VIRGINIA WESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE II - FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES POLICIES

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1 VIRGINIA WESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE II - FINANCIAL & ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES POLICIES!1-1 Cash Management Policy Number:!1-1 Effective Date: January 21, 2013 Last Reviewed: January 21, 2013 Responsible Department: Financial Services 1. Purpose The purpose of this document is to outline policy as it relates to the handling, collecting, recording, depositing, and/or accounting for monies received or disbursed by the college, including but not limited to accounts receivable and accounts payable transactions. 2. Applicability This policy is applicable to all students, faculty and staff at Virginia Western Community College, including those at off-campus facilities. 3. Policy All college employees shall comply with Commonwealth of Virginia Policy as outlined in the CAAP Manual Topic Accounts Receivable and the Office of the Comptroller Directives No. 3-84, Cash Management; No. 2-89, Reporting Receivables; and No. 4-89, Management and Collection of Receivables as it relates to the handling, collecting, recording, depositing, and/or accounting for monies, including but not limited to accounts receivable and accounts payable transactions. 4. Procedures A. Billings and Accounts Receivable: 1. Objective To collect accounts receivable in a timely manner in order to keep outstanding balance to a minimum, to adhere to the collection policies and guidelines established in the Commonwealth of Virginia CAAP Manual Topic and the Office of the Attorney General Collection Procedures dated June 2004, including later revisions. 2. Operating Procedures. The Accounts Receivable (AR) Journals are recorded as receivables and are recognized and posted to ledgers at month end closings. This will ensure that quarterly AR reports reflect the actual receivable balance., College accounts will be billed within two (2) weeks after the add/drop period has ended or on an as needed basis. Invoices will include a remittance of 15 days from date of invoice (See Enclosure 3). Accounts are recognized as being past due if

2 payment is not received within 30 days of the invoice date. Invoices not paid within 15 days after the due date will be sent a second notice (See Enclosure 4) requesting immediate payment., Procedures for adjusting doubtful accounts and write-offs to accounts receivable: a, The collection procedures for collecting bad debts as outlined in Memorandum, Subject: Cash Management, dated October 27, 1989, will be adhered to. b. Each semester all receivables past due will be reviewed by the Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services to assess their collectability. Those receivables that are considered to have a low probability of collection and have been submitted to the Set-Off Debt Office at least once (for individuals) will be written off the financial account and reporting of the college. C. Management has established an allowance for doubtful accounts (for accounts greater than 60 days past due) that reflects the amount of an agency's accounts receivable that management estimates wil! be uncollectable. The establishment of an allowance account ensures that the Agency's accounts receivable are not overstated for financial reporting purposes. dÿ The President wil! have final authority to "write-off" past due accounts receivable (see Enclosure 1). These "write-offs" will still remain as a legal obligation to pay, they will only be "written-off" for accounting purposes. (1) Write-offs must be recorded on the quarterly Receivables summary Report. Records must be maintained detailing those accounts written off including original indebtedness documentation, Request for Permission to write-off, and collections after write-off. (2) Collections on written-off accounts will be treated as current revenue and be deposited in the usual manner. Those accounts that have been written off will be reversed by an Accountant so that payment can be processed. The Quarterly Receivables Summary Report should reflect such transactions as Recoveries on Accounts Written-Off in Prior Semesters in the Analysis of Uncollectable Debts. (3) Those accounts over ÿ25,00 which have been written-off must be resubmitted annually to Set-Off Debt for collection. New information received on written-off accounts should cause collection efforts to be reinstated as appropriate.

3 3, Federal Grants or Contracts B. Processing and Deposit of Cash Receipts: a Federal funds will be requested, deposited and disbursed in accordance with the appropriate federal/state regulations. b, The College will request payment as expeditiously as possible if reimbursable methods of payment are used. i. Objective I. To process and deposit promptly all cash receipts. 2. To report to the Department of Treasury all state deposits in the manner prescribed by the state Treasurer. 2. Operating Procedures a. Funds received shall be deposited on a daily basis. b. Funds received in which State funds are included with private funds (Ex. Payments from third party vendors for tuition, fees and books) shall be deposited into the "clearing" account on a daily basis and a Local Funds check is processed to the State Account and the private funds account. C. Checks will be accepted subject to collection for authorized charges only. A check in excess of the amount due, which would necessitate a return of cash to the payer, will not be accepted normally. Either the Financial Services Manager or Accountant Senior must approve exceptions, Cashing of checks for any reason and by any person is not permitted, Exception: At the discretion of the Financial Services Manager or Accountant Senior, ceÿain categories of checks such as Federal checks or Financial Aid checks may be cashed although they are made payable for more than the amount of tuition and fees (when funds are available), d. Procedures for processing returned checks. a, Returned Checks are sent to The Financial Service Accountant Senior by the bank, The original check is given to Fiscal Technician/Cashier, A check is processed out of the Petty Cash Account for returned State checks and Federal checks, In the case of returned Local Funds checks, Local Funds would be utilized. The check/checks are deposited in the Return Item Account along with the fees charged by the bank for returned checks. (i) The Fiscal Technician/Cashier initially tries to contact the student by telephone and informs him/her that the bank has notified us of a returned check.

