SLD Redesigns New Website and Issues PINs
Message posted December 20, 2005
Over the weekend, the SLD launched their redesigned website, now available at http://www.universalservice.org/sl/. Not surprisingly, they are having some hiccups, most notably that many users (me included) cannot access the site on a regular basis. These problems have been reported to the SLD but if you experience problems with the site, I encourage you to contact the SLD using their 'Submit a Question' (http://www.slforms.universalservice.org/EMailResponse/EMail_Intro.aspx) function to explain the problems you're encountering.
Most of the links that applicants commonly use are located on the bottom left toolbar (such as Apply Online, Reference Area and Submit a Question). And all of the search functions (such as SPIN search, Billed Entity Search, Funding Commitment Search, Data Retrieval Tool, etc.) are now all found by clicking on 'Search Tools.'
Thankfully, when you click on 'Apply Online' it takes you to the old application pages that everyone is familiar with. One quick note: The new Online Item 21 Attachment function is now located on this page at the bottom of the 471 column. Please use it!
New PINs Issued
As we've discussed before, the SLD scrapped all pre-existing PINs and the first week in December mailed new PINs to all individuals who signed a Funding Year 2005 Form 470, 471 or 486 or a Funding Year 2006 Form 470. A few important notes:
* If you have signed one of these forms and did not receive a PIN, call the SLD at 888-203-8100. Please also let me know so I can identify if this is a systemic problem.
* The PINs are individual AND institution specific. So if you received a PIN for someone who no longer works at your institution, throw it away or contact the SLD to cancel it.
* Be careful that the person's name on the PIN card is the same name as the person you list on the form as the authorized signer. For example, if the PIN card lists 'BRIAN JONES', but you type 'MATTHEW LEEDS' in the authorized signature block, the SLD's system will not catch the error and will permit you to use that PIN. However, later in the process, someone at the SLD will catch the error (that a wrong PIN was used) and your application likely will be denied. So please make sure the name on the PIN card and the name on the signature page match.
* The PINs are 6-8 characters in length and contain a special character at the beginning or the end, such as '=sporty' or '?system'.
* If you don't have a PIN, you should submit your forms online, but mail in the signed paper certification pages to the SLD. They, in turn, will mail you a new PIN for future use.
If you have any questions, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
Julie Tritt Schell
jtschell@comcast.net
(717) 730.7133 (voice)
(717) 730.9060 (fax)
| 
Back to 2005 Archives Main