Alameda County Chronicle Season of Sharing (SOS) Fund Online User Guide

Transcription

1 Introduction Alameda County Chronicle Season of Sharing (SOS) Fund Online User Guide This guide provides an overview of how to log in and navigate the Online Clearance and Intake process. The Alameda County SOS online system has been designed to be user-friendly, to make the application process more streamlined and efficient, and to ultimately help you, the referring caseworker, to better serve your clients in need. If you encounter any technical issues or have questions, contact Andrea Wong, liaison, SOS Administrative Office at or (510) Table of Contents A. Logging into the System...2 B. Completing the Clearance Process...3 C. Completing the Intake Process...5 D. Completing the Budget Worksheet...7 E. Finalizing, Printing, and Submitting the Application...10 F. Funding Decisions...13 G. Checking Application Status...14 H. Retrieving Saved / In Progress Applications...15 I. Accessing Program Information and Forms...16 J. What If?...17 My client is undocumented and doesn t have an SSN? I submitted an application and realized I made an error? I forgot my username and password? An unauthorized person has gotten a hold of my username and password? Page 1 of 17

2 A. Logging into the System 1. In your Internet browser, go to (Add to your Favorites for quicker access. On the Toolbar at the top of your Internet browser, go to Favorites and choose Add Favorites from the pull-down menu.) 2. Scroll down to Related Links (bottom left hand corner). Click on Season of Sharing CBO login. 3. Enter your Username and Password. (If you don t have a username and password, contact sos@acgov.org to request a Referring Caseworker Online Registration Form.) Don t forget: your username and password are case-sensitive (upper and lower case matter). If you have forgotten your password, click the link Forgot your password? at the bottom of the log-in screen. Click here if you forget your username or password! Page 2 of 17

3 B. Completing the Clearance Process You re in! This is where the process begins: the Clearance Request Form. By completing and submitting this form, you can check to see if your client has received prior SOS assistance. 1. Fill in fields accurately and completely. (Applicant is not required.) There s also space to enter information on a Co-Applicant (definition shown on bottom of screen) and up to 3 additional occupants (i.e. grown children living at home, live-in care providers, etc people who may be present in the home but are not financially responsible or contribute to the household expenses). The system will also check for prior assistance for the Co-Applicant. Helpful hint: The system has preferred formats for certain types of information. Date format: MM/DD/YYYY Phone format: must include area code: PPP-PPP-PPPP Social Security Number format: XXX-XX-XXXX 2. Click Submit Request when complete. If you left out any required information, the system will prompt you. IMPORTANT: the information you type on the Clearance Request Form for the Applicant (and Co-Applicant, if there is one) will be automatically transferred to the Intake Form if the clearance request is approved and you choose to proceed immediately to the intake. If you indicate Additional Occupants on the clearance request, the Intake Form will have the appropriate fields for you to fill in for these household members. This information, once transferred to the Intake Form, cannot be changed. If you make a mistake after submitting the request, click on Clearance/Intake Form in the upper left-hand corner of the page to re-do the Clearance with the correct information and proceed again to the Intake Form. Page 3 of 17

4 3. The system provides an immediate response to the Clearance Request. Results appear in the Internet browser. 4. If the Applicant is cleared: and is sitting right there with you, and you are ready to proceed with the intake, click Apply Now to access the Intake Form. and you need to have the client come in for an appointment, you can either close the browser to log out or click Clearance/Intake Form in the upper left-hand corner to do a clearance for another client. When you and the client are ready to do the intake, you will have to fill out the Clearance Request Form again in order to access the Intake Form. Click to proceed to Intake Click to Form proceed to Intake Form If the client has received prior assistance or has a pending application submitted by another SOS agency currently under review, you will be unable to access the intake form. If you have questions regarding the results, to sos@acgov.org or call (510) to speak with SOS Admin staff. Page 4 of 17

