File BEARs Now to Claim FY 2017 E-rate Reimbursements

September 8, 2018

Attached: FY 2017 Funds Remaining as of Sept 5

Attached: Form 472 BEAR Filing Guide FY 2017

Attached: Form 498 Filing Guide

~ Do NOT File in EPC – Use Old BEAR System ~
~ List of Affected Entities is Below and Attached ~
~ BEAR Filing Guide Attached ~
~ FAQs Listed Below ~

We are in one of those hectic times of the E-rate calendar when actions are required on three different funding years – all at the same time.  The last date to receive recurring services for Funding Year 2017 was June 30, 2018; therefore, schools and libraries only have until October 28, 2018to submit BEAR Forms (Form 472) to USAC to seek reimbursement if they paid their vendors in full.  If your vendor provided discounted bills from July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018, or if you already received all of your BEAR reimbursements you can disregard this message.  If your vendor charged you full price, you have a few short weeks to submit the form to collect your E-rate funding.  BEARs must be submitted at https://www2.sl.universalservice.org/bear/login.aspx (see #4 below if you need a BEAR PIN).

ALSO… many applicants have already purchased their approved FY 2018 internal connections equipment and paid for the equipment in full.  Those applicants may now submit BEARs for those purchases as well.  Slide 11 of the attached BEAR Filing Guide shows how to complete the form for these one-time purchases.

There are several steps you must take before the Form 472 BEAR can be submitted. Please review each step and you will be successful in obtaining your reimbursements.

1. ARE YOU ON THE LIST?  Look at the list at the bottom of this message. If your school or library is listed, open the attached spreadsheet for details about which funding requests are affected.  Note:  The data includes all FRNs where 50% or more of the E-rate funds have not been disbursed.  I included FRNs where a BEAR had some, but not all, funds disbursed because a few applicants submit mid-year BEARs and may need a reminder that it’s time to submit the final BEAR.
2. DID YOUR VENDOR SUBMIT THEIR 2016 FORM 473 SPAC?  If Column H (Vendor 473 SPAC Filed?) shows ‘No’, you must contact your vendor prior to submitting the BEAR and tell the vendor they must submit the Form 473 SPAC to USAC ASAP.  This is an annual form that every vendor must submit and without it, no BEARs that list that SPIN will be paid.  Direct the vendor to: https://e-ratepa.org/?p=20121 for more information.
3. DID YOU SUBMIT THE FORM 486 FOR THE FRN?  If Column I (Form 486 Filed?) shows ‘Not Filed’, but you know your 486 was submitted, please let me know ASAP.  Some 486s are stuck in the EPC approval process and we must ask USAC to get them “unstuck” before a BEAR can be filed.
4. DO YOU HAVE A BEAR PIN?  BEARs (Form 472s) are NOT filed in EPC; they are filed in the legacy system at: https://www2.sl.universalservice.org/bear/login.aspx.  To get into the old system, you must use your E-rate PIN — not your EPC credentials.  If you don’t have an E-rate PIN (or had one but can’t find it), complete the short PIN Request template at: http://www.usac.org/_res/documents/sl/xls/PIN-request-template.xlsx and then upload it into EPC by creating a Customer Service Case.  USAC will then e-mail you a new PIN in about a week.
5. DO YOU HAVE AN APPROVED 498 ON FILE WITH USAC?  The 498 provides USAC with the banking information so that your BEAR reimbursements can be directly deposited into your account.  You do not need to complete the Form 498 annually, and most applicants have an approved 498 already on file with USAC.  If you completed a BEAR in the last 2 years, the online BEAR system already has your banking data on file.

• To determine if you have an approved Form 498, log into EPC > Records > Form 498s > Click on 498 if one is showing to see the Status.  If no 498 is showing, then there isn’t one on file with USAC.
• If you need to update your 498 Banking Data, log into EPC > Records > Form 498s > Click on the 498 > Related Actions > Modify Form 498.  Don’t forget to then e-mail a copy of a voided check to: 498bankverification@usac.org
• If you log into the Online BEAR System, and a Form 498 ID doesn’t appear in the form, it means you don’t have an approved 498 on file with USAC.
• The Form 498 must be filed in EPC by a “school or library official” (not a consultant).  If you’re unsure how to find or complete the 498, refer to this guide:  https://e-ratepa.org/?p=13701.
• After you submit the 498, you must then upload or e-mail a copy of a voided/cancelled check (see attached Form 498 Guide) so USAC can be assured that the information you entered on the 498 is accurate.  USAC will issue an approval of your 498 via e-mail to the General Financial Contact.  After receiving that approval, you can THEN submit the BEAR.

The deadline for filing a BEAR for FY 2017 recurring services is October 28, 2018, thus it’s important that to walk through these steps if your name is on the list below.  Each year, many applicants are committed funding, but then never go back to seek reimbursement. Don’t let them keep your well-deserved money.

If you have any questions about the FY 2017 Invoice Deadlines or completing the BEAR, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.

— Julie

PA Schools and Libraries With > 50% FY 2017 Funds Remaining:

A few important Q & A’s:

1) Can I complete the BEAR online?
A. All BEARs must be filed online.  No paper BEARs will be accepted.

2) Can I put all of my reimbursement requests on a single BEAR?
A. No, a separate BEAR must be completed for each separate SPIN (vendor). For example, if you have 2 FRNs that list Comcast, and one FRN that is for AT&T, you can submit both Comcast FRN reimbursement requests on a single BEAR, but the AT&T reimbursement request must be filed on a separate BEAR.

3) Am I required to have the provider approve the BEAR?
A. No. Vendors no longer certify BEARs.  Your BEAR will be submitted directly to USAC for processing.

4)  How long will it take for my BEAR reimbursement to arrive?
A.   Because service providers have been removed from the BEAR approval/reimbursement process, BEAR reimbursements will be directly deposited to the bank account that was listed on the Form 498 within a few days of BEAR submission, assuming the BEAR is not denied for some reason.

5)  How will I know when the BEAR reimbursement amount has been deposited into my bank account?
A.  The General Financial Contact and the Remittance Contact listed on your Form 498 will both receive an e-mail containing a statement with the date the reimbursement amount was transferred and the amount.

6) I was committed more funding than I actually spent. Can I request reimbursement for the full amount that was originally committed?
A. No. Applicants may 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).  Please know that USAC has increasingly been requesting copies of invoices when they review the BEARs as proof that you are requesting the accurate amount.

7) 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?
USAC 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 Column 14 and $5,000 in Column 15, even if you were only committed $4,000. The reason is that USAC 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.

8) What if I receive my BEAR Remittance Letter and it lists that $0 was approved?
A. This typically means that there was an error made on the BEAR Form and the applicant must correct the error and resubmit to USAC.  Typically there is an explanation on the BEAR explaining what was incorrect to help identify the error.  If not, call CSB at 888-203-8100 and they can give you a more detailed explanation.

9) What if I actually received a slightly different service/equipment than what was originally listed on my Form 471 application?
A. USAC has increased scrutiny of the BEARs to make sure that reimbursement requests are for exactly what services were approved for on the FCDLs.  If you changed services during the 2017 funding year from what you originally listed on your Form 471, you should first seek a “correcting service substitution request” from USAC by using the Service Substitution link in the upper right side of the EPC Landing Page.

10)  What should I do if I didn’t use the service?
A.  File a Form 500 and cancel the FRN.  The Form 500 must be filed in EPC where you will find the link in the upper right side of the EPC Landing Page.

Julie Tritt Schell
PA E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
717-730-9060 – f
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org