User Guide. A guide to online services available through Sircon for Education Providers. DOC CX 08/13/10 02/02 v5

Transcription

1 User Guide A guide to online services available through Sircon for Education Providers DOC CX 08/13/10 02/02 v5

2 Contents Contents Contents... 2 Introduction... 4 About this Guide... 4 Getting Started... 5 Log In... 6 Reset Password... 7 Welcome Page... 8 Education Menu Page Helpful Resources General Available Course Offerings Inquiry Approved Courses Inquiry Approved Providers Inquiry Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry Education Information Center Summary Course Maintenance Classroom Offering Maintenance Course Renewal Continuing Education Course Application Continuing Education Course Assignment Summary Course Completions Submitting Continuing Education Course Completion Information Uploading Continuing Education Course Completions Submitting Pre-Licensing Course Completion Information Transmitting a File Containing Course Completion Information Summary Provider Maintenance Renewing Provider Registration in a State Summary Transaction History and Status Running a Report of System Activity Summary Administration Account Management Maintain User Profile Page 2

3 Contents Maintain Subscriber Representative Maintain Producer Access/Passwords Maintain Password Parameters Maintain Subscriber Cost Center Compliance Express Message Center Customize Service Configuration Summary Billing Management Download Detailed Invoice Opening and Working with a Billing File Pay Statements Online View Payment Activity Summary Sircon Producer Education Inquiry Services Through a State Website Via the Sircon Corporate Website Conclusion Appendix Pre-Licensing Education Course Completions Records File Requirements Continuing Education Course Completions Records File Requirements Page 3

4 Introduction Introduction Welcome to the Sircon for Education Providers Online Processing Guide. The purpose of this guide is to familiarize you with Sircon s convenient and easy-to-use electronic insurance education information services. Sircon s services enable you to update class schedules and locations over the Internet directly into the state database, so changes are registered instantly, and important course information is kept current. Also, at the end of a class you can electronically feed course completion and credits straight into state producer licensing records, instantly making attendees and class instructors producer records compliant with state requirements. Sircon s online services are conveniences and timesavers you will quickly come to appreciate. Simplified management of class and course information isn t the only way Sircon s online services save valuable time. Education providers often are besieged with phone calls and from producers wondering if they have earned credit for taking a course, when a class will be held, or with other questions. Sircon s Producer Services allow producers to get the information they are looking for online, reducing the number of phone calls and other inquiries coming into your office. They can browse a catalog of instructor-led or online courses, search for a specific course, find classes held at a specific time or location, and check their education transcript and credits online, at any hour of the day or night, and at absolutely no charge! About this Guide In this guide, we ll show you how to use these and other online services to streamline the management and processing of education information. The guide is organized in four sections: Introduction: this section covers finding the login page, logging in, the Welcome page, the Education menu page and the helpful resources you can find at the footer of almost any page in Sircon for Education Providers. : this section includes step-by-step instructions for every service listed in the Education Menu Page for administering pre-licensing and continuing education class and coursework information. Administration: Tools for maintaining your Sircon subscriber account are the focus of the third section. Producer : This section describes how producers can access their up-to-date education records over the Internet using Sircon s Producer Services. Appendix: Last is the Appendix, which contains quick reference tables you may need in order to use advanced services. Page 4

5 Introduction Watch for helpful notes, tips and important items indicated throughout the guide to assist you. These will look like the following examples: Notes: You will find notes designated by the note icon throughout this document to assist you. Tips: You will find tips and helpful hints designated by the key icon. Important: You will find warnings and cautions for important items. If you re ready, let s jump right in and start learning. Getting Started Sircon for Education Providers is a web application. That means that in order to log into Sircon services, all you need is a subscriber login and a web browser. Note: If you do not have a subscription, or if you do not know your login information, contact a Sircon sales support representative at sales@sircon.com. To begin, open a web browser window. Once the browser window is open, in the Address field at the top of the browser window, enter the following web address: The Sircon corporate website home page will open. Page 5

6 Introduction Log In In the middle of the Sircon login page, you will find the login fields. In the account ID field, enter your subscriber account number. In the username field, enter your user name. Then, in the password field, enter your password. Note: Both your username and password are case-sensitive. That means that if your user name is MJohnson (capitalized first name and last name initials and every other letter lower case), then that s exactly how you must enter it in the username field. ( mjohnson won t work.) The same applies to your password. Enter it exactly as it was given to you, including any numerals or special characters. After you have entered your account ID, username and password, click on the SUBMIT button. Page 6

7 Introduction Reset Password If you forget your password, you may request a new one by clicking on the link that says Forgot Your Password? You will be taken to a page where you may enter other user information and obtain instructions on how to change your password. Enter your account ID, your username, and your address, and then click the Submit button. In a few moments, you will receive an that includes a link that will take you to a page where you may reset your password. Page 7

8 Introduction When you receive the , click on the link. A new page will appear, asking you to enter your account ID, your username, and a new password. Enter this information in the field provided, and click the Submit button. Your new password will be activated. You may then proceed to log in using your new password. The system will validate your login on the server and display the main Education welcome page. Note: A message box indicating that your subscriber invoice for the current period is ready may appear. Simply click on the OK button to close it. (For more information about downloading invoices, see Downloading Your Sircon Invoice on page 132.) Welcome Page The welcome page displays recent subscriber notices and other information. The most significant feature is the Online Services menu on the upper left side of the page. Page 8

9 Introduction The Online Services menu located on the welcome page is the launching point for performing functions within the system. It is always available on any page you have opened within Sircon for Education Providers. Here are the options included in the Online Services Menu and a brief description of each: Education: Click to open the Education menu page, where you will find services for managing and processing education information. Service Request: Click to open the Service Request page, where you can request a letter of certification from the state insurance department. When requesting from some states, you can download and print the letter instantly. Inquiries: Click to open the Inquiries page to request various information reports and database inquiries. Sircon Edge: If you are a subscriber of SirconEDGE, click on this link to open the SirconEDGE login page in a new window. Once you have logged in, you will have access to all of the latest regulatory data from all 50 states. Administration: Click to open the Administration page to find a set of tools for administering subscriber and user accounts. This guide will focus principally on the Education and Administration menu options. Page 9

10 Introduction Education Menu Page Open the Education menu page by clicking the Education option in the Online Services menu. You will return to this page often to select services for education providers. Notice as well, that available services are listed in red text and are grouped by topic: General Course Maintenance Course Completions Provider Maintenance Transaction History and Status Each service listed is a link to open that service page. To open the service, click the link. As a demonstration, find and single-click the Classroom Offering Maintenance link in the Course Maintenance section of the page. The first page in the multi-step Classroom Offering Maintenance service, which allows you to post new class schedules for your state-approved courses, will open. The Education page may be referred to the main Education page. It contains links to all the services for education providers. It is the top level entry point for you to make General inquires, perform course maintenance, manage course completions, perform provider maintenance and monitor transaction history and status. In this example, the Cancel button will return you to the Education page. Helpful Resources The menu bar located at the bottom of each page has many sources for help. Move your cursor over the key word and click on to be linked to these helpful resources. You will find a link to: The Home page: Displays potentially logging you out of Sircon for Education Providers On-line Help: Opens the online help in a separate popup window Page 10

11 Introduction Sircon News Releases: Displays a list of recent Sircon Press Releases Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): Displays a list of common questions and answers State Information: Opens Sircon s State Information Center, which allows you to access contact information website addresses and services available online for all states in a separate popup window NAIC Information: Opens in a separate popup window Support: Opens Sircon s support request page in a separate popup window Sircon phone and address contact information Page 11

12 This section provides step-by-step instructions for every service listed in the Education Menu Page for administering pre-licensing and continuing education class and coursework information General There are five services available in the General section of the Education menu page. They are: Available Course Offerings Inquiry (page Error! Bookmark not defined.) Approved Courses Inquiry (page Error! Bookmark not defined.) Approved providers Inquiry (page Error! Bookmark not defined.) Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry (page Error! Bookmark not defined.) Education Information Center (page 26) Available Course Offerings Inquiry Sometimes producers face deadline pressure to attend a course before their license falls out of compliance. In these instances, the Available Course Offerings Inquiry is a valuable tool. Use it to find state-approved courses that are for credit. To view upcoming courses, go to the Online Services menu, and select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Available Course Offerings Inquiry link in the General section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Available Course Offerings Inquiry page will open. Page 12

13 Using the Service From the Please Select a State dropdown menu, select the state in which you wish to search for available courses, and then click on the Submit button. (Be sure to select your resident or home state to view courses approved for credit in your state.) The Available Course Offerings Inquiry page will refresh to show additional selection options. If you want to search for courses offered by all providers, do not select anything from the Provider Name dropdown menu. On the other hand, if you want to search for courses offered by a specific firm, select the name of the firm from the Provider Name dropdown menu. Page 13

