Optional online requests for state unemployment fund loans

UIPL22-02_ch1_acc.pdf (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/UIPL/2007/UIPL22-02_ch1_acc.pdf)

                                                           CLASSIFICATION
      EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING ADMINISTRATION               Unemployment Insurance
                  ADVISORY SYSTEM                          CORRESPONDENCE SYMBOL
             U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR                      OWS/DFAS
                Washington, D.C. 20210                     DATE
                                                           September 20, 2007


ADVISORY:             UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM LETTER NO. 22-02,
                      Change 1

TO:                   STATE WORKFORCE AGENCIES

FROM:                 EMILY STOVER DeROCCO /s/
                      Assistant Secretary

SUBJECT:              Optional Electronic Procedures for Requesting and Repaying Title XII
                      Advances from the Federal Unemployment Account (FUA)


1. Purpose. To provide requirements for requesting advances (loans) from and making
   voluntary repayments to the FUA in the Unemployment Trust Fund (UTF) through a new
   optional electronic system designated the Loan and Repayment Application System
   (LARAS). Requests initiated in the Title XII LARAS will now be accepted in place of
   letters.

2. References. Title XII, Social Security Act (SSA); section 3302, Federal Unemployment Tax
   Act; Unemployment Insurance Program Letter (UIPL) 3-91; UIPL 39-97; UIPL 22-02; 20
   CFR Part 606.

3. Background. Section 1201 of the SSA permits the Governor of a state to request repayable
   advances from the FUA for any three consecutive months during which reserves in the state
   account in the UTF are insufficient to pay benefits. Section 1202 of the SSA allows the
   Governor to make voluntary repayments of the loans. The instructions to states making loan
   requests and repayments (UIPL No. 22-02) require the Governor to send a signed letter
   requesting loan authorizations and voluntary repayments to the Secretary of Labor. The
   Department has developed the LARAS to allow states to submit such requests electronically
   rather than through the mail, anticipating that the automation of this process will benefit all
   parties involved by communicating required amounts and dates more timely and more
   efficiently. There is no Federal requirement to use the LARAS.

4. Delegation of Authority to Request Advances and Voluntary Repayments. The
   Governor may delegate the authority to request Title XII loans and make voluntary
   repayments to another state official, if permitted by state law. The Department must be
   notified of this delegation by a letter from the Governor to the Secretary of Labor (attention:
   Administrator, Office of Workforce Security (OWS)), enclosing a certified copy of the



 RESCISSIONS                                               EXPIRATION DATE
 None                                                      September 20, 2008


   document as evidence of such delegation, together with a facsimile signature of the official to
   whom such authority has been delegated. If the state uses the LARAS, in addition to the
   letter from the Governor, the state must provide OWS with the address, title, organization,
   email, and fax number of the state official to whom authority has been delegated.

5. Establishing Access to LARAS. The attached instruction guide provides states with the
   information needed to submit loan and repayment requests through the LARAS. The web-
   based application is located at http://www.etareports.doleta.gov/titlexii. Before a state will
   be able to access the LARAS, it must contact the OWS, Division of Fiscal and Actuarial
   Services (DFAS) either by email ([email protected]) or by phone 202-693-2933 to
   request a password and a personal identification number (PIN). PINs will be issued only to
   those who have the authority to request advances and voluntary repayments. DFAS staff will
   work with states to establish timely access to the application and provide whatever additional
   support may be needed at that time.

6. Action Required. All states should follow appropriately selected procedures, i.e., LARAS
   or letters, and submit the required documentation when requesting or repaying Title XII
   advances. If the state does not elect to use the LARAS, it must follow the procedures in
   UIPL 22-02, sections 5, 6 and 7.

7. Inquiries. Address all inquiries to the appropriate Regional Office.

8. Attachment. LARAS Instruction Guide.

UIPL22-02_Ch1_Attach.pdf (https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ETA/advisories/UIPL/2007/UIPL22-02_Ch1_Attach.pdf)

Title XII Loan and Repayment Application System

The Title XII Loan and Repayment Application System (LARAS) allows a state to
request Title XII loans from and to make voluntary loan repayment requests to the
Federal Unemployment Account (FUA) online over the Internet. The URL for the
system is:

http://www.etareports.doleta.gov/titlexii

A password and a Personal Identification Number (PIN) are required to access the
system. The password and PIN will be issued to the governor of a state or a state official
with the authority, delegated by the governor, to request Title XII advances and make
voluntary repayments.

To request a password and PIN, please contact:

       U.S. Department of Labor
       ETA Office of Workforce Security (OWS)
       email: [email protected]
       phone: 202-693-2933

Once a state has access to the system, the following can be accomplished:
   • Submit a request for advances
   • Submit a supplemental request for advances (to an existing request for advances)
   • Submit a request for voluntary repayment of advances

These requests are made by completing a letter template form for the respective loan
activity. The addressee information in the template (the Secretary of Labor’s name, the
Office of Workforce Security Administrator, and address) is dynamically populated by
the system. The Signatory Name and Title are also dynamically populated by the system
based on the Signatory Official on file with OWS. If the information needs to be updated
or corrected, please notify OWS using the contact information cited above.

