WIOA Youth Manual - Chapter 14 - Minnesota



WIOA Young Adult ProgramChapter 14: Electronic Document Storage (EDS)SummaryThis policy is directed to WDAs and local service providers to provide appropriate and recommended usage of Electronic Document Storage (EDS) features in Workforce One (WF1).Relevant Laws, Rules, or PoliciesU.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 7-18 (Dated 12-19-18) U.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Guidance Letter No. 23-19 (Dated 6-18-20)2018 WIOA Core Monitoring GuideU.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Notice No. 12-21 (Dated 10-15-21)U.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Notice No. 14-21 (Dated 10-27-21)U.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Notice No. 18-21 (Dated 1-4-22) HYPERLINK "" Minnesota WIOA Young Adult Policy, Chapter 19 – Data Validation (Dated 6/25/20)Minnesota WIOA Young Adult Policy, Chapter 19 – Data Validation – Youth-Specifications (Dated 9/8/20)U.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Notice No. 12-21 (Dated 10-15-21)U.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Notice No. 14-21 (Dated 10-27-21)U.S. Dept. of Labor Training and Employment Notice No. 18-21 (Dated 1-4-22)Effective Date9/1/2017Last Updated05/25/2022ContactJohn OlsonEmail: John.R.Olson@state.mn.us Phone: 651.259.7547Fax: 651-215-3842PolicyAction RequiredFederal law and policy requires all states to ensure documentation associated with key program performance outcomes are accurate and valid. For example, new applicants are required to provide important documentation needed to determine eligibility that have traditionally been placed in the client file. As the participant goes through the program working towards specific goals, report cards, transcripts, and other important documentation is collected and included in the case file.Participants earning valid credentials during program participation (and during follow-up after exiting the program) are required to provide the case manager with a copy of the credential that is included in the participant’s case file. This policy provides guidance on what types of documentation should be considered for inclusion in a customer’s Workforce 1 (WF1) record and technical considerations associated with the Electronic Document Storage (EDS) feature in WF1.TEGL 23-19 was released by DOL on June 18, 2020 and incorporates all of the elements published originally in TEGL 7-18 and adds a significant number of new items that cover all federally-funded employment and training programs—not just Title I of WIOA. The scope of this specific policy is limited only to WIOA Youth programs funded under Title I.Minnesota’s overall data validation policy is the responsibility of the DEED Policy and Performance Measurement team.?Future communications on file selection criteria are anticipated. We encourage all local service providers to develop local policies and practices on document scanning and retention procedures. BackgroundIntroduced in mid-2017, the Electronic Document Storage (EDS) feature of Workforce One (WF1) provides local Case Managers and supervisors with the ability to easily scan, organize and retain vital documents associated with participants. EDS also provides state-level staff with levels of access necessary to fulfill monitoring and other related functions.The global COVID-19 pandemic beginning in the first quarter of 2020 has fundamentally changed business practices in dealing with applicants, current participants and those former participants now in the follow-up phase. Documentation that may include essential items containing Personally Identifiable Information (PII) required for eligibility determination are increasingly being sent as attachments to e-mails, or even sent to case managers via text messaging on personal cell phones. An additional consideration is local staff having varying levels of office access. While some may still be able to go to their normal work locations where client case files are located, many others may not be able to return for an extended period of time, depending on circumstances.Sensitive information on clients are being handled by state and local staff remotely each day due to the pandemic. Usually, this is a mixture of agency-assigned computers, but most staff are also relying on their personal cell phones for conducting business. In addition to data security considerations, having important documentation available electronically in Workforce One also provides other authorized state and/or local staff who are also working remotely with access to key information needed for monitoring and/or data validation. EDS assures safe and secure online storage of vital documents that are also backed up. Customer case files vary in size and detail; EDS also makes organization of the customer case file easier and can be set up to meet local business requirements.For these reasons and the uncertain, ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of Youth Development encourages WDAs and their program operators begin implementing local policies, procedures and practices to scan key documentation into WF1 using the Electronic Document Storage features.Please note, we are not mandating any formal start date at this time. However, we are encouraging WDAs and program operators to move towards using EDS.The initial phase encourages scanning and uploading of the following documentation into WF1: For all new enrollments, the following eligibility documents are recommended for uploading into EDS:Completed, signed enrollments generated from WF1Any completed, self-attestation forms signed and dated by the participant and case manager (and parent/guardian signature where required)Date of Birth documentation (consider securing this documentation)Social Security card/letter (consider securing this documentation)Proof of Selective Service registration for all males 18 and olderCopies of assessment(s) used to determine basic skills deficienciesAny IEP and/or paper-based Individual Service StrategyFor existing participants already enrolled, the following items should be uploaded (where applicable):Copies of any valid, WIOA-recognized diplomas or other credentials received by the participant during (or after) program participation Copies of report cards or transcripts (secondary or post-secondary)Copies of subsequent basic skills test results used for meeting the EFL gain portion of the Measurable Skills GainCopies of any correspondence relating to the participant being EXCLUDED from WIOA Performance by the WDA.WDAs and all Youth Service Providers may, at their discretion, scan and upload other