Upon receipt of the vendor's attendance log, the CCMS contractor prepares a check for the vendor. The contractor does not release the check to the vendor until the electronic deposit comes from the Comptroller's office. Scannable forms are used for such things as standardized tests and voting. An electronic scanner reads the form and relays the information to a computer. Based on the scanned information, the com-puter can, for example, process a payment or generate a report.
Several agencies use scannable forms for data they collect on paper.
The Texas Employment Commission collects unemployment insurance data on scannable forms, while the Comptroller's office uses scannable forms for collecting tax data. The Department of Insurance also uses the forms. DHS has several options for processing scanned forms. The agency could use one of its existing scanners, contract with another agency for an appropriate scanner or contract with a private firm. DHS should explore all these options, choosing the one that results in the lowest cost and the shortest turnaround time on vendor payments.