File BEARs Now for FY 2020 E-rate Reimbursements
July 14, 2021
Attached: FY 2020 Invoicing Status as of July 14, 2021
Attached: Form 472 BEAR Filing Guide 2021
~ FY 2021 BEARs Also May Now Be Submitted ~
~ File in One Portal, Before Entering EPC (new) ~
~ Invoicing Status of All FY 2020 FRNs Attached ~
~ BEAR Filing Guide Attached ~
The last day to receive FY 2020 recurring services was June 30, 2021 and so now is the time to submit the Form 472 — BEAR — to USAC for services in which you paid vendor bills in full from July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2021. How do you know if you need to submit a BEAR? The easy answer is that if you received discounted bills from your vendor, you do not need to submit a BEAR (your E-rate discounts were applied to your bill). If you did not receive discounted bills, then you likely will have to file a Form 472 BEAR to collect your reimbursement. Attached is a list showing the invoicing status of every FY 2020 FRN (including internal connections and FRNs where vendors have already provided discounted bills) so you can get a holistic picture of your FY 2020 funding requests. Column A shows the invoicing status of the FRN and those highlighted in yellow require your attention and possible action. All subsequent BEAR reminders with lists will only include FRNs where a BEAR should be submitted.
ALSO… many applicants purchased FY 2021 internal connections equipment after April 1, 2021 and paid for the equipment in full. Assuming they have received an FCDL, those applicants may now submit BEARs for those purchases as well. Slide 12 of the attached BEAR Filing Guide shows how to complete the form for these one-time purchases.
Note: If you applied for additional E-rate internet access funding in the 2nd FY 2020 COVID window (last October), depending on when the increased internet began, USAC may have created an additional FRN and reduced/adjusted the dates of the original FRN to handle this request. Be sure to check the attached spreadsheet and file using the correct FRN numbers, amounts and number of months on your BEAR.
NEW BEAR LOG-IN INFORMATION – Please Read:
- BEARs (Form 472s) are now filed under the One Portal umbrella which you access at: https://forms.universalservice.org/portal/login and proceed through the multi-factor authentication steps.
- When you reach the One Portal Dashboard, you should see three links in this order: EPC, BEAR, ECF. If you don’t see the BEAR link, it means you are not set up with BEAR access credentials. Simply complete the BEAR Access Template at: https://www.usac.org/e-rate/resources/forms/bear-form-access/ and then upload it into EPC by creating a Customer Service Case. USAC will then provide you with BEAR access in a few days.
- The requirement to enter a BEAR PIN has been removed because you will be logging in under One Portal. However, whenever you click on the BEAR link, you will still be required to enter your Billed Entity Number (BEN) before seeing the BEAR system. BENs can be found on the attached spreadsheet.
Form 498 – Direct Deposit Banking Data Form:
- Before you file the BEAR, you must have an approved Form 498. The Form 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. If your school/library submitted one in a previous year, the online BEAR system already has your banking data on file (see Form 498 section below to determine if your school/library already has an approved 498 on file with USAC). If you need to change your banking data, you can edit your existing 498 in EPC. To determine if you have an approved Form 498, log into the Online BEAR System, and if a Form 498 ID doesn’t appear in the form, it means you don’t have an approved 498 on file with USAC. If you don’t have access to the BEAR System when logging into your One Portal account, and want to see if you have an approved 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. Also, here is a guide explaining how to update the 498: https://e-ratepa.org/?p=31938.
- 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/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/498-Filing-Guide-2019.pdf. Note: After you submit the 498, you must then e-mail or upload a copy of a voided/cancelled check 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.
A few important Q & A’s:
1) 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.
2) Am I required to have the service provider approve the BEAR before it’s submitted?
A. No. Vendors no longer certify BEARs. Your BEAR will be submitted directly to USAC for processing.
3) 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 as soon as a few days of BEAR submission. However, USAC often requests additional information, such as a copy of the vendor invoice(s), as part of an invoice review (common with C2 BEARs).
4) 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. About two weeks after that, the Form 486 contact will receive a paper (by mail) BEAR Notification Letter that outlines whether the BEAR was approved, denied, or partially paid.
5) 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 $6,000). 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.
6) 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.
7) 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.
8) 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 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.
9) 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.
If you have any questions about the FY 2020 or FY 2021 Invoice Deadlines or completing the BEAR, please contact me at jtschell@comcast.net.
— Julie
Julie Tritt Schell
Pennsylvania E-rate Coordinator
717-730-7133 – o
jtschell@comcast.net
www.e-ratepa.org