relevant documentation as desired, including any relevant correspondence. This may include (but is not limited to) the following:Documentation relating to any support services provided to the participantDocumentation relating to a participant’s Individualized Training Account (ITA)Correspondence between the WDA/youth serving agency and the participantOther correspondence as warrantedTechnical ConsiderationsToday’s scanning technology makes it simple to quickly scan and store most documents. In most cases, a black and white scan will be sufficient to meet business requirements. Even though it is very easy to take an original document that contains color (for example, a letter printed on letterhead containing color), scanning the same document in black and white will take a fraction of the storage space a full color scan would otherwise require. We also encourage you to take advantage of the tagging features that are built into EDS.Case managers should obtain copies of relevant documents electronically whenever possible and upload them in a timely manner. This may include the applicant sending a digital photograph of a requested item or document via a cell phone. If the case manager is working in a remote location outside the office, care should be taken to erase or delete participant Personally Identifiable Information (PII) that may be on any personal devices (cell phone, tablet or personal computer) as soon as practical. The same goes for instances where a hard copy may have been printed and scanned by a case manager at home or otherwise out of the office.Attachment A: DRAFT Anoka County EDS Policy (v4, Dated 10/5/20)WIOA Young Adult WebsiteAttachment A: Anoka County DRAFT Electronic Document Storage PolicyEmpowers ? Electronic Document Storage (EDS) Anoka County Job Training Center Local Program Policy and Procedures forWIOA Youth Programs (funded under Title I)New Policy Date: 10/02/2020Background:A local policy is required for Electronic Document Storage (EDS)under the WIOA Youth programs funded under Title 1. Our goal is to ensure all hard-copy documents, and documents submitted electronically by participants to Anoka County Job Training Center staff, are scanned or uploaded into electronic case file system known as Workforce One (WF1) EDS. The scope of this policy memo is limited only to WIOA Youth programs funded under Title I but for consistency will be applied to other youth and adult programs in the agency, especially due to co-enrollments, remote work assignments and integrated service models.Process: Eligibility Technicians receive both hard-copy documents as well as documents submitted electronically for program application and supporting verification purposes. Staff store hard copy documents securely at their desks while reviewing the application and supporting verification documents, and during eligibility determination – prior to actual enrollment in WF1. Documents submitted electronically are uploaded to the C Drive on the County’s secure network. Upon formal enrollment into WF1, the hard-copy documents are scanned, and electronically stored documents are uploaded into WF1 EDS. Certain documents that are required by DEED to be stored in WF1 EDS are uploaded to the participant’s WF1 record.In accordance with regular business process, any hard-copy documents submitted by program applicants/participants must be retained for 30 days in a retention file prior to their destruction, to ensure that the contents were correctly scanned and saved into WF1 EDS.As another safeguard to ensure file contents have been correctly scanned and saved into WF1 EDS, employment counselors will perform a document search in each WF1 EDS participant records the business day following WF1 enrollment. If the documents don’t appear that business day, he/she will again perform a search the next business day. Documents identified by DEED requiring storage in WF1 EDS:For all new enrollments on/after XX/XX/XXXX the following eligibility documents should be uploaded:Completed, signed enrollments generated from WF1Any completed, self-attestation forms signed and dated by the participant and case manager (and parent/guardian where required)Date of Birth documentationSocial Security card/letterProof of Selective Service registration for all males 18 and olderCopies of assessment(s) used to determine basic skills deficienciesAny IEP and/or paper-based Individual Service Strategy.For existing participants enrolled the following documents should be uploaded:Copies of any valid, WIOA-recognized diplomas or other credentials received by the participant during (or after) program participation Copies of report cards or transcripts (secondary or post-secondary)Copies of subsequent basic skills test results used for meeting the Educational Functioning Levels (EFL) gain portion of the Measurable Skills GainCopies of any correspondence relating to the participant being EXCLUDED from WIOA Performance by the Workforce Development Area.Employment counselors may, at their discretion, scan and upload other relevant documentation or correspondence. . This may include (but is not limited to) the following:Documentation relating to any support services provided to the participantDocumentation relating to a participant’s Individualized Training Account (ITA)Correspondence between the WDA/youth serving agency and the participantOther correspondence as warranted.Clients, with digital skills and access, may send information through a WF1 Connect – a phone or mobile app, directly to a secure County network.Note: JTC staff and employment counselors should obtain copies of relevant documents electronically whenever possible and upload them in a timely manner. This may require the applicant to send a digital photograph of a requested item or document via a cell phone.If the case manager is working remotely, the rules of data privacy and access through a VPN or County network are required. Maintenance:A local report will be used to check for missing information related to credentials and related milestones.Supervisors and/or Managers will monitor files for accuracy and for timeliness in data entry.MIS will provide training as updates to the system occur, if needed.Anoka County JTC abides by Anoka County records retention schedule and maintains paper files for 10 years (with older years stored at Govt Ctr).The local area will monitor DEED’s policies and resources such as the WIOA Young Adult Program policy Chapter 14 for changes that may impact our local policy.JTC Records Manager is Becca Johnson, 763-324-2307, or Becca.Johnson@co.anoka.mn.us ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download