14 To search for pre-licensing courses, select Pre-Licensing Education from the Education Type dropdown menu, or to search for continuing education courses, select Continuing Education. Limit the search only to certain course categories (such as Surety Bail Bond, Title, General, etc.), by clicking on the checkboxes corresponding to your desired course categories. Next, in the Course Date From field, enter the beginning date of a date range in which you want to search for courses. Then in the Course Date To field, enter the ending date of the date range. Be sure to use the mm-dd-yyyy date format. To limit the search to only courses worth a certain number of credit hours, enter a numeric value in the Course Hours field. When you are finished, click on the Submit button. The Results page will open. The Results page displays the provider name and contact information, the course, the location, and the schedule. (For more information regarding a provider's courses, please contact the provider directly.) It also displays how many credit hours you can apply to education requirements in different course categories. To view the course offerings in another state, or to change other search criteria, click on the Revise Inquiry button. When you are finished, click on the Cancel button. The Inquiries menu page will re-open. Note: You can also run this inquiry from the Education menu. For more information, see Education Menu Page on page 10. Page 14

15 Approved Courses Inquiry Often producers like to browse a list of available courses to find one that suits their learning objectives. You can view and print a list of education courses, both instructor-led and self-study, which are state-approved for credit. You can view approved courses by navigating to the Online Services menu. To do this, select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Approved Courses Inquiry link in the General services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Approved Courses Inquiry page will open where you can view contact and other information about the selected provider. Page 15

16 Using the Service From the Please Select a State dropdown menu, select the state in which you wish to search for approved courses, and then click on the Submit button. The Approved Courses Inquiry page will refresh, and you will see four fields in which to either enter or select criteria: Education Type, Instruction Method, Course Category, and Course Hours. Search for approved pre-licensing education courses by selecting Pre-Licensing Education from the Education Type dropdown menu. Search for approved continuing education courses by selecting Continuing Education. Page 16

17 If you want to search for all courses regardless of instruction method, do not select anything from the Instruction Method dropdown menu. On the other hand, if you want to search only for instructor-led courses, select Classroom, of if you want to search only for independent study courses, select Self-Study. To limit the search to only certain course categories, (for example, surety bail bond, title, or general) click on the corresponding Course Category checkboxes. The types and number of course categories vary from state to state. To limit the search only to courses worth a certain number of credit hours, enter a numeric value in the Course Hours field. When you are finished, click on the Submit button. The Results page will open, displaying the provider name, course information, and information about the method of instruction. Upcoming course offerings may be found by clicking on the Available Offerings link on the far right of the listing. The Available Course Offerings page will open. Here, you can view date, time, and location information for the selected course. (For more information, see Finding Scheduled Education Courses on page Error! Bookmark not defined..) Page 17

18 You can click on a provider name displayed in white text to learn more about the education provider. Page 18

19 When you are finished, you may click on the Back button to return to the Inquiries menu page, or click on the Cancel button to return to the main Education page. Note: You can also run this inquiry from the Education menu. For more information, see Education Menu on page 10. Page 19

20 Approved Providers Inquiry Use the Approved Providers Inquiry link on the Education menu page to obtain a list of state-approved education providers including their contact information and available education courses. To do this, first click on the Education link from the Online Services menu. Then click on the Approved Providers Inquiry link in the General services section. The Approved Providers Inquiry page will open. Using the Service Select the state in which you wish to search for approved education providers from the Please Select a State dropdown menu. Then click on the Submit button. The Approved Providers Inquiry page will refresh to show additional selection criteria. Page 20

21 To search for approved pre-licensing education providers, select Pre-Licensing Education from the Education Type dropdown menu. Search for approved continuing education providers by selecting Continuing Education. If you want to search for all providers offering courses in the education type you selected in previous step, do not select anything from the Provider Name dropdown menu. However, if you want to search for a specific firm, select the name of the firm from the Provider Name dropdown menu. Click the Submit button. The Results page will open. The Results page lists names of provider(s) who met your search criteria, along with their address, telephone number, and approval status. Tip: Here s a handy feature: To view a selected provider's current courses, click on the Available Courses link. For more information, see Browsing Available Courses on page 22. Page 21

22 All approved courses for the selected providers will display in the Available Course Offerings Inquiry page. To view the courses in another state or to change other search criteria, click on the Revise Inquiry button. When you are finished, click on the Back button. The Inquiries menu page will re-open. To return to the main Education page, click on the Cancel button. Note: You can also run this inquiry from the Education menu. For more information, see Education Menu on page 10. Page 22

23 Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry You can see your up-to-date continuing education transcript using the Continuing Education Transcript inquiry. Here s how: Find approved education providers by navigating to the Online Services menu. First, select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry link in the General services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry page will open. Using the Service From the state dropdown menu, select the state in which you want to check your transcript. The Continuing Education Transcript Inquiry page will refresh to show additional fields. Depending on which state you have chosen, those fields may include: License Number Last Name Last 4 Digits of SSN Education Period (Choose Current or Previous from the dropdown menu) Page 23

24 Enter the required information. When you are finished, click the Submit button. The Results page will open displaying your CE transcript. Page 24

25 The transcript includes the following information: Your basic license information The date of your last review Your CE requirements for the current review period, the number of course hours applied to your requirement, and your status (compliant/non-compliant) Your coursework completed in the current review period, including course ID, course and provider name, category, type, date completed, date processed, credit hours, credit hours applied toward requirement, carry-forward hours, and carry-forward date. Coursework carried forward to the current review period from the previous review period, including course name, date completed, total credit hours, credit hours applied toward requirement, carry-forward hours, and carry-forward date (if applicable in your state). To view the transcript from another state or to change other search criteria, click on the Revise Inquiry button. When you are finished, click on the Cancel button. The Inquiries menu page will re-open. Page 25

26 Education Information Center Sircon for Education Providers provides an information center which contains many options for subscribers. Providers may view and request materials through this page at any time. Topics on this page are updated regularly and may include items such as: Sircon for Education Providers Instructional Videos Upcoming Features Added Functionality State Continuing Continuing Education Announcements News Flash for Providers Sircon for Educators Providers Online Processing Guide Contact Information Using the Service Find education information by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Education Information Center link in the General services section to view topics on education. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) When you click the link to the Education Information Center the page may appear similar to the image below: Page 26

27 Summary This section provided a glimpse of the free inquiries available to producers through Sircon online services, including: accessing producer education inquiries finding approved education providers browsing available courses finding upcoming education courses The following section looks at the course maintenance tools available to Sircon for Education Provider subscribers. Page 27

28 Course Maintenance There are five services available in the General section of the Education menu page. They are: Classroom Offering Maintenance (page ) Course Renewal (page ) Continuing Education Course Application (page ) Continuing Education Course Assignment (page ) Classroom Offering Maintenance You will want to keep the schedules of your course offerings including locations, dates, and times up to date in the state database. This will help ensure that producers will be able to find your classes and register for them. You can use Sircon s Classroom Offering Maintenance service to keep your course offering postings current. When you enter and submit your course offering information using the service, it is immediately transmitted to the state database. Afterward, producers browsing for courses using Sircon s Producer Services can find your posting and then register for the class. Getting Started Begin maintaining classroom courses by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Classroom Offering Maintenance link in the Course Maintenance services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Classroom Offering Maintenance page will open. Post a New Class Schedule Posting a new class schedule is simple. On the Classroom Offering Maintenance page, select a state from the dropdown menu. (Click the downward-pointing arrow to open the menu, and then click on the state name to select the desired state.) Page 28

29 Once you select a state, the dropdown menu will close, and the state name will display in the field. Next, click on the Submit button. The Classroom Offering Maintenance page will change (or refresh ) to show different options: Provider Name and Course ID. Page 29

30 If you know the exact ID number of the approved course for which you want to post new class schedules, you can enter it in the Course ID field. This can save time. However, many users prefer to select their company or organization name from the Provider Name dropdown menu. So go ahead and open the dropdown menu, find your company or organization name, and then click to select it. Then, with your company or organization name displaying in the Provider Name field, click the Submit button. Page 30

31 Again, the Classroom Offering Maintenance page will refresh. It will now display a list of the education courses that have been approved for your company in the state you selected. The list also contains information about your company or organization, including your provider ID and contact information, as well as other useful information about each course, such as course ID number, number of credits, and type. Review the list, and find the approved course for which you want to post a new class schedule. When you have located the desired course, look to the side of the listing opposite to the course name and find the red text: Add New Offering. As we have seen before, the red text is actually a link you can click on to perform an action. So go ahead and click on the Add New Offering link belonging to the course whose class schedule information you want to update. The Classroom Offering Maintenance page will refresh once again, this time with an array of fields you can use to enter updated class schedule information for the selected course. Note that your company or organization name along with the course ID and name are displayed at the top, for verification purposes. Page 31