5 C. Completing the Intake Process Please remember that all SOS intakes must be done face-to-face with the client, as required by the San Francisco Chronicle SOS Executive Board. This online system does not replace this requirement. You are now looking at the Critical Family Needs / Housing Assistance Intake Form. IMPORTANT: the information you had typed in on the Clearance Request Form for the Applicant (and Co-Applicant, if there is one) has been automatically filled in on the Intake Form. This information is not alterable because the clearance was based on this data. If you had indicated Additional Occupants on the clearance request, the Intake Form will have the appropriate fields for you to fill in for these household members. If you made a mistake, click on Clearance/Intake Form in the upper left-hand corner of the page to re-do the Clearance with the correct information and proceed again to the Intake Form. 1. Complete this Online Intake Form the same way you would with a paper Intake Form as thoroughly and as accurately as possible. If you forget something or enter data in the wrong format, the system will prompt you to fix it. Page 5 of 17

6 2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Continue to view the Intake Form. 3. Scroll down to see all the data you ve entered. 4. If you want to make any changes or corrections, click Make Changes. After you ve made the changes, scroll down and click Continue to view the Intake Form in its entirety again. 5. If you are ready to move on to the Budget Worksheet, click Save. Save Intake Form and proceed to Budget Worksheet Page 6 of 17

7 Important: Until you click Save, the information you ve entered on the Intake Form is only temporary. For instance, if your Internet browser crashes, you will have to start over. However, once you click Save, the Intake Form will be preserved and you can exit the system and access it again, if needed. (To see how to access a saved but not submitted application, see the section: Retrieving Saved / In Progress Applications on page 13.) Clicking Save does not submit the application to SOS Admin. You will also have another chance to fix any errors before submitting the application to SOS Admin. Always use the designated buttons at the bottom of each page to move between forms. Using the Back button your browser may cause loss of data! D. Completing the Budget Worksheet 1. Fill out the budget worksheet as would on paper. 2. Click Calculate and the worksheet will automatically add up the amounts you entered. 3. If adjustments are needed, enter the correct amounts and click Calculate to re-calculate. You may repeat this process as many times as needed. Hit Calculate and it does the math for you! Page 7 of 17

8 4. When you are satisfied, click Save, to save the information and view the budget worksheet. 5. If you need to make changes, click Modify Budget Worksheet. After making the changes, click Calculate. You can modify and re-calculate as many times as needed. 6. When you are satisfied, click Save. 7. You may print the Budget Worksheet. Click the Print Page link at the bottom left-hand corner of the page. The form will open in a new window for printing. Click here to Print Budget Worksheet Page 8 of 17

9 Optional: Display Check Form. No action is needed here, but you have the option to view the Check Request Forms that SOS Admin will submit to the fiscal agent if the application is approved for funding. Notice that if you entered more than one landlord or vendor on the intake form, a separate check request is generated for each one. To proceed {Sample check request forms} 8. To proceed and display intake form for submission, click Display Intake Form. Page 9 of 17

10 E. Finalizing, Printing, and Submitting the Application 1. From the Budget Worksheet, you click Display Intake Form. You re almost there! 2. If corrections are needed, click Make Changes. (Process can be repeated as many times as needed.) 3. Otherwise, if you are satisfied, click Continue to move on to Save Changes, PRINT and Submit Application! 4. Review the Intake Form with your client to ensure completeness and accuracy. 5. If changes are still needed, it s not too late! Click Display Intake Form. Enter the change(s) and click Continue. Page 10 of 17

11 **** The following steps are MANDATORY.**** 6. Once you and the client have verified that the Intake Form is complete and accurate, print out the Intake Form. Click the Print Page link in the bottom left-hand corner. Clicking it will open the form in a new window for printing. 7. Have the Applicant (and Co-Applicant if there is one) to sign the Intake Form. 8. Here s another chance to print the Budget Worksheet if you haven t already done so. Click Display Budget Worksheet to return to the budget form. Click the Print Page in the bottom left-hand corner. IMPORTANT: Use the buttons at the bottom of the page to navigate between the Intake Form, the Budget Worksheet, and the Check Request Form. Do not use the Back button your browser. Use buttons to navigate between Intake, Budget & Check Forms Click here to print Intake Form Page 11 of 17

