Attention: This bulletin has expired and is inactive.
EEOICPA BULLETIN NO.02-11
Issue Date:
________________________________________________________________
Effective Date:
________________________________________________________________
Expiration Date:
________________________________________________________________
Subject: Updated Energy Claims Management System (ECMS)- Release Notes (v.1.4.9.88)
Background: The ECMS is updated periodically to incorporate recent changes and improvement.
Reference: ECMS User Reference Guide (updated
Purpose: This bulletin serves to notify Division of Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation (DEEOIC) District Office (DO) staff of the updated version of ECMS. This version of ECMS incorporates several changes and enhancements based on feedback from the DOs. The Release Notes (v.1.4.9.88) explain the changes on a screen by screen basis. If a change affects many screens in the same matter, it is grouped together under the name of the change like “Description in List Boxes.” If an illustration of the change is presented, the screen is also presented with a shadow setting text box to point to the changes on the screen.
Applicability: All Staff
Actions:
1. DEEOIC staff will immediately incorporate these ECMS changes into their case adjudication process.
2. This is the first release containing the notes & Call-up function. This is a significant improvement for processing claims and caseload management. DO staff should begin to use this feature to remind them of any upcoming action dates associated with a particular claim.
3. This is the first release that requires that a CE assignment be made prior to entering any claim status codes. The CE assignment is made on the Case Screen. While in most instances CE assignment is entered at the time of case create, a Supervisor CE, Senior CE, Ops Chief, or DD may modify CE assignments.
4. This release also modifies the SCE-payment certification process. SCEs will now have three options available to them in ECMS they did not have before – certify, reject or cancel a payment.
· Certify – this option allows the SCE signature & date to be recorded in the certification box. It also "locks" the payment transaction.
· Reject – this option "unlocks" the transaction before certification and clears the CE signature and date. Upon return to the CE, the CE will then reprocess the transaction before proceeding with payment processing.
· Cancel – this option allows the SCE to cancel out of the payment screen without any changes to the payment transaction.
5. This release includes new codes for transferring cases to local FAB offices located in the individual DOs. Cases going from DOs to their local FAB office for final decisions must be transferred using one of the following codes before the local FAB office can update those cases.
Local FAB office codes: Jacksonville FAB – FAJ
(The National Office FAB will remain FAB)
6. To transfer a case (within a DO or between DOs the NO, local and NO FAB), a user with the role of SCEX must transfer it in the ECMS Case Screen. A notation that matches the ECMS data (for “location”, “date”, and “by”) must also be made to the case jacket each time a case is transferred. Cases coming back to DOs from their local FAB office must also be transferred to regular DO codes before these cases can be updated. The regular DO codes remain unchanged.
District Office codes:
Cleveland - CLE
7. The “Notes and Call-ups” are intended primarily as a tool for CEs, senior and supervisory CEs in managing their caseloads. Even though use of the notes and call-up functions is voluntary, the CE should follow the guideline set forth in this bulletin to maintain consistency. Each call-up is a note that has an ‘action date’ associated with it that is used to display pending actions by date and type.
8. Each ECMS note consists of up to 255 characters of text and case number, note type code (see below for codes), claim type associated with note, District Office Code, call-up date priority (values 1=highest priority through 5=lowest priority), public flag (when public = y, the note is public, otherwise it is private), update, current owner id, and date created by/transferred to current owner.
9. When to use which Note type codes?
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| A - Adjudication | Use this code when the note/call-up pertains to a development issue (i.e. employment, medical,-survivor) requiring resolution. |
| B - Bill processing | Use this code when the note/call-up pertains to any matter related to medical bills or medical services related to the case. |
| F - FAB related | Use this code when the note/call-up pertains to FAB (i.e. hearings/reviews, final decision expected). |
| I - Inquiry | Use this code when the note/call-up pertains to an inquiry that needs to be made or answer is expected. |
| L - Lump sum compensation | Use this code when the note/call-up pertains to lump sum payments. |
| O - Other | Use this code when the note/call-up pertains to any miscellaneous item. |
10. When to use Private or Public designation?
· The default is Public – meaning that the note is visible by all authorized ECMS user. Such notes would be included in the case file for any FOIA requests.
· Private notes are those that only the owner can see and update. A new CE, for example, might want to place a reminder of some procedure or policy reference they need to be cognizant of when they take the next action noted in the call-up. Such a note would not be intended as a permanent part of the file, but rather a personal job aid for new staff who would delete it after taking the call-up action.
· Supervisors might want to track a particularly difficult case for customer service to help ensure that DO standards are being met (i.e. telephone calls are returned promptly, action items are being followed).
11. What determines the priority and what do the numbers mean?
· Assigning a priority is strictly at the discretion of the owner of the note (1 = highest priority, 5 = lowest priority). A user can sort their notes and call-ups in the Manage view based on priority; however, it is not a required item. The default is ‘1’.
12. When do I delete a note or call-up?
· Any note that is marked as private should either be deleted after it has served its purpose or made public.
· For public notes, the owner of the note should delete it once it has served its purpose.
Disposition: Retain until incorporated in the Federal (EEOICPA) Procedure Manual
PETER M. TURCIC
Director, Division of Energy Employees
Occupational Illness Compensation
Distribution List No. 1: Claims Examiners, Supervisory Claims Examiners, Technical Assistants, Customer Service Representatives, Fiscal Officers, FAB District Managers, Operation Chiefs, Hearing Representatives, District Office Mail & File Sections