32 The first thing to do is to enter the class location information. In the Line One Address field, enter the street address where the class will be held. Tip: You can use your Tab key to navigate from field to field on the form. In the Line Two Address field, you may enter additional street address information, or you can enter the name of the building or facility. In the City field, enter the city in which the class will be offered. From the State dropdown menu, select the state in which the class will be held. You may ignore the Province and Country fields, unless the class is going to be held out of the United States. Lastly, in the Postal Code field, enter the zip code of the class location. Next, you need to enter the schedule information. In the first Begin Date field, enter the month, day, and year the class is to be conducted. Be sure to use the mm-dd-yyyy date format (e.g., enter March 15, 2007 as ). Page 32

33 In the Begin Time field, enter the time at which the class will start. Be sure to use the hh:mm format (e.g., enter 9:30 as 09:30 ). Then, from the dropdown menu, select AM (to denote a morning hour) or PM (to denote an evening hour). The End Date field can be a little confusing. Few classes last beyond the date they begin; however, the system requires you to enter an End Date, even if it is the same date as the Begin Date. So go ahead and enter the month, day, and year the class is to conclude in the End Date field. As with all dates in the system, be sure to use the mm-dd-yyyy date format. In the End Time field, enter the time the class will end. As before, be sure to use the hh:mm format. Then, from the dropdown menu, select AM (to denote a morning hour) or PM (to denote an evening hour). If you are posting only one class offering, then that s all you need to enter. If you are posting additional offerings of the same course, enter additional schedule information in the remaining fields. When you are finished, click on the Create button at the bottom of the Classroom Offering Maintenance page. Your posting is immediately transmitted to the state database, and the Confirmation page will open. Page 33

34 The Confirmation page contains confirmation and reference ID numbers. You may wish to either print the Confirmation page or record these numbers, for future reference. How does a producer access the information you just entered? Using Sircon s Producer Services, producers can view your new class posting when they browse course offerings. When they view your approved course information, they will see the updated schedule. For more information, see Finding Scheduled Education Courses on page Error! Reference source not found.error! Bookmark not defined.. To post additional class schedules for other courses, click on the Continue Processing button. To return to the Education menu page, click on the Main menu button. Or you can select one of the options from the Online Services menu at the left of the page by clicking on it. For training purposes, let s return to the Education menu. Click the Main Menu button. Cancel a Classroom Offering Keeping the schedules of your classroom course offerings up to date in the state database is essential for your producers. At times you may have to remove or cancel a classroom offering. Canceling a classroom schedule is simple with Sircon for Education Providers. You can use Sircon s Classroom Offering Maintenance service to cancel classroom offerings and keep your course offering postings current. When you remove or cancel your course offering information using the service, it is immediately transmitted to the state database. Afterward, producers browsing for courses using Sircon s Producer Services will find the active posts and then register for the class. Page 34

35 Using the Service Classroom offerings may be cancelled by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Classroom Offering Maintenance link in the Course Maintenance services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Classroom Offering Maintenance page will open. On the Classroom Offering Maintenance page, select a state from the dropdown menu. (Click the downward-pointing arrow to open the menu, and then click on to select the desired state.) If you wish, enter the course ID number for the course offering you wish to cancel and click on the Submit button. Otherwise select the Submit button to display a list of all courses. Page 35

36 Identify the classroom course you wish to cancel or remove from the schedule. Then select the correct course offering ID and location to cancel by clicking on the ID number Click the Update button to cancel the course offering. You may now enter a new course offering if applicable. Page 36

37 Course Renewal When it s time to renew one or more state-approved courses in one or multiple states, you can do it all at once using Sircon for Education Providers. The Course Renewal service retrieves a list of all courses that are up for renewal in a particular state or in all Sircon states. You may then select the courses from the list that you would like to renew, or you can renew them all. In most cases, the courses are renewed instantly and automatically. Sircon for Education Providers will collect the appropriate state renewal fees and automatically apply payment to each course renewal invoice in the records of each state. Page 37

38 Using the Service Courses may be renewed by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Course Renewal link in the Course Maintenance services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Course Renewal page will open. First, select your organization name from the Provider dropdown menu. This is a required field. Then, if you want to renew one or multiple courses from just one particular state, select the state name from the State dropdown menu. If you want to renew one or multiple courses in all available states, select All Available States from the State dropdown menu. (This is also a required field.) Select All Available States to generate a list of all courses in all selected states that are up for renewal. You can choose from the list that Sircon for Education Providers creates. But if you want to renew a specific course in the state you selected from the State dropdown menu, enter the course identification number in the Course ID field. When you re finished, click on the Continue button. The Course Renewal page will refresh to show the courses that are available to renew based on your selection criteria. The Course ID, Course Name, Course Categories, Renewal ID, Renewal Date, Invoice ID and State Fee are displayed for each course. Depending on whether you selected to renew courses in one or multiple states, all courses that are eligible for renewal will display in one section or in separate sections of the page. (The illustration above shows all courses for the selected provider that is up for renewal in Connecticut.) Page 38

39 Note: Check the notes that now appear in the renewal summary at top of each section to view any state-specific or special instructions concerning course renewals. To select a course to renew, click on to checkmark its corresponding Renew? checkbox. Note: To select all courses displaying in a section, click on the Check All button to place a checkmark in every Renew? checkbox. Click the Uncheck All button to de-select all selected courses displaying in a section. When you re finished, click on the Continue button. A page will open that summarizes your selected renewals and related fees. Review and confirm the information on the summary page, including the renewal fee totals displaying in the Fee Summary section. If you need to make changes or corrections, click on Page 39

40 the Back button to return to the preceding page, or to stop the course renewal process, click on the Cancel button. If everything looks satisfactory, and you want to proceed with the selected renewals, click on the Submit button. The system will then electronically submit your course renewal request to the selected state or states for approval. The renewal fees will be applied to your Sircon for Education Providers subscriber account balance. In addition, the Course Renewal - Confirmation page will open. Page 40

41 The confirmation page displays the status of each course renewal and a summary of the fees assessed. If a course renewal was not placed on hold by the state, then the course is automatically renewed and the new Renewal Date is displayed along with a green checkmark ( ) in the Status column. If, however, the course renewal is on hold, then you will see an icon ( ) indicating that the renewal is under review by the state. You must then check back with Sircon for Education Providers using the Approved Courses Inquiry, available from the Education menu. (For more information, see Browsing Available Courses on page 22.) Note: A symbol in the Status column means the renewal service is temporarily unavailable. You will not be assessed any renewal fees. A symbol in the Status field indicates an error with the request transaction; contact Sircon Client Services for assistance. When you are finished, click on the Done button to return to the Education menu page. Page 41

42 Continuing Education Course Application Using Sircon for Education Providers, you can quickly and easily apply to your home state for approval of new continuing education courses. Once the home state application is approved, you can apply for course approval in reciprocal states (that is, states that accept course applications based on approval from your home state). Let's first look at how to do this in your residence state. Then we'll show you the slight differences when applying in a reciprocal state. In Your Home State Continuing education course applications may be located, by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Continuing Education Course Application link in the Course Maintenance services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Continuing Education Course Application page will open. From the Provider dropdown menu located in the Provider Information section, select your education provider name. Page 42

43 Note: In the unlikely event that there is another education provider with an EIN identical to the education provider you selected in Step 1, the Duplicate Provider page will open. You must select the desired education provider from the Provider dropdown menu, and then click on the Continue button. Click on the Home State radio button. The Continuing Education Course Application page will refresh to show additional radio buttons. Next, click on the radio button that corresponds to your residence state. Finally, click on the Continue button. The Continuing Education Course Application page will refresh to show additional information. Page 43

44 Note: The asterisk symbol ( ) that appears next to fields indicates that the field is "required." That means that you must enter information or select an option in order to complete the application process. The Provider Information section at the top of the Continuing Education Course Application page contains information about the selected education provider that is on file with your residence state. Below, the Course Information section of the Continuing Education Course Application page allows you to enter information specific to the course. All fields are required (meaning you Page 44

