Electronic Direct Certification System Overview

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Electronic Direct Certification System Overview

• Nutrition Programs Division
• Illinois State Board of Education
• July 27, 2009

In accordance with Federal law and U. S.
Department of Agriculture policy, this
institution is prohibited from discriminating on
the basis of race, color, national origin, sex,
age, or disability. To file a complaint of
discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800)
795-3272 (voice) or [phone] (TTY). USDA is
an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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General Webinar Information
Telephone Access United States 773-945-1010 Acc
ess Code 437-443-349 Webinar ID 348-572-729
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Webinar General Information

• This Webinar is being recorded. A copy of this
  recording will be available online in a few days.
  
• We will NOT accept any verbal questions, all
  questions must be typed.
• You can type questions at any time throughout
  this Webinar.
• Participants will be able to ask question by
  typing in the area highlighted on the previous
  slide.
• Questions will be answered as soon as possible.

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Commonly Used Acronyms

• Child Nutrition ACES Child Nutrition
  Application and Claim Entry System
• IWAS - ISBE Web Application Security
• LEA Local Educational Agency
• NSLP National School Lunch Program
• POS Point of Service
• SNAP - Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
  formerly the Food Stamp Program
• SIS Student Information System
• TANF - Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

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Direct Certification in Illinois

• Direct Certification in Illinois is conducted
  through a partnership between the Illinois State
  Board of Education (ISBE) and the Illinois
  Department of Human Services (IDHS).

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What is Direct Certification?

• Direct Certification is the process when LEAs
  certify children who are members of households
  receiving assistance under the SNAP and/or TANF
  as eligible for free school meals/milk.
• Households in which students are directly
  certified are not required to complete the
  Household Eligibility Application to receive free
  meal/milk benefits.
• Students directly certified are eligible for free
  school meal/milk benefits for the entire school
  year and are not subject to verification
  requirements.
• Direct Certification is a required for LEAs
  participating in NSLP.

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Direct Certification Letters

• Direct Certification was conducted statewide
  through the distribution (via US Mail) of an
  eligibility certificate to each student receiving
  SNAP/TANF benefits.

• Direct Certification Letters (eligibility
  certificates) will NO LONGER be mailed.

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Overview of the Electronic Direct Certification
System

• The Electronic Direct Certification System
  contains confidential data.
• You must have a login name and password to IWAS
  to access Child Nutrition ACES.
• The Electronic Direct Certification System is
  available from the main menu of Child Nutrition
  ACES.
• All rules and regulations regarding the use of
  this data including confidentiality and
  disclosure must be followed.

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Child Nutrition ACES Main Menu
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Electronic Direct Certification Home
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File Upload Match
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Single Child Match
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Download Files
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Contact Us
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Electronic Direct Certification

• Annual Match
• (Public School Districts ONLY)
• Sponsor Match
• (ALL LEAs)
• Single Child Lookup
• (ALL LEAs)

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Annual Match (Public School Districts ONLY)

• File available July 1st annually
• File Type Annual
• The Annual file will identify the students that
  were enrolled in SIS (June Records) for your
  district that are receiving SNAP/TANF benefits.
• Each Public School District will have ONE Annual
  File each school year.
• Students on this report/file, currently enrolled
  in your district, are automatically eligible for
  free meals/milk.
• It is unlikely that ALL students on the file will
  NOT be direct certified.

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Annual Match Steps
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Annual Match (Public School Districts ONLY)
SAMPLE REPORT

• Select PRINT An Annual Match Report is
  displayed.
• This Report MUST be printed and maintained to
  document eligibility status.
• The Eligibility of a student on the report can
  begin no earlier than the First Printed On
  Date.

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Annual Match (Public School Districts ONLY)
SAMPLE REPORT
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Annual Match (Public School Districts ONLY)

• Select DOWNLOAD A comma delimited file is
  displayed.
• Some data may appear is a strange format.
• All downloads must be saved to a secure location
  as it contains confidential data.
• Sponsors may wish to upload the matches directly
  into your Point of Service (POS) computer system.
  
• Check with your technology staff or POS technical
  support for specific instructions to your system.
  

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Annual Match (Public School Districts ONLY)
SAMPLE DOWNLOAD
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Sponsor Match (ALL LEAs)

• Any LEA may upload a comma delimited file at any
  time.
• Each file must contain the following fields
• First Name,
• Last Name,
• Gender, (F-Female, MMale)
• Birth date (month/day/year, 01/17/2004)
• An optional 5th column of data may be added.
• Results will be displayed as File Type Sponsor
  File

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Sponsor Match (ALL LEAs)

• Results will identify the students included on
  the upload file that are receiving SNAP/TANF
  benefits.
• Students on this report/file may be directly
  certified for free meals/milk.

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What is a comma delimited file ?

