# Presentation: 708864

## Session DL-3

**Direct Loan Tools**
**Hands-on Session**
- Bob Tschinkel
- Chuck Hirman
- U.S. Department of Education

**Notes:**
Session description:
This session provides schools with an introduction to the DL Tools software.  
Participants will walk through most major functions of the software using provided exercises and case studies and will learn how to use the software to better manage direct loan processing, especially reconciliation.  
The Rebuild functionality, as well as the Disbursement Measurement Tool Report, will be briefly addressed during the lecture portion only. 
 It is designed with the beginner and intermediate user in mind.

## Agenda

- Install
- General Functionality
- Setup
- Cash Management
- School Account Statement (SAS)
- Hands-on Exercises

## Install

- Install Direct Loan Tools Release 8.0 software from FSAdownload.ed.gov
- If you need additional assistance call CPS/SAIG Help Desk at 800/330-5947

**Notes:**
Install:
There is an install guide to assist with installing the software on the download site found on the same page as the software.

## DL Tools General Functionality 

- Multi-year application designed to provide the following functionality (these will be covered in today’s hands-on section):
- Cash Management
- SAS
- import
- print
- compare against school cash, loans and disbursements

**Notes:**
Standalone software that has the three most recent cycle years.  Release 8.0:  2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009
Will go into more detail on these basic functions that can be used within the DL Tools software for both EDExpress and Non EDExpress users:
Cash management:
Track Direct Loan draw downs received and Direct Loan cash returned
EDExpress schools can use manual entry within the DLT or populate with importing an external cash file (DLEXCASH).  
SAS: 
Import and print the SAS to compare school cash, loan, and disbursement data with cash, loan and disbursement data on the SAS. 
Can compare the SAS to the EDExpress mdb or to your external system by creating and then importing External Add files for cash, loans and disbursements.

## DL Tools General Functionality

- Multi-year application designed to provide the following functionality (these will _not_ be covered in today’s hands-on section):
- Rebuild an EDExpress database or individual loan and disbursement records
- Print Disbursement Measurement Tools report

**Notes:**
Rebuild: (not covered in hands-on)
Request a Rebuild file from COD
Import into DL Tools to compare to or create or update records within EDExpress database.

DMT Report: (not covered in hands-on)
Tells you the days elapsed in the EDExpress for disbursed to batched and disbursed to booked. 

## Setup: www.cod.ed.gov

**Notes:**
To best utilize the DLTools, it is first necessary to update your COD SAS options from monthly to YTD
Requires access to COD with Administrator rights to change the SAS option (default is monthly).

Click School
Select Entity ID Type. 

## Setup: Report Selection

**Notes:**
From the School Summary screen, click on the Report Selection option from the list in the left margin. It does not matter which Default Program is selected. 

You will need to perform this step for each program year that you want YTD files for. 

## Setup: View SAS Options

**Notes:**
From the Report Selection screen, click on “View SAS Options”. 

## Setup

**Setup**

**DSDF**

**YTD**

**Notes:**
While you can import the monthly SAS into DLT, in order to get an accurate comparison you need to use the YTD version.

You can request DSLF that contains the loan level. However, most schools find the DSDF with the Disbursement Detail has the level of activity they are looking to reconcile to. 

## Setup

- Tools-Setup-System
- Tools-Setup-Security Users
- Enable 508 grid functionality? checkbox

**Notes:**
Simple setups need to be done for EDExpress and Non EDExpress users. 
This screen shot is of the System Setup
Security Users Setup:
Since the software is 508 complaint, the initial login of SYSADMIN always has the 508 grid functionality turned on. You will want to setup another user and password within Security Users if you do not need the screen reading capabilities for the grids.

## Setup		

- Multi-cycle year software
- Choose the year you will be working in

**Notes:**
We make three cycle years available for you to work within.

The cycle you choose will coincide with the EDExpress software or external files you will work with 

## Setup

- Non-EDExpress schools will need to refer to the COD Technical Reference on the FSAdownload web site for all external record layouts for the appropriate cycle year
- The record layouts are in Volume IV Section 3

## Cash Management

- Track Direct Loan Cash Receipts and Direct Loan Refunds of Cash

**Notes:**
This function is for both EDExpress and Non EDExpress schools. 

Click Tools-Cash Management or the green dollar sign button on the toolbar to access the Cash Management screens
EDExpress schools can manually enter within the software or populate by importing an external cash file (DLEXCASH).  

