New PIA Review Process – in EPC

June 28, 2016

The Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) review is a detailed application review conducted by USAC representatives in Whippany, New Jersey.  Inquiries from PIA reviewers generally involve requests for clarification and/or additional documentation on product or applicant eligibility, discount rate calculations, etc.  These are serious inquires that must be addressed in a timely fashion.  PIA inquiries typically provide 14-day deadlines for responses but I encourage you to respond as soon as you receive the e-mail.  The sooner you respond, the sooner you’ll receive your E-rate FCDL.

Beginning with Funding Year 2016, all PIA inquiries will be sent in EPC, and all responses to these inquiries also must be done in EPC.  The Form 471 contact will receive an e-mail indicating that the application is in the review stage and will provide a link to the actual PIA inquiry(s) in EPC (you must be logged-in to EPC to see it).  To see the questions, click on “Respond to Inquiries” which will then make the Inquiry Name a blue hyperlink.  Click on the hyperlink and the list of questions will appear.  Be sure to respond to all of the questions/inquiries at the same time.

A guide to the new PIA review process, including screenshots of the PIA inquiry pages, is attached.  Page 7 of the guide also shows where to find the status of your Form 471 application.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.

– Julie

Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator

717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org

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