to increase the visibility
and importance of volunteering and service in New York State. Please know that it
is my intention to work with you to make your AmeriCorps program the best it can
be and give your members a powerful service experience. If I or the State Commission
staff can ever be of assistance to you, please do not hesitate to contact us.
My best to you and yours for a safe and happy holiday season!
- Mark J. Walter, Executive Director, New Yorkers Volunteer