4 (2) A letter is immediately sent to the student, requesting payment to the college of the amount of the returned check and service charge (see enclosure 2). The student account in the Student Information System (SIS) is flagged with a Return Check Service Indicator. The student is notified that future payments to the college must be made by cash, certified check, credit card or money order. A Service Indicator "No Check Presentation" is added to the student file. (3) When cash is collected from the maker of the returned check originally exchanged for petty cash funds, the cash is to be deposited into the petty cash fund Service Charges are assessed in accordance with VCCS Policy 4, Procedures Regarding Bad Checks. Service charge fees, less fees paid to bank, are deposited into state SIS Account (4) After reasonable effort to collect from the person who wrote the bad check has failed, an AP Voucher is submitted in the Administrative Information System (AIS) to reimburse the Petty Cash Fund for the amount of the returned check. The Revenue Refund Voucher must be coded consistently with the original deposit and made payable to VWCC Petty Cash. Payments originally made with a check returned unpaid are reversed in SIS which places the funds due back on the student's account as a receivable/unpaid obligation. Reimbursement to the state is pursued through the Collection Agency and the Department of Taxation. A negative service indicator "Debt to College" remains on the student account until restitution is received, along with the "No check Presentation" indicator. C. Revenue Collection: 1. Objective a. To insure that monies owed the college through auxiliary' operations are received accurately, timely and in accordance with the existing contractual agreements. 2. Operating Procedures a. The Contracting Officer for auxiliary contracts (i.e. vending, food sales, bookstore, etc.) shall monitor the timeliness of receipts and verify that payments are based upon established contract commission rates. b. A separate spreadsheet shall be prepared for each vendor and the following minimum information shall be collected: a. Vendor Name b. Contract Reference Number c. Outline or Schedule of Payments due d. Date and Amount of Payment received e. Verification of compliance with Contract Document

5 c. All funds shall be deposited promptly in Local Funds. d. Funds shall be accounted for and included in the finance reports provided to the College's Local Advisory Board. e. Detailed reports, as described above, shall be utilized to support auxiliary collections and financial reporting to the President, members of the Local Advisory Board Finance Committee, and members of the Local Advisory Board and filed for reference along with contractual documents. D. Accounts Receivable/Third Party Contracts: 1, Third Party Contracts a, A written contractual agreement shall be required in order to establish a third party contract in SIS that defers the student's tuition and fee charges to another entity for payment. In many cases, the contract authorizing the third party contractual billing will be on the contractor's form. In cases where the college generates the agreement, the college's contract shall be used. This occurs most frequently with workforce service agreements. b. Upon notification from another college employee, presentation or receipt of a written contractual agreement, the Cashiers shall place a term specific Do Not Drop (DND) service indicator on the student's account and forward the contractual agreement to the Accounts Receivable Technician for handling, C The Accounts Receivable Technician shall construct a third party contract in SIS and invoice the contractor as soon as practicable following the last day to add or drop a class with a refund. Up until this date, students are not "locked into a class" and; therefore, the accuracy of the invoice may be disputed. d. At the end of each semester and no later than the first day to register for a subsequent term, all of the DND service indicators for a previous term must be removed. The Cashiers shall run a query in SIS to identify a!l DND service indicators, A batch process shall be utilized to remove the DND Service Indicators, 2. Enrollment Cancellation: 1. An enrollment cancellation schedule shall be developed in advance of each semester by the Business Manager and Accountant, The schedule shall be utilized in order to construct the payment and due date calendar In SIS. 3. The schedule shall be published on the college's intranet site and also be utilized in order to encourage the use of consolidated notifications to the Cashier's office of students who should have DND Service Indicators applied to their accounts. Consolidated listings from various departments across campus will enable Cashiers to upload these in a batch process mode versus manual.

6 4. In every case, an attempt will be made to protect all known students who may be the beneficiary of a third party contractual payment situation with a DND Service Indicator, prior to running an enrollment cancellation., The Accounts Receivable Technician shall have the authority to place term specific DND Service Indicators for future terms in cases where contractual agreements extend over several semesters or beyond the current semester. These shall be managed exclusively by the Accounts Receivable Technician and reviewed annually by the Accounts Receivable Manager. E. Disbursements/Accounts Payables: 1, Objective a. To promote effective disbursement policies. b. To disburse funds consistent with the Commonwealth of Virginia Prompt Payment Act. 2. Operating Procedures a. An invoice will be approved for payment with written verification that the goods or services have been received by the end-user. An invoice or packing slip signed and dated by the enduser and indicated as complete and "Okay to Pay" shall serve as sufficient documentation. b, The due date on all invoices shall be determined in accordance with the Prompt Payment Act. The due date shall be set as 30 days from receipt of the goods or service or the date of the invoice, whichever is the latest. The 30 day prompt payment window may be reduced or modified based upon vendor discount, documented benefit to the agency, or contractual agreement. c, Invoices will be submitted for payment to the Department of Accounts immediately upon receipt of appropriate invoice and receiving report. d. Discounts will be taken whenever possible but not when the time required to process the payment to the vendor exceeds the discount period, Every effort will be made to negotiate realistic terms of payment. e. Interest penalties for late payments to vendors will be paid on a timely basis. An explanation for the payment of interest penalties wi!l be made a part of the voucher file, F. Administrative and Management Review: 1, Objective a, To provide adequate resources to administratively support the statewide cash management program. b, To provide the appropriate management review to ensure that the meaning and intent of directives Nos. 3-84, 2ÿ89 and 4 89 are carried out at Virginia Western Community College.

