Implementation Guide

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 Table of Contents

Implementation Guide............................................................................................................................. 2-1

Overview ....................................................................................................................................................2-1
2000-2001 Modifications at a Glance.............................................................................................................2-2
Batches.......................................................................................................................................................2-4
Disbursements.............................................................................................................................................2-6
Special Disbursements .................................................................................................................................2-7
Data Requests........................................................................................................................................... 2-10

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Implementation Guide

Overview
The purpose of this section is to assist Recipient Financial Management System
(RFMS) Schools, Third Party Servicers, and Software Vendors with
implementing the system changes for the 2000–2001 RFMS Program. This
section describes each 2000–2001 RFMS modification and is a companion to
the record layouts and edits contained in Section 1, Custom Layouts and
Appendix D: Reject Codes, Error Messages, and Edit Descriptions. Questions
pertaining to this section should be directed to RFMS Customer Service at
800/4PGRANT (or 800/474-7268).

An overview of the 2000–2001 RFMS modifications is provided in “2000–

2001 Modifications at a Glance” (see Exhibit 2-1: 2000-2001 Modifications
at a Glance).

To help users understand the new guidelines, the modifications have been
classified into five specific functional areas:
• Batches
• Origination Records
• Disbursement Records
• Special Disbursement Records
• Data Requests

Within each functional area, individual modifications are described and

discussed. This discussion includes the business rules for implementation.

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 If you have questions regarding the material in this section, please call
RFMS between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (ET).

800/474-7268

OR

[email protected]

2000–2001 Modifications at a Glance

A matrix of the modifications made for the 2000–2001 cycle (shown below in
Exhibit 2-1) has been included. We hope this matrix serves as a quick reference
for 2000–2001 changes.

New New or Redesign New or Eliminate

2000–2001 Modifications Process/ Redefined Record Redefined Fields &
Procedure Edit(s) Layout Field(s) Reject
Codes
1. Cartridge and Reel are no longer X X X
acceptable media types.
2. Edit 216 Grantee DUNS X
Number is a warning, not a
reject.
3. Edit 239 was added to check for X
the EDExpress version number.
4. Edit 418 was modified to select X
disbursement records with a
disbursement amount greater than
50% of the Scheduled Award
amount.
5. “Total Funds Disbursed for X X X
this Payment Period Using a
Regular Disbursement
Record” field was added to the
special disbursement record.

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2000–2001 Modifications at a Glance (Continued)

New New or Redesign New or Eliminate

2000–2001 Modifications Process/ Redefined Record Redefined Fields &
Procedure Edit(s) Layout Field(s) Reject
Codes
6. Edit 532 was modified to select X
special disbursement records
with a disbursement amount
greater than the Origination
Award Amount or greater than
50% of the Scheduled Award
amount.
7. Edits 550 and 552 added for the X X
“Total Funds Disbursed for
this Payment Period Using a
Regular Disbursement
Record” field.
8. Batch Replacement no longer a X
Data Request option.
9. Origination ID added to the X X X
YTD Request.

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Batches

Cartridge and Reel are no longer acceptable media

types.
2000–2001 Modification
Description: The Output Media Type will only allow a value of blank or E
starting in the 2000–2001 cycle. Due to the very low volume of data received
and sent on cartridge or reel, these media types will no longer be accepted by
RFMS.

The Output Media Type is used on the Batch Header record and in the Data
Request record to notify RFMS which media type should be used to return the
output data. The institution could request the data by Cartridge, Reel, or
Electronic means. The number of institutions and servicers using Cartridge or
Reel has been decreasing over the years. Due to this the Cartridge and Reel
options are being removed and all data will be sent and received electronically.

Business Rules
• All batches for years prior to 2000–2001 will be allowed to request and
use the Cartridge and Reel output media types.
• Starting in 2000–2001 the only valid values will be E or blank. The blank
will be defaulted to Electronic.
• On the Grant Batch Header, if a value other than E or blank is used, the
batch will receive Edit 235, which is a warning edit.
• On the Data Request record, if a value other than E or blank is used, the
request will receive edit 603, which is a rejected edit.

Edit 239 was added to check for the EDExpress

version number.
2000-2001 Modification
Description: A new batch edit was added to check the EDExpress version
number in the Batch Header record. This edit is only performed if there is data
in the Version Number field of the header record. If the version number in the
header does not match the version number at RFMS, the batch receives Edit
239. Edit 239 is a warning edit.

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 The EDExpress version number in the header is being checked to determine if
the most recent version of the EDExpress software is being used by the school.
Schools are recommended to use the most recent version to take advantage of
enhancements and corrections made to the software.

Business Rules
• All batches for years prior to 2000–2001 will not be checked for the most
recent version number.
• If the Version Number field in the Batch Header record is blank then no
edit will be performed.

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Disbursements

Edit 418 was modified to select disbursement

records with a disbursement amount great than
50% of the Scheduled Award amount.
2000-2001 Modification
Description: Edit 418 now edits for the following conditions:

• The Verification Status on the Origination Record is a ‘W,’ and

• The Disbursement Amount is greater than 50% of the Scheduled Award
Amount.

This change will apply to all cycles.

