Minnesota No-Fault Arbitration A Guide to the AAA s New Online Scheduling System Effective June 1, 2018

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1 Minnesota No-Fault Arbitration A Guide to the AAA s New Online Scheduling System Effective June 1, 2018 Table of Contents Introduction... 2 Platform... 2 Types of Online Calendars... 2 Per Case Calendars... 2 Global Calendar... 3 Provide Availability Task... 3 Task Accessibility... 4 Notice of Calendar... 4 Instructions... 4 Calendar Form... 6 Calendar View Features... 6 Scheduling Period... 8 Marking Unavailability... 8 Day-by-Day Method... 8 Recurring Unavailability... 8 Deleting Entries... 9 Reopening Calendars... 9 Calendar Submission...10 Failing to Submit a Calendar...10 Unavailability Report and Proof of Submission User Errors Global Calendar...11 Contact Us adr.org

2 Introduction On June 1, 2018, the AAA will launch a new online scheduling system that will be available to all case participants through AAA WebFile and Panelist ecenter. The AAA developed this system at the direction of the Minnesota Supreme Court and collaborated on a design with the Court s No-Fault Standing Committee. The new online scheduling system was designed to build greater efficiency within the process and therefore, improve the user experience. The new system will replace the AAA s existing calendar practices. Pursuant to the Minnesota Supreme Court s February 28, 2018 order, all case participants will be required to use this new scheduling system. The following guide provides a comprehensive look at the AAA s new online scheduling system, as well as information on site navigation and functionality. Platform The new online scheduling system will operate through the AAA s WebFile and Panelist ecenter online portals. AAA WebFile (WebFile) serves as the case management tool for representatives and provides users with 24-hour access to their cases. Representatives will use this portal to complete case calendars. Similar to WebFile, Panelist ecenter (ecenter) is a dedicated case management tool for arbitrators. Arbitrators will access case calendars through this online portal. You must use the appropriate site to access the calendar. To access WebFile or ecenter click on In addition, the AAA has posted How To guides to assist in accessing the online portals, which are located on the Minnesota No-Fault website at For additional assistance, please contact us at Types of Online Calendars Per Case Calendars The AAA developed two types of online calendars in WebFile and ecenter: Per Case Calendars and a Global Resource Calendar. The Minnesota No-Fault Program will utilize only the Per Case Calendars to schedule hearings. A Per Case Calendar will be provided to all case participants for each case, through a task generated on the external portals. The participant will mark all unavailability and submit the case specific calendar to the AAA for consideration in the scheduling of the hearing. A Per Case Calendar allows participants to tailor their calendar based on the needs of each case. The Per Case Calendar will reference a particular case number near the top of the form. 2 adr.org

3 Global Calendar The AAA also developed a Global Calendar that will serve as a resource for Minnesota No-Fault users. The Global Calendar is located on the user s homepage dashboard as illustrated in the image below. This calendar provides users with a calendar view of all scheduled no-fault hearings and the ability to access hearing and case details. It is important to note that the user s maintenance of this calendar will not be used in the scheduling of no-fault hearings. The Global Calendar will not reference a case number near the top of the form. Provide Availability Task After an arbitrator has accepted an invitation to serve on a case, the case administrator will generate a Provide Availability Task that will populate under the Cases with Pending Tasks grid in AAA WebFile and Panelist ecenter. This task will alert the user that there is a pending calendar due on a particular file. The task information will include the AAA s case number, calendar due date, and the names of the parties. To complete the task, the user will click on the AAA s case number, which serves as a link to the case record. Within the case record, the user will click on the Provide Availability task to open the Per Case Calendar for the particular case. 3 adr.org

4 Task Accessibility The user will have access to the task until the expiration of the due date. Also, if a representative s assistant maintains a WebFile account and has requested that the AAA include the assistant on case communications, the assistant will have access to the task as well. However, only one calendar per case participant may be submitted. Notice of Calendar All case participants will receive a correspondence from the AAA advising that a calendar is available for the particular case with a link to the online portal and login instructions. This correspondence will also include the announcement of the arbitrator and the completed Oath and Disclosure form. You may also access the calendar through the AAA website at Instructions There are three different sets of instructions. The first set of instructions will provide users with guidance on how to access the online portal. These instructions will be included in the AAA s correspondence advising the case participants that a calendar is available to complete. The second type of instruction provides the user with the submission guidelines and case specific scheduling parameters, such as the calendar due date and the scheduling period. (See page 10 for an explanation of Scheduling Period.) These instructions will appear after the user clicks on the Provide Availability task within the case record. An example of these instructions is noted below. 4 adr.org