• A file format that is used for uploading data to
  the Electronic Direct Certification System.
• A comma delimited file uses a comma to separate
  values.
• Example Susan,Jones,F,01/01/2007
• See sample in Notepad below.
• More detailed information about comma delimited
  files and how to create one will be included in
  the Guidance Document.

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Sponsor Match Steps
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Sponsor Match Steps
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Sponsor Match Steps
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Sponsor Match (ALL LEAS) SAMPLE REPORT

• Select PRINT A Sponsor File Report is
  displayed.
• You will need to select Open or Save.

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Sponsor Match (ALL LEAS) SAMPLE REPORT
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Sponsor Match (ALL LEAs) SAMPLE DOWNLOAD
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Single Child Lookup (ALL LEAs)

• LEA may search for a single student who may be
  receiving SNAP/TANF benefits.
• An LEA may search on the following
• DHS case number
• OR
• First name, Last name, and City.
• A Single Child Lookup Report is available.
• Please limit each report to 8 students!
• There is no limit to the number of Single Child
  Reports that may be created.
• The option to download a file is NOT available
  for a Single Child Lookup.

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Single Child Lookup (ALL LEAs)

• The Single Child Lookup Report will identify
  those students that were selected from the single
  child lookup search.
• Students on this report may be directly certified
  for free meals/milk.

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Single Child Match Case Number Search
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Single Child Match Name and Address Search
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Single Child Match Results
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Single Child Match Print Report
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Exact Match and Close Match

• Exact Match All fields match.
• Close Match One or more fields may be close
  matches or could sound-like the requested
  search.
• With ALL matches, the LEA makes a determination
  if the MATCH is the student enrolled in their
  school.
• If the LEA determines that the match is an
  enrolled student, free meal/milk benefits MUST be
  provided.

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Required Notification to Households

• The LEA must notify the household of the
  following
• The student(s) is eligible for free meal/milk
  benefits
• No further action is required. The household
  DOES NOT have to complete a Household Eligibility
  Application and
• If the household does not want free benefits for
  a directly certified student, how to notify the
  LEA.
• Sample Notification Letter available at
  http//www.isbe.net/nutrition/pdf/69-15_sample.pdf
  .

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Electronic Direct Certification Sample Letter
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Sample School Timeline

• On or near July 1, access the Annual File.
  (Public Schools Only)
• Enter or upload eligibility data for these
  students.
• If additional students are available, upload
  comma delimited file or conduct single child
  lookups.
• Entering freshman students for high school
  district,
• Kindergarten students in elementary district,
• One student in a household found, but not sibling
  
• All student in nonpublic school or other sponsor
• Enter or upload eligibility data for these
  students.

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Important Notes

• Students directly certified via this Electronic
  Direct Certification System are FREE eligible
  without the completion of the Household
  Eligibility Application.
• In order to ease the processing of Household
  Eligibility Application at the beginning of the
  school year annually, direct certification
  notification letters (Sent by the LEA to those
  student Directly Certified via this Electronic
  Direct Certification System) should be provided
  to households in lieu of the Household
  Eligibility Application.
• If you receive a Household Eligibility
  Application with a SNAP/TANF Case ID Number, you
  cannot check this system. The paper application
  MUST be processed.

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Overview of Electronic Direct Certification

• Annual Match
• (Public School Districts ONLY)
• Sponsor Match
• (ALL LEAs)
• Single Child Lookup
• (ALL LEAs)

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What is Verification?

• Verification is the confirmation of eligibility
  for free and reduced-price meals under the
  National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School
  Breakfast Program (SBP).
• Verification must include either confirmation of
  income eligibility or confirmation that the child
  is certified to receive Supplemental Nutrition
  Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance
  for Needy Families (TANF) benefits.

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Direct Verification

• Direct Verification is using agency records to
  verify SNAP/TANF participation.
• LEAs are NOT required to conduct direct
  verification.
• A student listed on a Household Eligibility
  Application that is selected for VERIFICATION may
  be verified via the Single Child Lookup.
• If a match is found, that student is directly
  verified for free benefits. The household does
  NOT have to be contacted.
• If NO match is found, the household MUST be sent
  the We Must Verify Your Application
  notification letter. Benefits MAY NOT be
  terminated without contacting the household.

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Upcoming Training on Electronic Direct
Certification System

• Certification and Verification Training (Half
  Day)
• July 28 Carbondale
• July 30 Bloomington
• August 5 Carol Stream
• August 6 Rockford
• To register, visit http//webprod1.isbe.net/cnscal
  endar/asp/EventList.asp

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Contact Us We are here to help!

• Illinois State Board of Education
• Nutrition Programs Division
• 800/545-7892 or 217/782-2491
• Fax [phone]
• www.isbe.net/nutrition
• cnp_at_isbe.net

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Thank you for participating in this Webinar!

• The questions regarding the Electronic Direct
  Certification System that have been asked during
  this Webinar will be answered and posted online
  as quickly as possible.