12 **** The following steps are MANDATORY.**** 9. Make a copy for your client and keep the signed original for your agency s records. IMPORTANT: This is your absolute last chance to still make any changes to the Intake Form or Budget Worksheet. (Click Display Intake Form or Display Budget Worksheet.) If you are absolutely satisfied, please proceed. 10. Scroll down to the bottom of the Intake Form and follow the instructions to verify completion of these requirements. Clicking Confirm Signature submits the application to SOS Admin. After submission, you are no longer able to make any changes to the application. Enter last 4 digits of SSN for Applicant & Co-Applicant to confirm their signature(s) Page 12 of 17

13 11. A confirmation will appear on the screen. 12. You also will receive an notification to confirm the application submission to SOS Admin. Print out the notification to keep with your client s file for reference. 13. After submitting the online application, please gather all required and supporting documents from the client and provide to SOS Admin as outlined in the Application Review Process and Funding Guidelines. F. Funding Decisions Only the SOS Administrative Office has the capability to input funding amounts and request the issuance of funds for approved applications. When SOS Admin makes an update to the applicant s status (funded or denied, missing documents, new review date, etc.), you will get an notification immediately. Page 13 of 17

14 G. Checking Application Status Although SOS Admin will notify you by when a funding determination is made or if any additional information is needed, you can check your client s Application Status for any actions taken by SOS Admin. 1. Click Application Status in the upper lefthand corner. 2. Under Application Status section of the page, enter either the primary Applicant s SSN or the Applicant s Last Name and First Name. 3. The Application Status page provides crucial data regarding the application, including primary applicant s identifying information, referring agency, submission date, funding requested, scheduled review dates, list of missing documents, funding status, and funded amounts. Page 14 of 17

15 H. Retrieving Saved / In Progress Applications The system will allow you to Save an in-progress online application in the event you or your client need to interrupt the interview and return to the intake at a later time or date. As long as you clicked Save on either the Intake Form or Budget Worksheet (you ll know if it worked if the system moves you onto the next step) before you close your browser, you can return to the system and retrieve the saved information. 1. Click on Applicant Status (link on the upper left-hand side of page after you log in). 2. Under Search Applicant Intake Form, enter the client s SSN. 3. Intake form is retrieved with the saved information. You are able to proceed from wherever you left off, and make modifications to intake form and budget worksheet before final submission to SOS Admin. Page 15 of 17

16 I. Accessing Program Information and Forms SOS-related forms are available online for download. Click on the links on the upper-left hand side of the page. You can print them as needed. Updates or new forms may be added periodically: Documents Check List list of required supporting documentation to be provided for applicaiton Disability Certification Form to document Applicant s disability if they are not already receiving Social Security / SSI benefits) Landlord Letter to accompany Form W-9 Form W-9 required IRS tax form to be filled out by landlord Fact Sheet single info page that can be shared with clients FAQs frequently asked questions can be shared with clients SOS Public Directory list of participating SOS agencies that accept inquiries from the general public Caseworker Reference Program Guidelines eligibility criteria, funding limitations, application submission procedures, etc. Panel Review Calendar application submission deadlines and scheduled panelists Partners-only Directory all participating SOS agencies (not for public distribution) SOS Admin Contacts contact information for program administration Online User Guide instructions for using the online application system Page 16 of 17

17 J. What If? My client is undocumented and doesn t have an SSN? The system prompts me to put in an SSN. What do I do? to sos@acgov.org to request an Undocumented Applicant ID. SOS Admin will provide you with a unique ID number that you can use in place of the SSN to complete the clearance request, and if cleared, the intake form. I submitted an application and realized I made an error? to sos@acgov.org immediately. should reference applicant s name, SSN and explanation, as well as provide your direct contact information. I forgot my username and password? Click the Forgot your password? link at the bottom of the Log-in page and follow the instructions. An unauthorized person has gotten a hold of my username and password? to sos@acgov.org immediately. You will be contacted to establish a new username and password. Page 17 of 17