5 Once the user clicks on the Mark Unavailability, the calendar will populate. The third set of instructions is calendar functionality. This includes detailed information about how to use the calendar features to mark your unavailability. You may access these instructions by clicking on the Unavailability button located on the top of the calendar. The following instructions will populate and provide a step-by-step guide on how to mark unavailability. 5 adr.org

6 Calendar Form Calendar View Features The Per Case Calendar provides a number of features to customize the calendar view. This includes color coded events, which may be used to distinguish between other scheduled no-fault hearings, unavailability for the present case and federal holidays. The user may select a number of color options. Calendar View by Day, Week, or Month The user may also toggle between various views, which include views by day, week, and month, as well as a list view. This feature is located below the color codes on the top menu. See the image on the right-hand side. The user may also select a list view of the dates marked as unavailable. This view will show the user the list of dates and times that the user has marked as unavailable. 6 adr.org

7 Moving through Days, Weeks or Months The user may advance through dates by using the arrow features on the top menu. By clicking on the arrows, the user may move the calendar dates forwards or backwards. To return to today s date, the user may click the Today button. Scheduled No-Fault Hearings The Per Case Calendar will capture any no-fault hearings the user currently has scheduled. The scheduled hearings are classified as events and will coordinate with the color code for events. The entry will identify the hearing time and AAA file number. If you hover over the entry a case description will appear with basic case and entry information. Although the system will recognize the existing hearing during the scheduling process, the AAA advises users to mark unavailable those times where a hearing is already scheduled, if the user would not be ready to hold a hearing for the particular case on that date and time. The reason being that if the hearing already scheduled postpones or settles during the scheduling period, that date and time will become available on the user s Per Case Calendar. The calendar below illustrates dates that the user has no-fault hearings scheduled. 7 adr.org

The scheduling period will consist of 22 weeks, which will begin 14 days following the date the calendar was generated.

8 Scheduling Period The scheduling period is the period of time in which a hearing may be scheduled. Case participants must review and mark off any unavailable dates and times during the scheduling period. The scheduling period will consist of 22 weeks, which will begin 14 days following the date the calendar was generated. The AAA will note the exact scheduling period for each case in the correspondence that advises that the calendar is available. This document is also available to the user in the case document grid. If the user attempts to mark off time outside of the scheduling period, the user will receive a message advising that the selected date is not in the active case window. Marking Unavailability In order to promote efficiency, there are a couple of different methods for marking unavailability. These features include a day-by-day method and a recurring method. The user may use one method or a combination of both methods to capture their unavailability for the particular case. The AAA highly encourages users to mark off any and all time that the user is unavailable or would not be prepared for a hearing. For step-by-step instructions and examples, please see our Quick Guide to Online Scheduling. You may access this guide at Day-by-Day Method This method allows users to mark their unavailability for each calendar day, one day at a time. The purpose of this feature is to allow for variations from one day to the next. In order to use this method, the user simply clicks on the particular day and a pop-up box will appear. This box will allow the user to mark off any particular time or times that the user is unavailable on that particular day. The user may also mark off the entire day by checking All Day. A sample of the pop-up box is noted on the right. Recurring Unavailability The user also has the option of marking off extended periods of time by entering a time period for which the user is unavailable, such as a month or two. The user may access this feature by clicking on the Unavailability box on the top menu. See the following screen shot for guidance. 8 adr.org

If the user is unavailable for an entire month, the user would enter the first date of the month in the From Date box and enter the last date of the month in the To Date box.