All of the fields that are yellow and are marked with –R are required in order to save a record. The Notes field is not required, but some schools do choose this space to track the GAPS/G5 or check numbers or the names of the specific students for whom the money was drawn down or returned. 

The Record Source will display M for records that were manually created and E will show which records were imported from the external cash files from your external system if you import the external cash file. 

## Cash Management	

- Print Internal Ending Cash Balance Report
- Print this report before importing the SAS

**Notes:**
You can print this report from the main menu by clicking File-Print-Internal Ending Cash Balance Report

If you are an EDExpress school you will need to choose EDExpress as the Disbursement Data Source. DLT will then pull an actual disbursement total directly from the EDExpress database from your System Setup based on the filters you choose on the Options section of the print screen.

Non EDExpress schools will need to choose External. Non EDExpress schools will want to print this only after you have imported the external loan or disbursement file and DLT will compare to that external data.

A note for both types of users. If you choose to enter a Transaction Date Range, it will only display the data that is within the date range. Anything outside the date range will not be in the totals on the report. 

## Cash Management

**Notes:**
The Total Disbursement Net Amount from EDExpress includes Batched, Accepted and Rejected Actual Disbursements excluding Payment to Servicing and Date Adjustments.

## School Account Statement (SAS)

- The SAS is a monthly statement listing the school’s DL processing activity as reported to (and accepted by) COD
- Import the DSLF or DSDF
- Each SAS import overwrites previous SAS information stored in the DL Tools database

**Notes:**
SAS is sent to school by COD, based on the options selected by the school on the COD website.
One SAS is sent for each (non-closed out) program year 

To fully use the functions within DLT, make sure you have signed up for the Year to date option on the COD web site and choose whether you would like to receive loan or disbursement detail within the file.

If you are a Non EDExpress school, verify your external files are using the correct End of Period date for accurate comparisons.

## Printing the SAS

- Print import reports for the YTD Cash, Monthly Cash, YTD Disbursement and Monthly Disbursement Summaries and Import Edit Reports

**Notes:**
Here is an example of the DSDF YTD Disbursement summary that prints on import.
If you have Grad PLUS loans, they will print with the PLUS totals. 

DSLF will print:
YTD Cash Summary
Monthly Cash Summary
YTD Disbursement Summary
Monthly Disbursement Summary
Cash Detail Import Edit Report
Loan Detail Import Edit Report

DSDF will print:
The same as the Loan plus the Disbursement Detail Import Edit Report

## Printing the SAS

- Displays the cash transactions that appear at COD from the SAS file

**Notes:**
There are several options such as Sort Order, Transaction type and Transaction Date Rage to help you print the SAS Cash Detail report

The Transaction Date Range can help you narrow down cash transactions for a certain month if you are receiving the YTD cash detail. 

Third party servicers can leave school code blank to see detail for all schools codes in the database

## Printing the SAS – Cash Detail

## Printing the SAS

- Displays the loan and disbursement transactions that appear at COD from the SAS file

**Notes:**
This is an example of the SAS Loan and Disbursement Detail report.

Unbooked loans/disbursements should now be very rare as accepted/linked MPN’s (including eMPN’s) are required at COD before the actual disbursement will be accepted.

## Printing the SAS - Loan Detail

- Match School Records?

- Timing?

- Missing Data?

## SAS Compare – Non-EDExpress

- Non EDExpress schools need to import their external Cash and Loan or Disbursement files to compare
- Reminder: Record layouts on in Volume IV Section 3

## SAS Compare – Cash Detail

- Compares SAS to Cash Management or imported external cash files

**Notes:**
If you do not choose a school code in the options section, the compare will run for all schools for which you have imported a SAS that contains SAS cash detail. 

Any cash data in the software, but not on the SAS will appear as a mismatch. 

## SAS Compare – Cash Detail

## SAS Compare – Loan/Disbursement Detail

- Compares loan detail from SAS with loan or disbursement detail records imported from an external system or disbursement detail data in EDExpress

**Notes:**
You do have different options on the print screen to choose.
EDExpress Schools need to make sure you choose the Comparison Type of SAS to EDExpress.
Names will appear when using the DSLF and/or EDExpress connection
Non EDExpress schools need to make sure you import your external Loan Detail or Disbursement files before printing the SAS. Once you have done that, you will choose External. 

There are four sections to this report when Both Booked and Unbooked are chosen for the Booked Status under options
The first are the booked matched records:
Loan records appear in this section of the Compare report if the SAS shows a booked date, and the loan data from the SAS matches the data in your school database.

