This document was prepared for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child Support Enforcement under Contract Number HHS-N26-3999-900033I by Lockheed Martin, Information Systems & Global Solutions, Incorporated (LM IS&GS). The work was authorized in compliance with the following specific prime task order:

Delivery Order Number: HHS-P23-3201-175055W Delivery Order Title: Access and Visitation Document Date: TBD

DM v2.8.6

Office of Child Support Enforcement Instruction Manual

Access and Visitation Document Version: 1.2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction 1-1

   1. Reporting Requirements 1-1

   2. Online Submittal 1-1

   3. Annual Submission to OCSE 1-1

   4. Purpose1-1

2. State Details Pages 2-1

   1. Helpful Information 2-1

   2. State Reporting 2-3

3. Preparing The File for Upload 3-1

   1. File Name 3-1

   2. File Format 3-1

   3. Data Entry 3-2

4. System Validation 4-1

5. Uploading The File 5-3

6. Content Verification .......................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 6.1 State Summary 6-1

6.2 Sub-Grantee Profile 6-2

7. Survey Submission 7-1

7.2 Survey Returns 7-3

A. Frequently Asked Questions..................................................................... A-1

B. Checklist: Avoid Processing Errors ......................................................... B-1

List of Figures and Charts

Figure 2-1: State Details Page 1 (Upper) 2-3

Figure 2-3: State Details Page 2 (Upper) 2-7

Figure 2-4: State Details Page 2 (Lower) 2-9

Figure 2-5: State Details Page 2-11

Figure 3-1: State Spreadsheet – Page 1 3-3

Figure 3-2: State Spreadsheet – Page 2 (Left Side) 3-5

Figure 3-3: State Spreadsheet – Page 2 (Right Side) 3-10

Figure 6-2: Sub Grantee Profile 6-3

Figure 7-1: Survey Status 7-1

Figure 7-2: Survey Submission Confirmation 7-2

Chart 2-1: Allowable Characters 2-1

Chart 4-1: Quality Checks 4-1

Table of Contents i

1. INTRODUCTION

1. Reporting Requirements

According to federal statute 42 US.C. 669b, states are required to monitor, evaluate, and report on programs funded through the Access and Visitation Grant Program on an annual basis – in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (45 CFR 303.109).

2. Online Submittal

All reports will be submitted online via the Access and Visitation (AV) portal on the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS).

3. Annual Submission to OCSE

Annual submission of fiscal year reports is due December 30 of each year that the survey is authorized.

4. Purpose

This instructional manual is a how-to guide for state AV portal users for navigating the portal and fulfilling reporting requirements.

2. STATE DETAILS PAGES

After logging into the portal, click the ‘State Details’ tab to report general information about the grant program. For information on the data elements contained in this section, please refer to section 2.2.

1. Helpful Information

The State Details pages automatically pre-populate the most recent submitted content. In other words, text submitted in the previous year will pre-populate on the state details pages the following year. Edit pre-populated text as necessary. If you would like to empty all text boxes, select Clear at the bottom of the page.

To complete the State Details section of the survey, select Save, located on the bottom of each page. It is recommended that you save frequently to avoid losing unsaved work. After all required text boxes are complete and the data on each State Details page is saved, the State Details section status on the Survey Status page will state ‘complete’. The Survey Status page will not state ‘complete’ until all required text boxes are complete and all three pages of the section have been saved. You will be able to make changes to the State Details pages after the Survey Statue page states ‘complete’ and before final submission.

Chart 2-1 shows the allowable characters (fields C, D, E, F, G1, G2, H, I, and J):

CHART 2-1: ALLOWABLE CHARACTERS
Name	Character
Period	.
Apostrophe	'
Dollar Sign	$
Question Mark	?
Exclamation Point	!
Open Parenthesis	(
Close Parenthesis	)
Hyphen/Dash	-
Asterisk	*
Right Quotation Mark	’
Semi Colon	;

CHART 2-1: ALLOWABLE CHARACTERS
Name	Character
Colon	:
Forward Slash	/
Hash	#
Ampersand	&

No other special characters are allowed.

Type content directly into the text boxes. If copied text contains any unallowable characters, none of the copied text will save.

In 15 minute intervals, the portal will display a pop-up that asks if you want to continue working. Enable your system to allow pop-ups so that you receive this notice. If you do not enable pop- ups, you will not receive this notice and will not be able to indicate that you want to continue working, consequently losing all unsaved work.