45 must enter information in all of them). Complete the required Course Information as follows: Course Title field: Enter the name of the course. Instruction Method field: Select either Classroom or Self-Study by using the dropdown list. Presentation Method field: Select the media or method used to present the course material by using the dropdown list. Is this course open to the Public? field: Click the Yes radio button if the course is open for enrollment to the public. Click the No radio button if only members of a specific company or organization may enroll in the course. National Insurance Designation? field: Click the Yes radio button if course credit can be applied toward national certification programs. Click the No radio button if course credit cannot be applied toward national certification programs. Course offered by Higher Education Institution? field: Click the Yes radio button if the course is being offered by an accredited college or university. Click the No radio button if the course is not being offered by an accredited college or university. Examination Required? field: Click the Yes radio button if enrollees must take and pass an examination to earn course credits. Click the No radio button if enrollees are not required to take an examination to earn course credits. Assign credit hours to the course using the Requested credit hours field: Enter the proposed number of credit hours enrollees earn by taking and passing the course. Course Category field: Select the course category for each state to which you are applying for course approval by using the dropdown menu. When finished, click on the Continue button. The Continuing Education Course Application page will refresh to show additional information and options. The State Requirements section displays the supporting documents that your home state requires to accompany your application. Use the options in the Attach File section to electronically attach these documents along with your course approval application. First, review the required documents. If any of the required documentation currently exists in "hard copy" (that is, it is printed on paper), you must use a scanner to convert the paper documents into electronic files. When you scan paper documents, the resulting output files are usually image files with file extensions such as.tif,.gif,.jpg,.bmp, or others. Sircon for Education Providers will accept documents that are in one of two file formats: PDF (.pdf, the Adobe Portable Document Format) or Word (.doc, the Microsoft Word format). That means that you must convert the scanned image files into one of these two file formats. Many applications will allow you to convert files into a PDF. But if you don't have one of these applications, an alternative is to insert the scanned document image file into a Microsoft Word document. Once you have inserted the image into the Word document, you might have to adjust the image size to get it looking the way you want. When you have converted your document into a PDF or Word document file and are ready to save it, be sure to save it to a location on your hard drive or network that Sircon for Education Providers can "see" when you go to upload the document file. Page 45

46 To attach an electronic file to your application: Navigate to the Attach File section Click the Document Type dropdown menu Select the type of document you are electronically submitting to the state Then, to the right of the File field, click on the Browse button. Then Choose File dialog box will open, allowing you to browse on your system for the document you want to electronically submit to the state. When you have located the file, click on the Open button. This will file the File field with the path to your document file. Note: The size of the file must not exceed 5 megabyte (MB). To upload the file, click on the Attach button. The selected file will be uploaded to your course application. Information about the file, including File Name, Document Type, and File Size will display in the Attached Files section. Page 46

47 Note: To remove an uploaded file, click on to checkmark the Remove checkbox to the left of the File Name, and then click on the Remove button. To attach additional files, you can repeat the preceding steps. When you are finished, click on the Continue button. The Continuing Education Course Application - Summary page will open. Review and confirm the information contained on the Continuing Education Course Application - Summary page. If you need to make changes or corrections, click on the Back button to return to the preceding page. To stop the course application process, click on the Cancel button to return to the Education menu page. If all information displaying on the Continuing Education Course Application - Summary page is satisfactory and you are ready to proceed, read and agree to the information in the Fee Information and Attestation sections, Page 47

48 and then click on the Submit button. Your course application and accompanying documentation will be submitted for approval to your home state, and the Continuing Education Course Application - Confirmation page will open. You can print a hard copy of the Continuing Education Course Application - Confirmation page for your records by clicking on the Printable Version link at the top of the page. A new browser window will open with a version of the confirmation page rendered for optimal printing. Click the Print button in the browser toolbar or select Print from the File menu to print the page to your printer. If you want to submit an additional course application, click on the Submit Another Application button. Or click on the Done button to return to the Education menu page. In Reciprocal States The steps for applying for approval of a continuing education course in a "reciprocal" state (that is, a state that accepts course applications based on approval from your home state) are essentially the same as those for applying your home state. (For a full explanation of the steps, please see Applying for State Approval of a Course In Your Home State on page 42.) The biggest difference is that you must provide Page 48

49 information that identifies your education provider credentials in your home state along with documentation of your home state's approval of the course. Getting Started First, navigate to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Continuing Education Course Application link in the Course Maintenance services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Continuing Education Course Application page will open. Select your education provider name from the Provider dropdown menu located in the Select Page 49

50 Provider section. Then, click on the Reciprocal State radio button. The Continuing Education Course Application page will refresh to show state checkboxes. They correspond to the states to which you can apply for course approval based on the approval of your home state. Next, click on the checkboxes corresponding to the states where you want to apply. (There is no limit on how many you may choose.) When you are finished, click on the Continue button to move on to the Course Information section of the Continuing Education Course Application page. The only difference in this section from a home state application is the Home State Information section. This is where you must identify your home state and your education provider number that is on record with your residence state's insurance department. Next, use the Home State dropdown menu, to select your residence state that has already approved the course for which you are applying for reciprocal state approval. Page 50

51 Then in the Home State Provider # field, enter your provider number as recorded with your residence state. Provide information in the remaining fields in the Course Information section, and then click on the Continue button to move on to the State Requirements and Attach Files sections of the application. The Attach Files section will display the documentation that each of the reciprocal states requires. Most require a letter certifying your home state's approval of the course. You will need to provide this documentation to each state that requires it. Electronically attach all of the required information, review your reciprocal state applications, and then submit them in the same manner as you would a home state application. Page 51

52 Continuing Education Course Assignment You can you can quickly and easily make continuing education course assignments with Sircon for Education Providers. Once you have entered the information and selected a provider you will be presented with: Course assignment questions Attestation Fee Summary Confirmation ID Newly assigned course ID Each page will display the information you entered on the previous page. Verify that it is correct before moving to the next page. If it is not, you can return to make changes. Let's look at how to do make course assignments. Getting Started First, navigate to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Continuing Education Course Assignment link in the Course Maintenance services section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Course Assignment: Select State and Assignor Provider page will display. Page 52

53 Using the Service Select the state from the dropdown menu in the State field. Select the provider name from the dropdown menu in the Assignor Provider Name field. You may key in the course number in the Course ID field, but it is optional. Select Continue to display the Course Assignment: Select Course page. Click on the radio button that corresponds to the appropriate course. Then, move your cursor to the bottom of the page and click on the Continue button to proceed to the next page. If you Page 53

54 need to go back to the previous page, move to the Previous button and click on it to return to the previous page. The Course Assignment: Select Assignee Provider page will open. The upper portion of the page will give the course information including the course name, course ID, assignor and provider number. As you enter information in the following pages, it will be added to this portion of the page. It is a good idea to verify that the information is correct. If not, you can return to the previous page and make changes as you go. The lower portion of the page asks you to enter the provider ID of the provider who will be assigned to the course. Note: You must key in a valid assignee number in the Assignee Provider ID field. Then, move your cursor to the bottom of the page and click on the Continue button to proceed to the next page. If you need to go back to the previous page, move to the Previous button and click on it to return to the previous page. The Course Assignment: Questions page will display. The upper portion of the page contains the course assignment information. Verify the information before proceeding, and return to the previous page, if necessary, to make changes. The lower portion contains the questions you must answer. Click on the appropriate Yes or No radio buttons to the right of each question to respond to the questions. Note: The Calendar date. field indicates the date that the assignment will be effective. It defaults to today s date. If this will be another date you will have move your cursor to the Month/Day/Year fields respectively to change the date. Page 54

55 Move to the What is the calendar date that the assignment will be terminated? field. Enter the termination date of the course into the Month/Day/Year fields respectively. Then, move your cursor to the bottom of the page and click on the Continue button to proceed to the next page. If you need to go back to the previous page, move to the Previous button and click on it to return to the previous page. The Course Assignment: Attestation page will display. The upper portion of the page will display the course assignment information. Again, verify the information before proceeding and return to the previous page if necessary to make changes. Page 55

56 The bottom portion of the page contains the Attestation. You must read the statement displayed in this section and click on the I Agree box to continue. Then, move your cursor to the bottom of the page and click on the Continue button to proceed to the next page. If you need to go back to the previous page, move to the Previous button and click on it to return to the previous page. Then, move your cursor to the bottom of the page and click on the Continue button to proceed to the next page. If you need to go back to the previous page, move to the Previous button and click on it to return to the previous page. The Course Assignment: Summary page will display. The upper portion of the page will display the course assignment information. Check to make sure the information is correct and return to the previous page if necessary to make changes. The lower portion of the page summarizes the fee for the course assignment. If you agree with the information on this page, click on the Process button. If you need to make changes click on the Previous button to return to previous pages to make changes. Note: You will not be able to return to make changes to the course assignment information after clicking on the Process button. Page 56