The second are the booked unmatched records as this example shows:
Loan records appear in this section of the Compare report if the loan appears on the SAS as booked, but the data does not appear in your school's database at all or there is a discrepancy between the COD amount and the school amount. 

The third is the unbooked matched records
Loan records appear in this section of the Compare report if the loan appears on the SAS as unbooked, and the amounts match between COD and the school

And last the school records that are not on the SAS and other mismatched unbooked records
the loan exists in your school's database but does not appear on the SAS; the loan appears as unbooked on the SAS; or there is a discrepancy between the COD amount and the school amount for an unbooked loan

## SAS Compare – Loan Detail

**Notes:**
Bluth Plus loan is a mismatch because disbursement dates don’t match between the school and COD.

## SAS Compare – Disbursement Detail

- Compares disbursement detail from SAS file with disbursement detail records imported from an external system or disbursement detail data in EDExpress

**Notes:**
You do have different options on the print screen to choose.
EDExpress Schools need to make sure you choose the Comparison Type of SAS to EDExpress. 
Non EDExpress schools need to make sure you import your external Loan Detail or Disbursement files before printing the SAS. Once you have done that, you will choose External. 

One to one comparison of disbursements on the SAS to what is in EDExpress for disbursements

There are also four sections to this report when Both Booked and Unbooked are chosen for the Booked Status under options
The first are the booked matched records as the example shows:
Disbursement records appear in this section of the Compare report if the SAS shows a booked date, and the disbursement data from the SAS matches the data in your school database.

The second are the booked unmatched records:
Disbursement records appear in this section of the Compare report if the disbursement appears on the SAS as booked, but the data does not appear in your school's database at all or there is a discrepancy between the COD amount and the school amount. 

The third is the unbooked matched records
Disbursement records appear in this section of the Compare report if the loan appears on the SAS as unbooked, and the amounts match between COD and the school

And last the school records that are not on the SAS and other mismatched unbooked records
the disbursement exists in your school's database but does not appear on the SAS; the disbursement appears as unbooked on the SAS; or there is a discrepancy between the COD amount and the school amount for an unbooked loan

## Rebuild

- CODRBFOP
- COD will only send accepted records
- Web disbursements & any Endorser Amounts included in file

**Notes:**
Rebuilds can be used to for both EDExpress and Non EDExpress Schools. 
The first part is applicable to both schools with the Non EDExpress schools adding a couple additional setups.
You will need to set up the corresponding EDExpress cycle year for:
·Funding Method
·Reporting Entity ID
·Attended Entity ID
·Source Entity ID
·Direct Loan School Code
Before importing the rebuild file

## Rebuild

- Rebuild options on import:
- Compare Only
- Update All
- Update Selected records

**Notes:**
Rebuild Type
Choose Compare Only to print the records that have unmatched Origination or Disbursement records between COD and your database. 
Choose Rebuild All if you have lost or need to recreate all of your students in EDExpress
Choose Update Selected records to update just those records you found the rebuild has the most recent information
Once the records are rebuilt, Non EDExpress schools set up a file format in EDExpress and then export the data out of EDExpress for their other system to use. 

## Disbursement Measurement Tools Report

- Monitors disbursement process by calculating averaging actual process time from entry of actual disbursements, to sending the actual disbursements in a batch to COD, and to booking the loan
- Compares average number of days elapsed to your tolerance settings in DL Tools System Setup

**Notes:**
For EDExpress Schools only
Was previously in the EDExpress software, but has been moved to DLT
Tolerance should be set for all Measurement Tool Reports and EDExpress Direct Loan lists
Tolerances can be changed at any time
EDExpress reports that can assist you in performing quality assurance tasks include List - PLUS MPN, List - Sub/Unsub MPN, and List - Document Activity.

## DL Tools Help Text: How do I?...

**Notes:**
There are 22 How do I? topics within the software.

Also call CPS/SAIG with any questions on how to use the DL Tools software. 

## Help Text: How do I?...

## DL Tools Technical Assistance

- CPS:
- Phone:  800/330-5947
- TDD/TTY services:  800/511-5806
- Email:  _CPSSAIG@ed.gov_
- Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (CT)

## Contact Information

- We appreciate your feedback and comments.
- We can be reached at:
- Bob Tschinkel:  _[Robert.Tschinkel@ed.gov](mailto:Robert.Tschinkel@ed.gov)_
- Chuck Hirman:  _[Chuck.Hirman@ed.gov](mailto:Chuck.Hirman@ed.gov)_