EEOICPA
BULLETIN NO. 04-04
Issue
Date:
___________________________________________________________
Effective Date:
___________________________________________________________
Expiration
Date:
___________________________________________________________
Subject: Processing Electronic
Applications
Background: The Government Paperwork
Elimination Act (GPEA) requires agencies to allow customers the option to
submit information to the government electronically. Effective
In
order for a claimant or affiant to submit a form electronically, he/she is
required to submit the form with his/her electronic signature. The digital
signature must be Access Certificates for Electronic Services (ACES) compliant.
DOL has contracted with the Digital Signature Trust (DST) to establish digital
signatures for DOL forms submission. When a
person opens an EEOICP form on the DOL website, a dialogue box is displayed
that asks if the user wants to get an electronic signature. The person is
routed to the DST website if they want to obtain an electronic signature.
The certification process takes approximately one week.
Upon certification, the claimant or affiant may transmit the form
electronically. Forms submitted electronically will be received by the
DEEOIC National Office
and then forwarded via e-mail to the designated point of contact (POC) and
back-up in the respective District Office for processing.
Purpose: To provide procedures for processing
electronic DEEOIC claim forms.
Applicability: Claims Examiners, Senior Claims Examiners,
All Supervisors, and Technical Assistants.
Action:
1.
When
a form is electronically submitted, it is automatically sent via email to the DEEOIC Form Mailbox at DEEOIC-FormsReceipt@dol.gov. If the claimant or affiant has technical
problems or questions, he/she may request assistance via the DEEOIC Assistance Mailbox at DEEOIC-FormsAssistance@dol.gov. The Branch of Outreach and Technical
Assistance (BOTA) will be responsible for managing and responding to all emails
submitted to both mailboxes on a daily basis.
2. When
DEEOIC receives claim forms in the DEEOIC Form Mailbox, BOTA reviews the forms to
determine the appropriate DEEOIC Office (i.e. DO, FAB, NO).
3. Once BOTA determines the appropriate DEEOIC
Office, a Branch member forwards the electronic file to the person designated
in each DO as the point of contact and back-up.
When
the point of contact receives the form, he/she must print the form and e-mail and forward
immediately to the mailroom to be processed and incorporated into a new or
existing case file according to procedures outlined in EEOICP PM Chapter 1,
200-500. The e-mail from BOTA must be
treated as a postmark envelope; therefore it must be incorporated into the case
file.
In
the event the point of contact is out of the office, the designated back-up
must process the claim form according to procedure.
4. When processing the form, the following ECMS
guidelines must be followed:
(1)
Standard
operating procedure for determining the filing
date is to use the postmark date indicated on the envelope or the
received date stamped on the claim form by a DEEOIC office or
Since the claim form is transmitted electronically, the
filing date for an electronically submitted form is the date the claimant
electronically sends the claim form to the DEEOIC-Form Receipt Mailbox. This is the same date that the e-mail is
received in the DEEOIC-Form Receipt Mailbox. The POC must refer to the sent line on the e-mail forwarded by
BOTA to determine the filing date (refer to illustration 1).
(2) The receipt date is the date the National Office, DEEOIC-Form Receipt Mailbox receives the
claim form. The POC must refer to the sent
line on the e-mail forwarded by BOTA to determine the receipt date. The DO must not use the date the point
of contact received the e-mail from BOTA (refer to illustration 1).
Note: The
filing date and DEEOIC receipt date will be the same date.
Illustration 1
5. All questions submitted via the DEEOIC Assistance Mailbox (DEEOIC-FormsAssistance@dol.gov)
must reviewed by BOTA. BOTA refers
technical or troubleshooting questions to Energy Technical Support. All other questions are answered by BOTA.
Disposition: Retain until the indicated expiration date.
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;