57 The Course Assignment: Confirmation page will display all the information that you have entered. There is a highlighted portion at the top of the page that shows the Confirmation ID and the Newly Assigned Course ID. You can make a copy of this page for future reference by clicking on the print icon in the upper right hand corner of the page. Click on the Done button when complete and you will be returned to the Education services menu. Summary This section provided a glimpse of the course maintenance features available to producers through our online services. Specifically, this section covered the following: Classroom Offering Maintenance Course Renewal Continuing Education Course Application Continuing Education Course Assignment The following section looks at the course completions tools Page 57

58 available to Sircon for Education Provider subscribers. Course Completions If your company offers pre-licensing education, Sircon for Education Providers can transmit course completion information to the state efficiently. This is an important hurdle for producer candidates to clear in order to qualify for licensure, and so a speedy and accurate method for notifying the state offers a great deal of value. How does your organization or company currently handle course completion notifications? If you have been preparing a spreadsheet and mailing a hard copy to the insurance department, you will quickly learn to appreciate Sircon s efficient online method. Submitting Continuing Education Course Completion Information Just as easily as you can enter and transmit pre-licensing course completion rosters to the state. You can also send continuing education course completions. In this section you will see how. Note: You can quickly generate and print state-official course completion certificates for all students attending and completing continuing education classes. For more information, see Printing a Course Completion Certificate on page 94. Getting Started First, navigate to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens, click on the Continuing Education Course Completions link in the Course Completions section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Page 58

59 Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Continuing Education Course Completions page will open. From the Please select a State dropdown menu, select the state to which you want to transmit the course completion information. Then click on the Submit button. The Continuing Education Course Completions page will refresh to show new fields: Provider ID, Course ID, and Course Completion Date. Open the Provider Name dropdown menu, and select your company or organization name. The system needs at least this much information at this point. To save time, you may enter the Course ID and/or Course Completion Date (using the mm-dd-yyyy date format) to help pinpoint the exact CE course you are looking for, but it is not necessary. When you are finished, click on the Submit button. The Continuing Education Course Completions page will refresh and display a list of all of your organization s CE courses that are approved in the state you selected. The list also contains information about your company or organization, including your provider ID and contact information, as well as other useful information about each course, such as course ID number, number of credits, and type. Page 59

60 If specific classroom offerings were conducted recently for a particular course, offering information (including location, date, and time) will display nested under the course information. indicated in red.) Decide where you want to transmit course completion information, and then locate the course or classroom offering in the list. Then, click on the link to either Course ID number. (They are The Continuing Education Course Completions page will refresh again. At the top of the page is summary information about your company and the course or classroom offering where you have selected to transmit course completion information. Below, the summary information is a set of radio buttons. You are required to choose a type of student identifier to use for submitting course completion information. Select either the National Producer Number, or License Number, by clicking on the corresponding radio button. Page 60

61 Note: If your state does not permit submission of course completion information based on students Social Security Numbers, the SSN option will not appear. The Continuing Education Course Completions page will refresh again, and offer fields in which you can enter the selected type of student identifier for each student who completed the course. Begin in the top left field, and enter the identifier for the first student on the classroom roster. Then use the tab key to move to the adjoining Last Name field, and enter the last name of the first student on the classroom roster. Note: The Last Name field is required only in certain states; however if you enter a value in the Last Name field, then it will be validated against the state database. If your state does not require last name information and you do not enter a value in the Last Name field, then only the data that you do enter will be used for validation. Tab to the next identifier field (SSN, National Producer Number, or License Number), and enter the identifier for the next student on the classroom roster. Similarly, tab to the adjoining Last Name field, and enter the next student's last name. Use the tab key to move to successive fields and enter identifiers until you have entered the identifiers for all students who completed the class. At the bottom of the page, enter the identifier of the instructor(s) who taught the class, as well as the number of credited hours they will earn for teaching the class. When you are finished, click on the Submit button. The licensing records of the selected students will be instantly updated with the course completion information. In addition, the Confirmation page opens, displaying the course information and all of the student and instructor information you entered. Page 61

62 Note: If you chose the SSN student identifier, the first five digits of each Social Security Number and student name information are masked for security purposes. To process another CE course completion record, click on the Continue Processin g button. When you are finished click on the Main menu button to re-open the Education menu page. Errors identified on the confirmation page are typically the result of incorrect data If you receive an error, use the error description to pinpoint the error. Resolve the and then resubmit the information. Note: entry. error, Uploading Continuing Education Course Completions With your course completion information entered and formatted in either a spreadsheet or text file, you are ready to upload the file to Sircon. Let s see how in the section below. Getting Started Upload course completions by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on either the Upload Pre-licensing Education Course Completions or the Upload Continuing Education Course Completions link in the Course Completions section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) Page 62

63 Either the Upload Prelicensing Education Course Completions page or the Upload Continuing Education Course Completions page will open, depending whichever you have selected. (We will use the Upload Continuing Education Course Completions service for illustration purposes in this section.) On the Upload Continuing Education Course Completions page, click on the Browse button. The Choose File dialog box will open. Use the navigation options on the Choose File dialog box to locate the course completions record file (*.csv) on your system. When the correct file name appears in the File Name field, click on the Open button. The Choose File dialog box will close, and the system path to the file will appear in the File to Upload field. Page 63

64 continuing education course completions record file upload process. Click the Submit button. Sircon s online services will import the file. When it is finished, the File Load Results page will appear. You can use the File Load Results page to review and confirm the results of the Note: If you included a header row or line in your upload file, it will appear as an error record on the File Load Results page. It is not necessary to correct the header row or line. The top part of the page displays summary information about this transaction, including Provider, Service Type, Request Date, State, and Requestor. The system will electronically transmit this information to the state along with the course completion data. Below the summary information is a list of all course completion records that have been uploaded to Sircon online services in this upload session. The records are sorted in ascending order by row number. The list provides the following visual information about the status of the uploaded records: Page 64

65 Records displaying black text characters have been successfully validated by Sircon s online services and are ready for transmission to the state. (Regular processing fees will be charged for these records regardless of whether they are processed or not processed because of state-validation errors.) Records displaying red text characters and error messages have not passed validation and will not be transmitted to the state. Read the contents of the error message and make necessary corrections to the upload file before again attempting upload to Sircon s online services. (Records containing validation errors displayed on the File Load Results page will not be transmitted and will not incur a processing fee.) To transmit validated records to the state, click on the Submit button. When the operation is complete, the State Submission Results page will open. Use the State Submission Results page to review the continuing education course completion records that have been successfully transmitted to the state in this session. The top part of the page displays summary information about this transaction, including Provider ID and Name, Service Type, Request Date, State, and Requestor. This information was transmitted to the state along with the course completion data. (Note that Social Security Number information is masked.) Below the summary information is a list of all course completion records that were transmitted to the state in this upload session. Records are sorted by Course Name, Offering ID, and Row Number. Each record contains a confirmation number (Conf ID) to track successful transmission to the state. Only processed records contain a reference number (Ref ID). A record not processed because of a state-validation error will display an error message in the Message field. Note: All records submitted to the state are charged regular fees, regardless of whether they were processed or not processed because of errors. Note: Errors identified on the confirmation page are typically the result of incorrect data entry or formatting. If you receive an error, use the error description to pinpoint the error. Resolve the error, and then resubmit the information. Page 65

66 You may use the Print command in your browser to print the State Submission Results page, if desired. When you are finished, click on the Done button to return to the Education menu page. Submitting Pre-Licensing Course Completion Information Sircon for Education Providers can transmit course pre-licensing information to the state. Note: You can quickly generate and print state-official course completion certificates for all students attending and completing pre-licensing classes. For more information, see Printing a Course Completion Certificate on page 94. Getting Started Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Pre-licensing Eductation Course Completions link in the Course Completions section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Pre-licensing Education Course Completions page will open. Select the state to which you want to transmit the course completion information from the state dropdown menu. Page 66

67 Then click on the Submit button. The Pre-licensing Education Course Completions page will refresh to show different fields: Provider ID, Course ID, and Course Completion Date. All three fields are required, which means that you must enter valid information in them before you can continue processing. In the Provider ID field, enter your company s or organization s education provider ID number. In the Course ID field, enter the number of the approved course for which you want to transmit completion notifications. Page 67

68 Note: If you do not know your Provider ID or Course ID information, you can obtain this information from the Classroom Offering Maintenance page. (For information on using the Classroom Offering Maintenance page see page 28.) Also, to obtain your company s or organization s Provider ID, you can click on the Click here to view your organizations link on the Maintain User Profile page. (For more information, see the note on page 99.) Then, in the Course Completion Date field, enter the date the pre-licensing education class was conducted. Remember to use the mm-dd-yyyy date format. When you are finished, click on the Continue button. The Pre-licensing Education Course Completions page will refresh again. At the top of the page is summary information about your company or organization and the course for which you have selected to transmit course completion information. The page also offers fields in which to enter identifying information about the students who completed the class successfully. Enter the information for each student in the fields provided: In the Last, First, Middle, and Suffix fields enter name information for the first student in the class roster. Page 68