7 C. The Accountant will review the status of the accounts receivable on at least a quarterly basis. All accounts that are deemed to be uncollectible (have a net realizable value of zero) by the Accountant and approved by the President and/or his designee will be written off of the financial accounting and reporting records of the institution, individual accounts must be submitted to the Set-Off Debt Department. Operating Procedures The Vice President of Financial and Administrative Services is designated as the agency Cash Management Officer. b. The College will maintain written internal procedures to ensure the effective management of State billings, collections, deposits and disbursements. Cÿ VCCS and State auditors will be asked to review our adherence to these procedures. Attachments Approved by Robert H, $andel, Ed,D, ' d Date [

8 VIRGINIA WESTERN COMMUNITY COLLEGE REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO WRITE OFF DEBT Attached please find a list of students by name and emptid number whose debt to the college is considered uncollectible under the college's 11-2 Cash Management Policy. Your permission is being requested to write-off these debts in our Student Information System (SIS). Our efforts to collect on the debt will continue through the assistance of a collection agency and the Commonwealth of Virginia Debt Set-off program. Should these funds be collected from the student in the future, the write-off will be reversed from the student's account and the payment wilt be recorded utilizing proper Commonwealth of Virginia accounting principles and practices. The purpose of the write-off that you are being asked to approve is for Account Receivable reporting purposes only. Sincerely, Signature (Requestor) Printed Name (Requestor) Date APPROVED: Robert H. Sandel, President Date II - 1 Cash Management Policy Enclosure 1 Revision Date: 1/21/13

9 Date Inside Address Dear Student: Your check in the amount of ÿ;. has been returned for insufficient funds to your account. In accordance with VCCS Policy Section Procedures Regarding Bad Checks, the college must assess a ÿ;35.00 service charge for all returned checks, dishonored credit cards or debit card payments for accounts not in past due collection status. Please be advised that should this item move into a past-due collection status the college must assess a ÿ;50.00 service charge for the handling of this item. Please remit the full amount due, including the service fee in cash or by money order to the Cashier's Office of Virginia Western Community College within five (5) business days from the date of this letter. Upon receipt of payment within the specified time, you may be allowed to return to class. If, at the end of five business days, your obligation has not been met, you will be dropped from all classes, and we shall begin legal collection proceeding against you for the afore-mentioned amounts. If this action is necessary, you will be duly responsible for all collection costs incurred as a result of these proceedings. In addition, the College will not release grades, transcripts or records and you wil! not be allowed to re-enroll for subsequent semesters as long as this obligation remains unpaid. The full amount to be remitted is g. The prompt payment of this obligation to Virginia Western Community College will help to preserve your credit rating and avoid a future problem for you. Sincerely, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services II - 1 Cash Management Policy Enclosure 2 Revision Date: 1/12/13

10 FIRST NOTICE Date Inside Address Dear Student: Our records indicate that you have an outstanding obligation to the college for the semester. Your balance of $ is unpaid and currently due, These funds must be paid by in order for you to be able to complete the current semester or receive services from Virginia Western Community College. Failure to pay will result in a hold being placed on your account and additional collection procedures. It is against VCCS Policy to establish an individual payment plan with students outside of the Nelnet Payment Plan available to all students at the start of each semester. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Financial Services Office at ÿ6671. Sincerely, Edith Bernier, Accounts Receivable Technician This communication represents an attempt to collect a debt. Any information will be used for that purpose. I1-1 Cash Management Policy Enclosure 3 Revision Date: 1/21/13

11 SECOND NOTICE Date Inside Address Dear Student: Our records indicate you have an outstanding obligation to the college for the semester in the amount ofÿ. This debt remains unpaid and failure to satisfy this debt by will result in further collection procedures pursuant to the Virginia Debt Collection Act. Such procedures include, but are not limited to, referral to credit reporting bureaus, referral to collection agencies, garnishments and administrative offset, including and up to blocking future enrollment and preventing access to grades and transcripts. After assessment of collection fees by our collection agency, you will be responsible for paying an additional 16.95% of your current balance. To avoid such fees, please satisfy this account by the date above. We appreciate your prompt attention to this matter, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Financial Services Office at Sincerely, Edith Bernier, Accounts Payable Technician II - 1 Cash Management Enclosure 4 Revision Date: 1/21/13 This communication represents an attempt to collect a debt. Any information will be used for that purpose.