1.  Purpose.  To inform H-1B grantees of a proposed new EIMS module designed for

H-1B quarterly performance reporting.

 

2.  Background.  To ease the reporting burden on H-1B grantees and to improve the data collection and tabulation functions, the Office of Workforce Investment (OWI), in conjunction with the Office of Technology (OT), is developing a new module to ETA’s existing EIMS.  This module is designed to meet the specific needs of H-1B grantees’ quarterly performance reporting requirements. 

 

3.  EIMS Quarterly Performance Report.  The EIMS Quarterly Performance Report module will be aimed at reducing the reporting burden on H-1B grantees and standardizing and improving the data being collected by DOL / ETA.  This EIMS module will simplify and unify the reporting process and allow grantees to accurately reflect their performance successes. 

 

3.1 Implementation.  OWI and OT staff are currently planning a pilot program (limited release) to test the integrity and accuracy of the system.  This pilot program is designed to allow the OWI’s H-1B program staff and OT to evaluate the interface, usability, and accuracy of the data with actual grantee reporting data.  The roll-out of the pilot is scheduled to begin on January 1, 2004, allowing selected grantees to report information for the quarter ending December 31, 2003. This pilot program will last for at least one reporting period.  A small group of grantees will be asked to participate in the pilot; grantees wishing to volunteer to participate in the pilot will also be considered. 

 

Details about a full release are being finalized. After the pilot is completed and OMB approval obtained, it is expected that all active grantees will be required to use the system beginning with the quarter ending June 30, 2004.  Full implementation may occur earlier depending on system details and OMB approval.

 

3.2 Training.   Training for the use of the new EIMS Quarterly Performance Report module will be provided at the All Grantee Conference in December 2003.  This training will explain the purpose of EIMS, illustrate its ease of use, and provide instructions for obtaining the appropriate access and reporting quarterly information correctly.  There will also be a comprehensive user’s guide made available to assist grantees in using the new EIMS module.  Attachment A to this document is an extract from the draft user’s guide that provides examples and screenshots of the proposed EIMS Quarterly Performance Report module.  A complete user’s guide will be provided at a later date once the module receives OMB approval.

 

3.3 Content of Quarterly Narrative Report module.  The proposed EIMS Quarterly Performance Report module is divided into three sections:

 

·         Reporting Information;

·         Summary of Certificates/Licenses/Degrees; and

·         Narrative Project Status Summary. 

 

Each of these sections is designed to simplify the reporting and collection processes and standardize the data being reported.  The three sections are saved separately, allowing grantees to input data as it becomes available for that particular quarter.  The submission procedures are very similar to the EIMS SF269 Financial Status Report quarterly reporting module.  Each grantee will be issued a password to access their account and a pin number used to submit the quarterly report.  Like the financial report, it is recommended that grantees save the report before submitting it.  The submit function is located in Section 3.  A brief description of the three different sections follows. 

 

Section 1 – Reporting Information: This section is dedicated to collecting the cumulative numbers the grantee has assembled for the particular quarter.  The data fields are designed to represent reporting requirements from the SGA and address some data collection issues anticipated with the future implementation of common measures.  The grantee must only input the current quarter’s cumulative numbers in the nine separate numerical fields and the system will tabulate those numbers and maintain the records.  There is also significant error checking to reduce input errors. Examples of the data fields in this section can be found in Attachment A: Draft of the User’s Manual. 

 

Section 2 – Summary of Certifications/Licenses/Degrees: This section is dedicated to collecting and organizing the grantees information on certifications, licenses, and degrees awarded as a result of their H-1B grant.  There are separate screens dedicated to certifications, licenses, and degrees.  Within each screen there are multiple ways to search through the database to find specific awards.  Grantees can search by industry sector or the name of a certification, license, or degree.  Once the award is found, it is added to the grantee’s report and will reappear each quarter after, allowing the grantee to easily report the additional awards without needing to search for each award every time.  There is also a function that allows grantees to add certifications, licenses or degrees that are not listed in the database.    

 

Section 3 – Narrative Project Status Summary: This section is dedicated to providing ample space to each grantee to write out their goals, issues, corrective actions, planned activities for the following quarter, and any other comments that the grantee feels will benefit the federal oversight staff.  This section consists of five separate text boxes with word limits ranging from 1000 to 3000 characters.  These summaries are meant to supplement the prior two sections, not to replace them.  Anything that may be unique about the information supplied in the first two sections can be explained here.  It is also in this section that the grantee will be able to submit the report to DOL / ETA.  It is recommended that grantees save the report before submitting to help eliminate the loss of data in the case of an error. 

 

4.  Action Recommended.  H-1B grantees interested in participating in the pilot of the proposed EIMS Quarterly Performance Report module starting in January 2004 should contact their respective FPO by January 16, 2004, to receive a password and pin to gain access to the system.

  

5.  Inquiries.  Grantee questions regarding the proposed EIMS quarterly performance reporting system should be directed to Mindy Feldbaum, H-1B Program Officer, at Feldbaum.Mindy@dol.gov or (202) 693-3382. 

 

 

Attachment A:  Extract from draft User's Manual for the proposed EIMS Quarterly Performance Report module.