In the 1999–2000 cycle Edit 418 selected disbursement records with a

Disbursement Amount greater than 50% of the Origination Award
Amount, and whose origination record has a Verification Status of ‘W.’ This
edit is being modified to use the Scheduled Award Amount.

Business Rules
• This edit will be modified for the 1999–2000 and the 2000–2001 cycles.
• Edit 418 is a warning edit.
• If this edit is meet then the Accepted Disbursement Amount will be
corrected to the lesser of either the Origination Award Amount or 50%
of the Scheduled Award Amount.

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Special Disbursements

“Total Funds Disbursed for This Payment Period

Using a Regular Disbursement Record” field added
to the special disbursement record.
2000-2001 Modification
Description: A new field is being added to the Special Disbursement Record
and the Special Disbursement Acknowledgement record. The field is Total
Funds Disbursed for this Payment Period using a Regular Disbursement
Record. The value in the field will be total Federal Pell Grant funds disbursed
to student for this payment period previously reported as disbursed via a regular
disbursement record.

The Total Funds Disbursed for this Payment Period using a Regular
Disbursement record is a new field being added in 2000–2001. This field will
allow a school to enter the amount of Pell Grant that has already been disbursed
for the student for the payment period using a regular disbursement record. This
field will help to ensure that a student does not receive more than the maximum
Pell Grant allowed for a payment period.

Business Rules
• The field will not be used for the 1999–2000 data.
• The valid values for the field are dollars and cents. Use leading zeros; the
valid range is 0000000 - Award Amount Maximum.
• The field will be in position 103 to 109 of the Special Disbursement and the
Special Disbursement Acknowledgement record layouts.
• The value must be less than or equal to total disbursements received for
student.
• Edits 550 and 552 are being added to determine if value in the field is valid.

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 Edit 532 was modified to select special
disbursement records with a Disbursement Amount
greater than the Origination Award Amount or
greater than 50% of the Scheduled Award Amount.
2000-2001 Modification
Description: Edit 532 now edits for the following conditions. The Verification
Status on the Origination Record is a ‘W’, and the Disbursement Amount is
greater than the Origination Award Amount or greater than 50% of the
Scheduled Award Amount. This change will apply to all cycles.

In the 1999–2000 cycle Edit 532 selected special disbursement records with a
Disbursement Amount greater than 50% of the Origination Award
Amount, and whose origination record has a Verification Status of ‘W.’ This
edit is being modified to use the Scheduled Award Amount and the
Origination Award Amount.

Business Rules
• This edit will be modified for the 1999–2000 and the 2000–2001 cycles.
• Edit 532 is a warning edit.
• If this edit is meet then the Accepted Disbursement Amount will be
corrected to the lesser of either the Origination Award Amount or 50%
of the Scheduled Award Amount.

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 Edits 550 and 552 added for the “Total Funds
Disbursed for this Payment Period Using a Regular
Disbursement Record” field.
2000-2001 Modification
Description: Two edits were added for the Special Disbursement record to
determine if the Total Funds Disbursed for this Payment Period Using a
Regular Disbursement Record contains a valid value. The edits are 550 and
552:
• 550 will reject the record if the Total Funds Disbursed for this Payment
Period Using a Regular Disbursement Record is not numeric.
• 552 will issue a warning and correct the Amount of Total Funds
Disbursed for this Payment Period Using a Regular Disbursement
Record is greater than the Amount of Regular Disbursements
Accepted for the Origination Record.

These edits are new for the 2000–2001 cycle since the Total Funds
Disbursed for this Payment Period Using a Regular Disbursement
Record is a new field this year. These edits will ensure that only valid data is
processed by the RFMS.

Business Rules
• These edits will not be performed in the 1999–2000 cycle.
• Edit 550 is a reject edit. Edit 552 is a warning edit.
• If the edits are selected the edit code will be returned on the Special
Disbursement record layout.
• If the field is left blank on the Special Disbursement record it will be
selected by edit 550.

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Data Requests

Batch Replacement no longer a Data Request

option.
2000-2001 Modification
Description: The Batch Replacement option on the Data Request will no longer
be available. The only Data Request options available will be Year-to-Date
(YTD), Multiple Reporting Record (MRR), and Statement of Account (SOA).

The Batch Replacement option is being removed because RFMS true batch
could not be regenerated if any of the records were rejected because RFMS
does not keep rejected records. RFMS could only generate the accepted and
corrected records for a batch.

Business Rules
• Batch Replacement will be a valid option for the 1999–2000 cycle and not
available in the 2000–2001 cycle.
• If a Data Request is sent in for the 2000–2001 cycle with the Batch
Replacement option it will be rejected by edit 602.

Origination ID added to the YTD Request.

2000-2001 Modification
Description: A Year-to-Date (YTD) Request can not be done for a single
student by specifying the origination ID on the YTD request. In addition, a YTD
Request can still be performed for an institution.

By adding the ability to perform a YTD request for a single student this allows a
school to request a small amount of data instead of all of the Origination,
Disbursement and Special Disbursement data for the institution.

Business Rules
• The Origination ID was added to positions 54–76 on the Data Request
Record, and positions 54–76 on the Data Request Acknowledgement
record.
• If the Origination ID requested is invalid or not found on the RFMS
database, the request will be rejected.
• If the Origination ID is blank the request will be processed for the all of the
data of the institution.

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