An electronic correspondence file of the request will automatically be generated from the
form in PDF format. A draft of the request can be saved so that the correspondence file
can be reviewed and edited, if necessary. When ready, this correspondence file should be
submitted to the Department of Labor, Office of Workforce Security to officially make
the request. A PIN is required to submit requests for advances, supplemental requests,
and requests for repayments and is acceptable as the electronic signature for and
certification of a request.

Requesting an Advance

This request is made by clicking the Request an Advance link on the Homepage. That
brings up a letter template screen for initiating a Title XII loan request. All data entry
fields are required. On this screen:



   •   The date of request in the date field at the top of the letter defaults to the current
       date, but can be edited (mmddyyyy format).

   •   In the body of the letter, choose the starting month/year for the loan request from
       the drop-down menu. The two fields that follow will be automatically populated
       based on the month/year selected from the drop-down menu.

   •   The “Months of Transfer” are also populated based on the month/year selected
       from the drop-down menu.

   •   In the three fields below the “Amount Not To Exceed” heading, enter the amount
       requested for each month (in the corresponding field in the column on the right).
       Enter whole dollars only; the range of values for the dollar amount is 0 to
       999,999,999. If funds are not needed for a particular month, enter 0.

At the bottom of the screen are options to save the information entered in the letter as a
draft without submitting it to OWS/DOL, to proceed with submitting it, to reset the
template or to cancel.

Supplemental Request for Advances

The “Request Supplemental Advance” functionality on a loan request is enabled after the
request for advances is submitted. The functionality is only enabled and only displays
during the three months of transfer stated in the original request for advances. There is no
limit to the number of supplemental requests that can be made. Another supplemental
request can be started after the previous one is submitted to DOL.

Supplemental requests are made from the “Loan Overview” screen of a submitted or
processed request for advances. On that screen, the “Request Supplemental Advance”
link is available in the left navigation bar. Clicking that link brings up the “Supplemental
Advance Request” letter template. All data entry fields are required on this screen:

   •   The date of request in the date field at the top of the letter defaults to the current
       date, but can be edited (mmddyyyy format).

   •   In the body of the letter, choose the month/year for the supplemental request from
       the drop-down menu.

   •   In the next field, enter the amount requested. Enter whole dollars only; the range
       of values for the dollar amount is 1 to 999,999,999.

   •   The next field is the previous advance request amount(s). It is read-only and
       auto-filled by the system.





   •   The total requested amount is the sum of the amount requested and the previously
       requested amount(s). It is also read-only and calculated by the system.

   •   The month/year in the field at the end of the paragraph is automatically populated
       based on the month/year drop-down selection for the supplemental request.

At the bottom of the screen are options to save the information entered in the letter as a
draft without submitting it to OWS/DOL, to proceed with submitting it, to reset the
template or to cancel.

Voluntary Repayment of Advances

This request is made by clicking the “Make a Repayment Request” link on the
Homepage. That brings up a screen for selecting the method for repaying part or all of
advances made to the state. The options are:

    1. Specify repayment amount and effective date, or

    2. Transfer all available funds at the close of business for a specific period.

The first option brings up a letter template for requesting a specific repayment of
advances. All data entry fields are required on this screen:

   •   The “Date of Request” in the date field at the top of the letter defaults to the
       current date, but can be edited (mmddyyyy format).

   •   In the first field of the body of the letter, enter the date the state was approved for
       making voluntary repayment requests (mmddyyyy format).

   •   In the “Date” field, enter the date (mmddyyyy format) the funds for repayment are
       to be transferred.

   •   In the “Amount” field, enter the amount to be repaid. Enter whole dollars only;
       the range of values for the dollar amount is 1 to 999,999,999.

   •   Next, indicate contact information in one of three ways:

           1. Check the box “me at (Signatory Official telephone number pre-populated
              based on the information in the system)”, or

           2. Check the box for a contact other than the Signatory Official. If checking
              this box, enter the name, title, phone number, and extension (if applicable)
              of the point of contact, or





           3. Check both boxes to list both the Signatory Official and another contact.
              Enter the name, title, phone number, and extension (if applicable) of the
              other point of contact.

At the bottom of the screen are options to save the information entered in the letter as a
draft without submitting it to OWS/DOL, to proceed with submitting it, to reset the
template or to cancel.

The second option brings up a letter template for requesting that all available funds at the
close of business be repaid. All data entry fields are required on this screen:

   •   The “Date of Request” in the date field at the top of the letter defaults to the
       current date, but can be edited (mmddyyyy format).

   •   In the body of the letter, enter the starting date (mmddyyyy format) for the
       requested repayment period in the first date field and enter the ending date
       (mmddyyyy format) for the requested repayment period in the second date field.

   •   Next, indicate contact information in one of three ways:

           1. Check the box “me at (Signatory Official telephone number pre-populated
              based on the information in the system)”, or

           2. Check the box for a contact other than the Signatory Official. If checking
              this box, enter the name, title, phone number, and extension (if applicable)
              of the point of contact, or

           3. Check both boxes to list both the Signatory Official and another contact.
              Enter the name, title, phone number, and extension (if applicable) of the
              other point of contact.

At the bottom of the screen are options to save the information entered in the letter as a
draft without submitting it to OWS/DOL, to proceed with submitting it, to reset the
template or to cancel.

Online Help

The Title XII LARAS includes extensive online help that provides additional information
and instruction for using the system. Click the Help link in the top navigation to open
and view the help topics and content.