69 In the SSN field, enter the student s Social Security Number. Then, in the Birth Date field, enter the student s date of birth. (Use the mm-dd-yyyy date format.) For each student who completed the course, repeat these steps. If you are required to enter address information for each student, click on the Enter Addresses button at the top right of the page. Enter address information for each student in the corresponding fields i.e., Line 1 (street address), Line 2, City, State, Postal (Zip Code), and Phone. When you are finished, click on the Submit button. The selected state database will be updated with pre-licensing education course completion information, and the Confirmation page will open. This Confirmation page displays confirmation information about the pre-licensing education course completion information you just submitted to the state. The following course completion information is displayed for each producer: Confirmation number(s) Reference ID Social Security Number First and last name Birth date (if entered) To process another pre-licensing education course completion record, click on the Process Another button. Or, click on the Main menu button. The Education menu page will open. Page 69

70 Note: Errors identified on the confirmation page are typically the result of incorrect data entry. If you receive an error, use the error description to pinpoint the error. Resolve the error, and then resubmit the information. Transmitting a File Containing Course Completion Information Submitting education course completion information through Sircon is quick and easy. However, some providers requested a way to enter repetitive student information into the online form after each class. Our dedication to responding to customer need provided an opportunity to develop a method for our providers which allows uploading a file containing education information either a spreadsheet or a text file to submit to the state. This useful method allows you to keep student information, such as name, address, license number, and other data, saved in your file. You can easily update the file with new course completion information after each class. Then you can transmit your file through Sircon s online service to the state database, and update students licensing records. Let s look at how this is done. Preparing the File Before you can upload a course completions record file, you must format your data so that it is readable by Sircon s online services. The course completions upload function requires a comma-separated format file, or *.csv. You may use a spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel, or you may enter the data in a text file saved with a.csv extension to create your course completions record file. The following sections provide instructions for using either formatting method. Launch a spreadsheet application, and open a new, blank spreadsheet. Microsoft Excel is used in the following example. Enter column titles or headers in consecutive cells in Row 1, using the following field names (refer to the Option 1 and Option 2 illustration below): State Provider Org ID Course ID Course Completion Date Course Begin Date Course Begin Time Course Postal Code Instructor Credit Hours Identifier (Can be SSN, NPN, Resident License# or DMV#) Page 70

71 Note: The identifier can be on column or may be entered in separate columns i.e.,ssn, NPN and Lic Nbr In this example, separate columns are used. Student SSN Student NPN Student License Number Student Last Name (Only for continuing education course completions. For more information, see the note on page 72.) Instructed Category Code The column title names you enter in Row 1 constitute the file s header row. The header row will make it easier for you to enter course completion data in the correct fields. Note: The course completions upload function will ignore header row data and enter only the student data. Option 1: Format showing the single Identifier column: Option 2 Format with the SSN, NPN and License Number columns separated: In the appropriate cells in Row 2 of the spreadsheet, enter data from the first course completion record. For example, enter the first record s state abbreviation in the State field; enter the first record s provider organization ID number in the Provider Org ID field, etc. You ll want to pay special attention to the student identifying information, such as SSN, NPN, or License Number. Important: The file requirements for pre-licensing course completions are different from those of continuing education course completions. To help ensure system validation of your data, please refer to Pre-Licensing Education Course Completions Records File Requirements on page 151 and to Continuing Education Course Completions Records File Requirements on page 153. Page 71

72 Don t worry if a course completion record does not contain data to satisfy all of the fields identified in the header row. For fields where there is no data to enter, simply leave them blank. Be careful to enter data in the correct field. The required fields are indicated in the list above. Note: The Student Last Name field is required only in certain states; however if you enter a value in the Student Last Name field, then it will be validated against the state database. If your state does not require last name information, and you do not enter a value in the Student Last Name field, then only the data that you do enter will be used for validation. Enter the data from the second course completion record in the appropriate cells in the next row on the spreadsheet. Continue to enter course completion information for each student, each on its own row, until all course completion data is entered in the spreadsheet. Caution! The number of rows uploaded is limited to 200 rows. When you are finished, from the File menu, select Save As. The Save As dialog box will open. From the Save As Type dropdown menu, select CSV (Comma Delimited) (*.csv). In the File Name field, enter an 8- character name for the course completions record file. Using the navigation options on the Save As dialog box, browse for a location on your system to save the course completions record file. Click the Save button. The Save As dialog box will close. Your file is now saved in a comma-separated (.csv) format, and is ready for upload through Sircon s online services to the state. Format the Text File You can also format your course completion information as a simple text file. To do this, first launch a text editor application, such as Notepad or WordPad. With a new, blank file open, enter the following field names separated by a coma: State, Provider Org ID, Course ID, Course Completion Date, Course Begin Date, Course Begin Time, Course Postal Code, Instructor Credit Hours, Identifier, Student Last Name, and Instructed Category. It is very important to separate each field name with a comma. Do not use a space as a separator. For example: Page 72

73 Note: As with the spreadsheet format above, you can choose to use the Identifier column to enter SSN, NPN, License Number AND DMV information, information, or you may choose to list SSN, NPN and License Number information in their own columns. Both options are shown in the examples below. The field names you are entering on the first line constitute the file s title or header line. The header line may make it easier for you to recognize the course completion data in the file. However, the course completions upload function will ignore header line data. Press the Enter key to move the cursor to the next line. Enter data from the first course completion record. Enter each data value in the order specified in the header line (for example, first enter the State value, then enter the Provider Org ID value, then the Course ID value, etc.) Next, just like you did for the header line described above. Make sure you separate each data value with a comma. Do not use a space as a separator. Press the Enter key to move the cursor to the next line. Then enter data from the second course completion record, using the correct order and separating values only with a comma. Option 1 format example, with the Identifier field: Remember that you must enter a comma as a separator between fields and not a space. So, there may be additional commas within the data to indicate columns which to do not contain information. Option 2 format example, with the SSN, NPN and License Number fields separated: Page 73

74 Option 2 may seem exactly like option 1, but remember that you must enter a comma as a separator between fields and not a space. So, there may be additional commas in option 2 to indicate columns which do not contain information. Important: Pre-licensing course completions file requirements are different from those of continuing education course completions. To help ensure system validation of your data, please refer to Pre-Licensing Education Course Completions Records File Requirements on page 151 and to Continuing Education Course Completions Records File Requirements on page 153. Don t worry if a course completion record does not contain data to satisfy all of the fields identified in the header line. For fields where there is no data to enter, simply enter a comma. Continue to enter course completion information for each student, each on its own line, until all course completion data is entered in the file. Caution! The number of rows uploaded is limited to 200 rows. When you are finished, select Save As from the File menu. The Save As dialog box will open. In the File Name field, enter an 8-character name for the course completions record file, then enter a period, and finally enter csv. Using the navigation options on the Save As dialog box, browse for a location on your system to save the course completions records file. Click the Save button. The Save As dialog box will close. Your file is now saved in a comma-separated format and is ready for upload to the state through Sircon s online services. Page 74

75 Summary This section provided a glimpse of the free file transmissions available to producers through Sircon online services. Specifically, this section covered the following: Transmitting a file containing course completion Preparing the File Using a Spreadsheet Application Using a Text Editor The following section looks at the administrative tools available to Sircon for Education Provider subscribers for maintaining providers. Page 75

76 Provider Maintenance The Sircon Provider Application service allows education providers to apply for approval to offer continuing education courses in a state. The online Provider Application can also be used to approve pre-licensing education providers if the state does not have a separate application and/or fees for prelicensing education providers (such as Texas). The Provider Application service will guide the education provider through the following steps: Enter Demographic Information Answer Background Questions Select Geographic Regions Attach Supporting Documents Pay Application Fee (the fee will be included on the Provider s monthly invoice) Page 76

77 Getting Started Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. From the Education menu page, click on the Provider Application link in the Provider Maintenance section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Provider Application: Provider Information page will open. Enter your state in the State field, your provider name in the Provider Name field and your EIN number in the EIN section. Note: The provider is not allowed to continue if an active provider already exists in the state with the same EIN. When you are done click on Continue. The Provider Application: Demographics Information page will open. You must enter the following information required for the application: Domicile State (required) Provider Type (required) Mailing Location Address (required) Business Location Address (required) CE Address (required) DBA Aliases (optional) Approved Provider Representative (required) Website Address (optional) Page 77