Save each page as you work. Press Save at the bottom of each page before pressing Next to proceed.

Note: You do not have to complete any section of the portal in a single session. Save information on the State Details page and return to it later. To save data on the State Details pages, use only allowable characters, do not copy text into the portal, and allow pop-ups.

Note: Text boxes have a 4,000 character limit.

2. State Reporting

On the State Details page, the state reports:

• Fiscal Year Award Information (A)

• Services Funded with AV Grant Money (B)

• Custody and Visitation Guidelines (C)

• State Child Access Program Description (D)

• Accomplishments of Program Goals (E)

• Summary of State’s Anticipated Program Costs versus Actual Expenses (F)

• Parenting Time Increased Description (G1)

• Increased Knowledge of Effective Co-Parenting Strategies (G2)

• Domestic Violence Safeguards (H)

• Monitoring (I)

• Supplemental Narrative (J)

Fiscal Year Award Information

Figure 2-1 shows the upper part of the State Details page that contains Fiscal Year Award Information and Services Funded with AV Grant Money (B).

Figure 2-1: State Details Page 1 (Upper)

1. Federal Grant Amount is a required field.

• Type in the dollar amount received from the federal grant.

• Do not include the dollar sign ($).

• Report the actual grant award from the current fiscal year. (Do not report the amount spent.)

State Match Amount or Funds From Other Sources, should not include funds received through the federal grant

2. Services Funded with AV Grant Money

• Select all AV services funded with AV federal grant money.

• Do not report services not funded with federal grant money.

3. Custody and Visitation Guidelines

• This is a required field.

• In response to the question, select Yes or No.

• If the answer is yes, provide response in the text box.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

Figure 2-2 shows the section of the State Details page that contains Custody and Visitation Guidelines (C), State Child Access Program Description (D), Accomplishment of Program Goals (E), and the Next button.

Figure 2-2: State Details Page 1 (Lower)

4. State Child Access Program Description

• This is a required field.

• In the text box, provide a brief statement of the state’s overall AV program design and funding strategy. Explain how the AV grant program works in your state.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

5. Accomplishment of Program Goals

• This is a required field.

• In the text box, compare the actual accomplishments with the goals and objectives established for the period in the state’s AV grant application. If applicable, provide the reason that the initial goals and objectives were not achieved.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

Figure 2-3 shows the upper sections of the State Details (page 2) containing the Summary of State’s Anticipated Program Costs vs. Actual Expenses (F) and Parenting Time Increased Description (G1).

Figure 2-3: State Details Page 2 (Upper)

6. Summary of State’s Anticipated Program Costs vs. Actual Expenses

• This is a required field.

• Services in this section are pre-populated based on the services selected for Services Provided with AV Grant Money (B) on page 1.

• Provide a brief description and comparison of anticipated program costs (reflected in the state’s current AV grant application) with a summary of actual expenses incurred during the grant period. Be sure to only report expenses associated with the federal AV grant money. If the actual cost is unknown, provide the formula used to calculate the estimate.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

G1. Parenting Time Increased Description

• This is a required field.

• Provide the definition used by the state and/or sub-grantee to determine whether the NCP has gained increased parenting time. Provide your state’s and/or sub-grantee’s method for determining whether parenting time has increased. Describe the measure used to determine whether the desired outcome was achieved.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon,

colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

• Fields BR-BS on the state spreadsheet corresponds with this section on the State Details page. (Fields BR-BS reports the number of NCPs who gained increased parenting time due to their participation in federally funded AV services. The totals provided will depend on your state’s definition of success.)

Figure 2-4 shows the lower section of the State Details (page 2) containing Increased Knowledge of Effective Co-Parenting Strategies (G2).

Figure 2-4: State Details Page 2 (Lower)

G2. Increased Knowledge of Effective Co-Parenting Strategies

• This is an optional field and applies to parent education and/or counseling services only.

• Provide the definition used by the state and/or sub-grantee to determine whether a parent has gained increased knowledge of effective co-parenting strategies. Describe the measure used to determine whether the desired outcome was achieved.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

• Fields BT-BW on the state spreadsheet correspond with this section on the State Details page. (Fields BT-BW report the number of Non-Custodial Parents who gained increased knowledge of Effective Co-Parenting Strategies as a result of their participation in federally funded AV services. The totals provided will depend on your state’s definition of success.)

