Guide for Online BEAR Submissions
Message Posted September 18, 2009

Now that the SLD website is functional again, it is the perfect time to file your FY 2008 BEAR for recurring services if you haven't done so already. The deadline is October 28, 2009 and I'll send a list in early October of the applicants that still having funding remaining to be collected, so file now and avoid the list! Each year, many applicants are committed funding, but then never go back to seek reimbursement. Don't let them keep your well-deserved money.

Applicants have the choice if submitting the Form 472 BEAR on paper or online. For those applicants filing the BEAR Online, below are detailed instructions to help walk you through the process. Unsure if the Online BEAR system is right for you? I believe there are both advantages and disadvantages to the Online BEAR...

The Advantages:
Faster receipt of checks, goes directly to service provider then directly to SLD, no actual paper must be submitted, the system does automatic calculations and error checking, and provides the functionality to track pending or previously submitted BEARs.

The Disadvantages:
Cannot edit an Online BEAR if the applicant or the vendor finds a mistake, must recreate the BEAR if USAC rejects it (no way to resubmit with corrections), e-mail notifications are very generic, some vendors don’t accept online BEARs, vendors sometimes don’t receive e-mail notifications that BEARs are sitting in their queue to approve, and applicants must use a PIN to sign-in to the Online BEAR system.

Most vendors that are accepting Online BEARs seem to prefer receiving BEARs online instead of paper. But it’s completely up to you which method you decide to use.

How to Submit an Online BEAR

Important: To submit a BEAR Form online, applicants will need their PIN, AND their service provider must be accepting Online BEARs. If a vendor is not accepting Online BEARs, the applicant must file a paper BEAR (Hint: If you’re unsure, call your vendor to find out before you begin this process. There is no website or list to show which vendors accept Online BEARs, unfortunately).

1) Log-in to the Online BEAR System at: https://www2.sl.universalservice.org/bear/login.aspx using your Billed Entity Number (BEN), PIN, email address, and the last name of the PIN user. (If the system says it's an invalid e-mail address, try typing it in CAPs, or try using the last name of the contact person.) Unlike all other SLD forms, the Online BEAR requires you to log-in using your PIN instead of certifying the form after it's been submitted.

2) Click on “New BEAR Form” to start a new BEAR. (If you ever want to track a BEAR that's been submitted (even previously submitted paper-submitted BEARs) or is pending, instead click on "Track Form" and enter the query information.)

3) When the blank BEAR Form appears, you'll see it looks nearly identical to the paper BEAR except it's just 1 page.
# 3: Enter the SPIN for this BEAR (remember a BEAR can only be associated with 1 SPIN)
# 6: Enter a Form Identifier -- one that you make up (AT&T FY 08, for example)
# 9: Enter the Form 471 Number
# 10: Enter the FRN Number
# 12 (Use for recurring services and skip # 13): The date for # 12 should be the date of the first bill that you received from the service provider for the reimbursements being requested on this BEAR. For example, if you are filing for 12 months worth of bills, your first bill likely was 7/1/2008 or some date in July 2008. If you are only filing for reimbursement on bills from January 2009 - June 2009, your bill date would likely be 1/1/2009 or some date in January 2009.

# 13: (Use for non-recurring services and skip # 12): The date in # 13 should be either the date that the products were shipped, the last date that the service provider performed its work, or the vendor bill date.

#14: Enter the eligible pre-discount amount spent for this FRN. The Online system will then automatically multiply the amount in # 14 by your approved discount and that product will then be entered in # 15. (See ** at bottom of this message for instructions on what to enter if you spent more or less than the amount you were originally committed by the SLD.)

Note: If you have more than 1 FRN for this SPIN, you may click "Add Line Item" at the bottom of Block 2 to enter the new FRN information on the same BEAR.

Block 3 Certification:
A, B, C, D: Check the box to the left of each certification.
# 16: Check the signature box.
# 18 - 21: Enter the authorized person’s contact information and name of employer.

4) -- NEW -- At the bottom of the page is a text box where you can include any message you have for your service provider – including your billing account number(s) or other information requested by your service provider such as the # of months of service contained on the BEAR.

5) When you have reviewed and verified all of the information on the form, click the “Certify and Submit” button at the bottom of the form. Your service provider will automatically receive an email notification that your form is available to be reviewed and certified. USAC also will send you a copy of that notification. It may also be a good idea to email your service provider to let them know you have submitted a BEAR that needs to be certified (just in case the USAC email does not reach the service provider).

6) If…..
… your service provider certifies your BEAR, you will receive an e-mail that the form has been vendor-certified and has been electronically sent to USAC for payment.

... your service provider does not certify your form within 7 days, USAC will send the service provider a reminder by email and a copy of the reminder to you.

… your service provider does not certify your form within 15 days, USAC will cancel your BEAR Form and send a notice of cancellation by email to both you and the service provider.

...your service provider denies your BEAR, you should contact them to find out the reason, and then resubmit a new BEAR.

…you entered more than one line item, and if your service provider does not certify all of them, you must file a new BEAR Form for the line(s) that were not certified. (Your service provider has the option of certifying the entire BEAR Form or just certifying certain lines on that form.)

Unfortunately, it's not possible to amend a submitted BEAR, or open a previously submitted or pending BEAR, and make revisions. You must file a new BEAR Form to request reimbursement.

7) After the service provider certifies the BEAR, it typically will take USAC 1-2 weeks to process it, and if it's approved, you'll receive a Form 472 Approval Letter and USAC will mail your reimbursement check to the service provider within 20 calendar days. The service provider then must mail you a check within 20 business days.

* * *
I was committed more funding than I actually spent. Can I request reimbursement for the full amount that was originally committed?

Applicants should only seek reimbursement for the exact amount paid for the service instead of just listing the full funding cap (for example, if you were committed $10,000, but then only spent $6,000, you can only request E-rate reimbursements based on the $6000).

I spent more than what was committed on my funding commitment letter (my cap). What should I list on my BEAR -- the cap or the actual amount spent?

The SLD would like you to complete the BEAR with the actual figures of what you spent for the service, and not just list your funding cap amount. For example, if you spent $10,000, and had a 50% discount, you would list $10,000 in # 14 and $5,000 in # 15, even if you were only committed $4,000. The reason is that the SLD would like to show how much applicants are actually spending on services and also so they know that you are not just listing the funding commitment amount (the cap), but have actually added up how much was actually spent in each of the 12 months using the actual vendor bills. Unfortunately, they will only reimburse you up to the amount that you were committed.

* * *
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at jtschell@comcast.net. Don't forget…the deadline to submit FY 2007 BEARs is October 28, 2008.

-- Julie