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79 When you are done, click on the Continue button. The Provider Application: Background Questions page will open. You must answer any background questions required by the state. To attach documents that are required for the application, click on the View/Attach Documents link next to the background question. Once you click on the View/Attach Documents, the Attach Documents window will open. Attachments are not specific to a particular background question. Use the options in the Select files to attach section to attach any documents that are required by the state for your Provider Application Attach an electronic file to your application by selecting Browse from the File Name section. Navigate to the document you are electronically submitting to the Page 79

80 state. Enter a description for the document in the Description field. All attached documents require a Description. To upload the file, click on the Attach button. The selected file will be uploaded to your provider renewals application. To attach additional files, you can repeat the preceding steps. When you are finished attaching your document(s) click on the Done button to continue. Note: All documents that have been attached to the application will be displayed in the Attached Files section. Remove an uploaded file by clicking on the delete icon ( ) to the right of the file name. Then click on Ok to delete the attachment. The Provider Application: Region Information page will open. Page 80

81 Note: This page is specific for Texas, and can be turned off completely for other states. The education provider must select the types of courses that will be offered and the geographic regions where those courses will be offered. The geographic regions are only required if the provider selects Classroom courses. Under the Please select the types of courses you are planning on offering section, you are required to check one of the following fields: Classroom, Classroom Equivalent, or Self Study. If you only plan to offer only Self-Study and/ or Classroom Equivalent courses, check one or both of the boxes. Do not check any of the regions. When you are done, click on the Continue button. The Provider Application: Attach File page will open. Here, you can attach any remaining documentation required by the state. State specific instructions are displayed at the top of the page. All the documents that are attached are displayed in the Attached Files section. You are not required to attach any documents. Page 81

82 Note: Valid file types are image files, MS-Word documents, MS- Excel spreadsheets, and PDF documents. The maximum file size is 5mb. Texas is unable to accept documents saved in Microsoft Office 2007 format. Please save and send your documents in Microsoft Office format. When you are done click on the Continue button. The Summary page will open. Here, you can review all the information you entered on the application, including Summary of Fees, prior to submitting the application to the state. When you are done checking all the information you have entered and you agree to the Attestation, you must check the I Agree box at the bottom of the screen before submitting your application. The attestation is statespecific. Page 82

83 Once your application has been submitted to the state, the Confirmation page will open. The Confirmation page displays the status of your provider application either Pending or Under State Review. In addition, all the information you entered on your application is also displayed on the confirmation page. The confirmation page may be printed for your records. You can check the status of your application in the future by clicking on the Education Activity Inquiry link on the Education menu. The Education Activity Inquiry will display the current status of your application such as Approved or Denied. If the status is Approved, your provider expiration date will also be displayed. Renewing Provider Registration in a State The Sircon Provider Renewals service allows education providers to renew their active provider registration in a state. Sircon will retrieve a list of all provider registrations that are available for renewal in all Sircon states that have the Provider Renewal service open. Education providers can renew their Continuing Education status, Pre-licensing Education status, or both (depending on the state). Only one provider renewal can be processed at a time. The provider renewal service will guide the education provider through the following steps: Answer Background Questions Attach Supporting Documents Page 83

84 Update Contact Information Pay Renewal Fee (the fee will be included on the Provider s monthly invoice) Getting Started Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Provider Renewals link in the Provider Maintenance section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Provider Renewals: Select Provider page will open. Select your education provider name from the Provider Name dropdown menu. Then click on the Continue button. The Select Provider Renewals page will open. The page list all of the provider registrations that are available for renewal in all Sircon states that have the Provider Renewals service open. Page 84

85 Select the provider renewals that you wish to process by clicking on the box associated with the provider information. When you finish making your selections, click on the Continue button. The Provider Renewals: Attach Documents page will open. You can attach any supporting documentation. State-specific instructions are displayed at the top of the page. All attached documents require a description. However, you are not required to attach any documents. Note: Valid file types are image files, MS-Word documents, MS-Excel spreadsheets, and PDF documents. The maximum file size is 5 megabyte. Use the options in the Select files to attach section to electronically attach any documents that are required by the state for your provider renewal. To attach an electronic file to your application, select Browse from the File Name section to select the type of document you are electronically submitting to the state. To upload the file, click on the Attach button. The selected file will be uploaded to your provider renewals application. To attach additional files, you can repeat the preceding steps. Page 85

86 Note: To remove an uploaded file, click on the Delete icon ( name and then click on OK to delete the attachment. ) to the right of the file When you are finished, click on the Continue button. Page 86

87 Next, the Provider Renewals: Update Contact Information page will open. This is where you can update any contact information with the state, or add any missing information. You may edit any information by simply clicking on the Edit button. Page 87

88 When you click the Edit or Add buttons, the corresponding section will expand to include fields where you may enter the information you wish to change or add. Once you are done editing or adding information in a particular section, click on the Save button. When you are finished with all the updates, click on the Continue button. The Provider Renewal: Summary page will open. Here, you can review and confirm all the information for your provider renewal request including a Summary of Fees, Provider Renewal Information, Background Questions, Attached Files, and Updated Contact Information. If you need to make changes or corrections, click on the Previous button to return to the preceding page. Page 88

89 Confirm that all the information on the Provider Renewals: Summary page is correct. Review the Attestation at the bottom of the page, and then click the I Agree check box before submitting the renewal. Note: If you don t click on the I Agree check box to the Attestation on your application, it will not be processed. All Attestation text is state-specific. Once you have agreed to the Attestation at the bottom of the screen, click on the Process button to submit your Provider Renewal to the state. Page 89

90 The Confirmation page will open when your Provider Renewal information has been received by the state. The Confirmation page displays the status of your Provider Renewal, which is either Renewed or Under State Review. Note: The status is Renewed if the provider registration has been renewed automatically by the state. If your renewal is on hold, the status is Under State Review. If you would like to process another renewal, click on the Process Another button. If you are finished, click on the Done button. Page 90

91 You can also check the status of your next renewal date by clicking on Check your provider status link to access the Approved Provider Inquiry. The Approved Provider Inquiry page will open. Select the Education Type and Provider Name from the dropdown menu. When you are done, click on the Submit button. The Results page will open. Note: You can also access the Approved Providers Inquiry page from the Education Menu. For more information, see Education menu on page 10. The Results page lists the provider name, contact information, and courses. It also displays the provider s next renewal date under the Provider Name and Address. If the status of the renewal is Under State Review, then the Provider Status Valid Until date will not be updated until the provider renewal has been approved by the state. When you are done, click on the Cancel button to return to the Education menu. Summary This section provided a glimpse of the provider maintenance features available to producers through Sircon online services. Specifically, this section covered the following: Apply for State Approval in Another State Renewing Provider Registration in a State The following section looks at the transaction history and status tools available through the Sircon for Education Providers platform. Page 91

92 Transaction History and Status Running a Report of System Activity On occasion, perhaps for the purposes of compiling a management report, you may want to look back at your recent activity in Sircon for Education Providers. You can run a report that shows all of your system activity for a specified time period within the past 60 calendar days. Getting Started You can run an activity report by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Education Activity Inquiry link in the Transaction History and Status section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Education Activity Inquiry page will open. To run a report, you must first enter some reporting criteria so that the system knows what data to pull from the database. Page 92

93 You are required to enter a date range. In the Date From field, enter a beginning date for a time period during which you want to report your system activity. Be sure to use the mm-ddyyyy date format. Then in the To field, enter the ending date of the date range. Again, use the proper date format and a specified time period within the past 60 calendar days. If you want to report your activity in only one state, select that state from the State dropdown menu. Otherwise the system will report your activity in all states. Likewise, if you want to report just one type of activity, then select it from the Activity Type dropdown menu. (Activity types would include such things as Classroom Offering Maintenance or Submitting CE Course Completions.) Finally, select a sort order for the report. The default sort order groups activity types, and then lists activities in order by date and then by state. However, you can choose to group activity types, and then list activities in order by state and then by date. When you are finished, click on the Submit button. A new page will open showing the results of your report. You can print a hard copy of the report by selecting the Print option from your browser menu bar. Note that the report prints best if you select the landscape page orientation on the Print dialog box. You can also save the file by selecting Save As option from your browser toolbar, assigning the file a name, choosing a file format, and then saving it to a specific drive and directory on your system. Page 93