Figure 2-5 shows an example of the State Details page (page 3) containing Domestic Violence Safeguards (H), Monitoring (I), and Supplemental Narrative (J).

Figure 2-5: State Details Page

8. Domestic Violence Safeguard

• This field is required.

• Briefly describe state measures to ensure the safety of parents and children served through AV federally funded services. Were specific Domestic Violence protocols contractually required of the state and/or sub-grantees? Describe these protocols. Were the protocols effectively implemented?

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

8. Monitoring

• This field is required.

• Briefly describe how the state fulfilled its program monitoring responsibilities of all AV- funded grantees. Briefly describe state measures to ensure that Domestic Violence Safeguards were in place and that protocols were followed?

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

8. Supplemental Narrative

• This is an optional field.

• Use text box as “free space” to include narrative that you were not able to include elsewhere in the survey. Include text that exceeded the allowable character limit in a different narrative text box or provide context for data reported on the spreadsheet.

• Special characters allowed include period, apostrophe, dollar sign, question mark, exclamation, left and right parenthesis, hyphen, asterisk, right quotation mark, semi colon, colon, forwards slash, hash, and ampersand.

Note 1: After completing required fields on State Details page 3, click Save. The status of the State Details section on the Survey Status page will state ‘complete’.

Note 2: Make changes to the State Details page any time before survey submission.

3. PREPARING THE FILE FOR UPLOAD

Access the correct template of the State Excel Spreadsheet by clicking Sample xls on the File Upload page.

For the correct state spreadsheet, download the state spreadsheet from the “File Upload” page. Click on the “Sample” button.

• Do not adjust any margins.

• Do not alter the column names or column width. The spreadsheet will not be read by the portal.

• Do NOT modify any fields in the header rows (rows 1-3). Added or deleted headers will result in failed file processing.

1. File Name

Upload the state AV file (Microsoft Excel .xls or .xlsx file format) via the AV web application. Files name must adhere to these requirements:

• Name format: two letter state abbreviation, period, AV, period, FY and last two digits of the

fiscal year (for example, MD.AV.FY13.)

• File name must be equal to or less than 60 characters long.

• File name format only include letters, numbers, periods, underscores, and hyphens.

• Files submitted on the same day must have unique file names. A suggested approach is to append a date and sequence number to the file name. (For example, MD.AV.FY13.2)

Note: Files names that violate any of these naming requirements will not successfully upload.

2. File Format

When completing the state spreadsheet, adhere to the following formatting requirements:

• The third row of an MS Excel spreadsheet (.xls or .xlsx) must contain the Header. The Header includes the names of the fields in the exact order in which they appear on the State MS Excel Spreadsheet. Do not alter, erase, or re-order any Header.

• The MS Excel spreadsheet does not allow some characters although those characters may be allowed in the State Details section.

• All dates must be in MM/DD/YYYY format (columns I & J).

• Only populate the first worksheet of an .xls or .xlsx file. Data on subsequent sheets will not process.

• Each state and/or sub-grantee providing AV federally funded services occupy a row on the state MS Excel file.

• If a state provides services, enter the information on the first row below the Header (Row 4).

Important Note: Add an extra row for totals. It is recommended to sum the totals to ensure the data will pass all automated quality checks. Some quality checks require equal sums of specific data elements. For example, the sums of Client Referral Source (S-Y), AND Client Information (Z-AD), AND Race/Ethnicity (AP-AX) AND Annual Income (AY-BD) must be equal. It will be helpful to ensure that these totals are equal BEFORE attempting upload. If these totals are not equal, the file will fail this validation. Refer to Section 4.

* If the MS Excel file violates any of these formatting requirements, the MS Excel file will not process successfully.

3. Data Entry

Please review the instructions for entering the correct data into the state spreadsheet.

Important Note: Using special characters in specific cells can result in unsuccessful processing. Note the description of allowable characters for each data element.

Figure 3-1 shows the state spreadsheet (page 1) containing Name of Grantee and/or Sub-Grantee (A), Title of AV Program (B), Contact Name (C), Address Line 1 (D), City (E), State (F), Zip (G), Grant Amount (H), Grant Period From Date (I), and Grant Period To Date (J)

Figure 3-1: State Spreadsheet – Page 1

1. Name of Grantee and/or Sub-Grantee