FSA Financial Management System (FMS) Upgrade Notification

> Starting around noon on November 23, 2005, the Department of
> Education, Federal Student Aid (FSA) will upgrade our Financial
> Management System (FMS) to a new version. The upgrade will impact the
> following Financial Partner (FP) applications that are accessed
> through FMS:

-   Guaranty Agency Financial Reporting (GAFR\--Forms 2000)

-   Lender Reporting System (LaRS (formally ED Form 799))

-   Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP)/Special
    Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (SLEAP)

-   Lender Application Process (LAP)

> You will be required to download additional software to access the
> upgraded forms. As a user of these FP applications, this message is
> intended to inform you about how these changes will impact you and
> steps you will need to take to gain access to the upgraded software.
>
> **When will the upgrade occur?**
>
> Thanksgiving weekend. The current plan is to shut down online access
> to GAFR\--Forms 2000, LaRS, LEAP/SLEAP, and LAP around noon on
> Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005. During the upgrade, access to the
> Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) to submit GAFR-Forms 2000 and LaRS
> transactions will still be available.
>
> Files received through the SAIG are expected to be processed on
> Monday, November 28th. The online forms will be available for general
> use on Monday, November 28th.
>
> **What is the impact on GA and Lender payments?**
>
> **Web based submissions:**

-   GA invoices received by November 17th are expected to be approved
    for processing before the Upgrade

-   GA and Lender web based submissions (e.g., non-SAIG) will not be
    possible between noon Wednesday, November 23rd and Monday morning,
    November 28th.

> **SAIG submissions:**

-   Lender invoices submitted through the SAIG before 6:00 pm EST on
    November 22nd will be processed before noon on Wednesday November
    23rd

-   Processing of GA and Lender invoices submitted through the SAIG
    after 6:00 pm EST on November 22nd is expected to resume on Monday,
    November 28th

> After the Upgrade, GA Payments will still be processed within the same
> timeframe as they are currently. However, you should expect to see
> updates in the wording in email notifications. For example, we
> currently accept and approve submissions within 21 days, and make
> payments within 2-3 days after acceptance/approval. After the Upgrade,
> we will accept and approve submissions after approximately 2-3
> business days but the payment will be made about 18 days after
> acceptance for internal processing.
>
> **Will I need to do anything to get access to the new release?**
>
> Just log into the system as you normally would do. In order to run the
> upgraded version of FMS, new software (i.e., JInitiator) will need to
> be loaded on your machine. This software enables your web browser to
> display the online GAFR\--Forms 2000, LaRS, and LEAP/SLEAP forms. The
> software needed to access these forms will be downloaded automatically
> to your PC when you first try to login; however, you must have
> administrator rights to your PC to allow the software to be installed.
> The JInitiator software is approximately 8 MB so we strongly recommend
> that you download the software before you need access to FMS. The
> following reflects the estimated time to download the JInitiator
> software:
>
> 28.8 bps 40 minutes
>
> 56 Kbps 20 minutes
>
> Cable/DSL (250 Kb) 5 minutes
>
> T1 (1.5 Mb) 43 seconds
>
> To install the software before the upgrade takes place, please click
> on the following link to be taken to the download site:
> **http://www.fsadownload.ed.gov/OracleJInit.htm**
>
> If necessary, we can mail you a CD with the software. Please contact
> us to make the arrangements to receive a CD through the mail. Our
> contact information is listed at the bottom of this message.
>
> **How will current policies and procedures change in the new
> release?**
>
> Current policies and procedures related to the online forms will not
> change in the new release. The upgrade is limited to migrating
> existing functionality to the upgraded version of FMS.
>
> **What new hardware will be needed for to run FMS?**
>
> No new PC hardware is needed. If your current system can run the
> current version of FMS, then you will be able to run the upgraded
> version of FMS.
>
> **How will the Upgrade team help users prepare? Do I need additional
> training to perform my job?**
>
> Making sure that users\' concerns are addressed and that users will be
> fully prepared for the new release are primary goals of the Upgrade
> team and FP. Because the upgrade does not bring any radical changes,
> you should be able to perform your job in the new version without
> difficulty. Before the upgrade, you will receive a document explaining
> the minor changes in navigating through the forms. Updates to the user
> guides are planned as well and are expected to be available after the
> upgrade.
>
> **Who can I contact with more questions about the upgrade?**
>
> For lender questions, please send an email to <FSA_LR@ed.gov> or call
> Angela Roca-Baker at (202) 377-3322.
>
> For GA questions, please send an email to <FSA_GAR@ed.gov> or call
> Sandra Simmons at (202) 377-3332.
>
> For LEAPS/LEAP questions, please send an email to
> <Greg.Gerrans@ed.gov> or call at (202) 377-3304.