[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 51579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14470]



[[Page 51579]]

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CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE


AmeriCorps Online Payment System Launched

AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community Service.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Corporation for National and Community Service is 
announcing a new online payment system that will allow Segal AmeriCorps 
Education Award payment requests and other benefits-related requests 
from AmeriCorps members to be submitted and processed online. The new 
system eliminates the need to submit and process paper forms, while 
increasing the accuracy of the data and the speed with which payments 
are made. The new system became available for institutions registration 
on August 16, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Yetter, National Service Trust, 
Corporation for National and Community Service, 1225 New York Ave., 
Washington, DC 20004, tel: 202-606-7547. Additional information can 
also be found on the AmeriCorps Web site, www.AmeriCorps.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Service Trust (Trust), an 
office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, 
administers Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards on behalf of AmeriCorps 
members. These awards include the payment of interest accrued on 
student loans during members' terms of service and the payment of 
educational expenses or outstanding qualified student loan balances. 
The Trust is embarking on a landmark project to improve the way it does 
business with its members and partner institutions by automating these 
processes.
    Beginning August 2006, AmeriCorps members and partner institutions 
will have access to the new online payment system where they will be 
able to submit and process Segal AmeriCorps Education Award payments 
and other requests completely online. AmeriCorps members will be able 
to register for the system as soon as they have been enrolled in their 
AmeriCorps program. Online registration by institutions became 
available on August 16th, and we encourage both financial and education 
institutions to sign up as soon as possible to be able to receive and 
process payment requests online. Registration for members will begin a 
week after we open registration for institutions. At that point, 
AmeriCorps members will also be able to submit requests and begin to 
experience the benefits of the system. Registering for the system will 
be a simple and secure process, and once online, members and 
institutions will immediately be able to reap the benefits of the 
automated online payment process. Here are just a few of the 
highlights:
     Quicker turn-around of payments
    Institutions will receive payments much sooner than with the old 
paper-based process, reducing the turnaround time from 30 days to seven 
or less depending on when in a payment cycle a request is processed.
     Reduces administrative burden
    Certain information will be auto-populated and verified by the 
system, thereby reducing the administrative burden of completing 
requests and rejections due to faulty or missing information. 
Additionally, electronic forms remove the problem of paper forms that 
are illegible or damaged due to irradiation.
     Eliminates need to scan and copy documents
    The AmeriCorps online system creates an electronic record of the 
former paper form, eliminating the need to scan and copy documents for 
storage.
     Reduces mailing costs
    The new system will eliminate the time and cost of mailing 
documents and paper forms.
     View up to date account information
    Account information and available balances will be updated in real 
time and can be viewed from your homepage. Users can also track the 
status of pending requests and payments online.
     Designed to be user friendly
    The new system is simple and easy to use. No training is necessary.
     Provides accessible help and information features
    Definitions of terminology and help text explaining procedures are 
readily available from multiple areas on the site.
    The Corporation for National and Community Service expects the 
online payment system to provide much faster, more accurate, and cost-
effective service to our partner institutions and AmeriCorps members 
and alumni. Please visit www.AmeriCorps.gov for the latest updates as 
this new system is implemented.

    Dated: August 23, 2006.
Jerry Yetter,
Director, National Service Trust.
[FR Doc. E6-14470 Filed 8-29-06; 8:45 am]
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