In addition, if a user prefers to hold hearings after a specific time, before a specific time or only at a specific time, the user may utilize this feature to designate those preferences for the

9 If the user is unavailable for an entire month, the user would enter the first date of the month in the From Date box and enter the last date of the month in the To Date box. The user would then mark the All Day time slot. The system would mark as unavailable, all times during that month. In addition, if a user prefers to hold hearings after a specific time, before a specific time or only at a specific time, the user may utilize this feature to designate those preferences for the entire scheduling period. The user would start by entering today s date in the From Date box and the last date of the scheduling period in the To Date box. Next, the user would mark the time preference. The recurring feature will allow users to mark off a day(s) of the week and/or time(s) that is unavailable during the entire scheduling period. For example, if the user is unavailable Fridays after 12:00 p.m., the user may use the recurring feature to mark off the 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. time slot for each Friday during the entire scheduling period. Next, the user must click on the Recurring box below the time slots, which will open an additional section that will include days of the week. The user must either select daily which will mark off the particular time for each calendar day or select weekly and a specific day of the week that the user is unavailable. Once the user selects Save, the system will mark off all the days and/or times selected. Please note that in order to save your entry, you must select either Daily or Weekly before saving. To review examples of recurring scenarios, please see our Quick Guide to Online Scheduling. You may access this guide at Deleting Entries The user may delete any entry by right clicking on the entry and selecting delete. A pop-up box will appear asking the user to confirm that the entry should be deleted. Reopening Calendars The user may reopen a calendar multiple times as long as the Provide Availability task is open. Any saved entries will remain on the calendar. The task will expire on the due date as noted below. 9 adr.org

However, users are unable to modify or update the calendar once it has been submitted. In addition, the AAA also will be unable to make changes once submitted.

10 However, users are unable to modify or update the calendar once it has been submitted. In addition, the AAA also will be unable to make changes once submitted. Therefore, the AAA recommends that if the user s calendar fluctuates frequently, that the user wait to submit the calendar until the due date. Calendar Submission Once the user has marked all unavailability and is ready to submit the calendar, the user clicks Submit Unavailability. The user will receive a warning that no further changes to the calendar will be permitted once submitted and will be provided with an opportunity to return to the calendar form or proceed with submitting the calendar. Please note that you should NOT submit your calendar until you have marked off your unavailability for the entire scheduling period. Therefore, you should only submit once per case. Also, you must submit the calendar in order for the calendar to be considered by the AAA. The Submit Unavailability button is located on the top menu. Please see the image below. Failing to Submit a Calendar If a case participant does not submit a calendar by the due date, the Provide Availability task will expire and the user will no longer have access to the calendar. The AAA will assume that any date and time during the schedule period is available to schedule a hearing. Unavailability Report and Proof of Submission After the user submits the calendar, a list of the dates and times that the user marked as unavailable will appear on the screen. This report will automatically upload to the case document grid. The report will also list the date of submission and what user submitted the calendar. The report may be downloaded or printed and is only viewable to the user and AAA. 10 adr.org

11 User Errors The AAA will schedule hearings based on the information provided by users on the Per Case Calendar. We will assume that this information is up-to-date and accurate. If rescheduling is necessary due to user errors or omissions, you may be assessed a rescheduling fee pursuant to Rule 15 of the Minnesota Rules of No-Fault Arbitration Procedure. Global Calendar In addition to the Per Case Calendar, the AAA developed a Global Calendar, which may serve as a resource for Minnesota No-Fault users. The Global Calendar is located on the top dashboard of both WebFile and ecenter. The Global Calendar may be used by Minnesota No-Fault users to review hearing schedules and check hearing details. In order to view only scheduled hearings, uncheck the Pre Case Unavailability details located on the left-hand side. To review hearing details, hover over the entry and a pop-up box will provide a high-level view of the hearing details. To navigate to the case record, click on the entry and select View Events. A sample of the Global Calendar is provided below. 11 adr.org

12 Please note that although the Global Calendar has features for marking unavailability, Minnesota No-Fault users may not use this calendar to submit their unavailability. If a user submits availability through the Global Calendar, their calendar will not be utilized in the scheduling of a hearing. Contact Us If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at or by at MinnesotaNoFaultArbInfo@adr.org. You may also contact your Case Administrator. 12 adr.org

Quick Guide to Online Scheduling

Quick Guide to Online Scheduling Accessing AAA Webfile or Panelist ecenter Step 1: Once you receive the AAA correspondence advising that a calendar is available on a particular case, login to AAA WebFile