94 When you are finished, click on the Cancel button to return to the Education menu page. Printing a Course Completion Certificate Some states allow printing of state-official certificates of completion. You can quickly print this document for students taking and successfully completing a pre-licensing or continuing education course from Sircon for Education Providers.The process begins by running a system activity report. Getting Started Run a system activity report by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Education menu page. When the page opens click on the Education Activity Inquiry link in the Transaction History and Status section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Education Activity Inquiry page will open. You must enter a date range in which the class or classes were held. In the Date From field, enter a beginning date for the date range, and in the To field, enter the ending date. Remember to use the mm-dd-yyyy date format. If the class you are looking for began and ended on the same date, enter the date in both the Date From and To fields. From the State dropdown menu, select the state to which students' course completions were reported. If you intend to print pre-licensing course completion certificates, use the Activity Type dropdown menu, to select only Submit PE Course Completions. Likewise, if you want to print CE certificates, select Submit CE Course Completions. Otherwise all Sircon for Education Providers will return information for all states and activity types. Page 94

95 If desired, make a selection from the Sort By menu. The default sort order will group education types, and then list course completions in order by date and then by state. However, you can choose to group education types, and then list course completions in order by state and then by date. When you are finished choosing selection criteria, click on the Submit button. A new page will open showing course completions that met your selection criteria. Note that each line in a group of course completions shows course information, including course name, the date the course completion was submitted to the state, and the status of the submission. Just as importantly, each line also displays student information, including the student's name (at the far right of the table). If a course completion line shows a status of "Processed," you can go ahead and print the course completion certificate for the associated student. To print a certificate for a student whose name appears in the table, click on the Confirm ID number appearing in red on the far left of the table (opposite the student name). This is actually a hyperlink that will open the certificate in a separate window. You can print a hard copy of the certificate by clicking on the Print button ( ) in the toolbar. Then add any additional information, sign it, and mail it off to the producer. Repeat the preceding steps for each student with a state-processed course completion. When you are finished, close out all certificate windows using your browser close option, and then click on the Cancel button in Sircon for Education Providers to return to the Education menu page. Note you may be logged out of the print environment within 5 minutes of inactivity but, Sircon for Education Providers will leave you logged in as a user. Simply follow the prompt and enter your login information to continue printing should you be logged out of the printing environment. Page 95

96 courses to your home state and reciprocal states Renewing one or multiple courses in one or multiple states Renewing one or more provider registrations in state Viewing a report of your recent system activity Printing a course completion certificate Summary In this section, you became familiar with Sircon s online services for education providers. Specifically, you learned about the following: Posting new class schedules Entering and transmitting pre-licensing course completion information Entering and transmitting continuing education course completion information Formatting and transmitting a file containing either prelicensing or continuing education course completion information Submitting electronic applications along with supporting documentation for approval of continuing education In the next section of this guide, you ll learn how producers use Sircon s services to reference different pieces of education information, including their own education transcripts and online catalogs of courses and providers. Page 96

97 Administration Administration The Administration services menu is the launching point for performing the various administrative tasks available to Sircon for Education Providers subscribers. You can view and update your Sircon for Education Providers profile, or if you have been designated by your company as an administrator, you can view your subscriber account activity or view and update other representatives' profile information. Options available may vary depending on the terms of your organization s subscriber account. Every company or organization with a Sircon subscriber account has at least one individual who is identified as the administrator. An administrator is an individual who knows how to set up new users in the system and perform other simple configuration tasks using the menus within Sircon for Education Providers. You will notice that some of the activity mentioned in this section is available only to the subscriber administrator. If you are not going to serve as a subscriber administrator for your company s Sircon account, then you need not read any further. If you are, then let s dig in. The Administration page includes links to the following services: Account Management Maintain User Profile: View or change your Sircon for Education Providers user profile, including your password. For more information, see Maintain User Profile on page 99. Maintain Subscriber Representative: View or change other representatives profiles as well as delete existing representatives or add new representatives. For more information, see Maintain Subscriber Representative on page 102. Maintain Producer Access/Passwords: View or update security information used by Non-Subscribers of Sircon for Education Providers to submit a License Application for review and approval by a Sircon for Education Providers Subscriber. For more information, see Maintain Producer Access/Passwords on page 112. Customize Service Configuration: Sircon for Education Providers subscribers can tailor Sircon for Education Providers to match their own work process. For more information, see Customize Service Configuration on page 128. Maintain Password Parameters: You can set parameters on user passwords, so that they comply with your organization's security requirements. For more information, see Maintain Password Parameters on page 115. Sircon for Education Providers Message Center: Allows each user to receive an notification once an appointment/termination request or license application has been processed. Generated paper forms can also be received as an attachment to the generated . For more information, see Sircon Message Center on page 122. Maintain Subscriber Cost Center: View or update cost center information used by subscribers of Sircon for Education Providers to assign costs to various departments. Page 97

98 Administration This option is available only to subscriber representatives authorized to perform this service. For more information, see Maintain Subscriber Cost Center on page 118. Billing Management Download Detailed Invoice: Displays your organization's Sircon for Education Providers invoice and previous statements. This option is only available to representatives designated by your organization as administrators. For more information, see Download Detailed Invoice on page 132. Download Billing File: Download an electronic form of all charges for closed billing cycles. For more information, see Download Billing File on page 135. Pay Statements Online: Allows you to electronically pay some or all of your Sircon statement balance online via bank transfer on. For more information, see Pay Statements Online on page 140. View Payment Activity: Allows you to review one or more payments that you made online. For more information, see View Payment Activity on page 144. Note: You can begin working with the administration services by navigating to either the Welcome page or the main Education page. Locate the Online Services menu in the upper left hand corner of either page. Open the Administration Services menu page by clicking on the Administration link in the Sircon menu. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) Now let s look closer at what you can do with these utilities. Account Management When a company or organization begins a subscription to Sircon for Education Providers, one of the first administrative tasks is setting up new users to access the services. Then as time goes on, you will add, update or remove users as individuals join, move about or leave your company or organization. These tasks are very easily accomplished. Let s see how. Note: Users may view but only users with administrative privileges can open or make changes to many of the services mentioned in this section. If you are not an administrator, please contact your system administrator when changes are desired. Page 98

99 Administration Maintain User Profile The Maintain User Profile page contains fields and controls information about the existing user accounts including the administrator s account, that you can view or update as part of your Sircon for Education Providers account. You will use this page to maintain user information by completing the form during new user setup or you can maintain user information overtime through this link. Note: Step-by-step instructions for using the Maintain User Profile page are located below in the Updating Your User Account and Changing Your Password sections below. If you have administrative privileges, you can update the information and change the password of another user. You can update or add information to the following fields: Last Name First Name Middle Name Title Business Telephone Business Extension Business Fax Address Cost Center Getting Started An administrator or user may view or update their user account by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Maintain User Profile link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Maintain User Profile page will open. To update information for an existing user, enter user information into the fields noted as * Required. Enter the Last Name, First Name, Business Telephone and Address into the Page 99

100 Administration required corresponding fields. Enter the information that is changing and select the Submit button to complete the update. An example of how this form may appear for an existing user after entering update information follows: Notice that you will see a message at the top of the form if your update was successful or there is an error. You will find a detailed explanation of the each field in the Maintain Subscriber Representative section below. You can maintain the subscriber cost center from this page by clicking on the Click here to maintain your cost centers link. When complete you will be returned to the Maintain User Profile page. See page 118 for more information on maintaining cost centers. You can view subscriber organizations by clicking on the Click here to view your organizations link. The Maintain User Profile: Organizations page will open. The scroll bar on the right-hand side of the page can be used to move through the list. Return to the Page 100

101 Administration Maintain User Profile page by clicking on the red Close icon ( corner of the page. )in the upper right hand If you choose not to make any changes you may select the Cancel button to return to the Administration menu. Data-entry guidelines regarding these fields, may be found in Setting up a New User on page 103. Not all other fields on the page may be changed by users without administrative privileges. You can also change your password on the Maintain User Profile page by entering your current, valid password in the Old Password field. up a New User on page 115 for more information.) In the New Password field, enter a new password that complies with your company s password requirements. (If you are uncertain, contact your administrator. Also, please see Setting Page 101

102 Administration When you are finished, click on the Submit button to save the updated information to your user account. If you entered all the required information and met system validation, the Maintain User Profile page will refresh and display a message confirming the successful account update. To return to the Administration Menu, click on the Cancel button. Maintain Subscriber Representative Use the Maintain Subscriber Representative page to update, add, or delete information stored as part of a subscriber representative's Sircon for Education Providers user account. The Maintain Subscriber Representative page contains the Subscriber Representative List. You can select a representative from the list to make changes in subscriber information. You can also use the New Password and Confirm New Password fields on the Maintain Subscriber Representative page to reset a user's password. Note: Only users with administrative privileges can open the Maintain Subscriber Representative page. The Maintain Subscriber Representative page contains the following sections: Subscriber Representative List Fields and controls in the Subscriber Representative List section include the following: Rep ID: Displays the system-assigned identification number of users with active accounts. Name: Displays the full name of users with active accounts. Notice the representative names are highlighted and underlined. They are links that you can click on open the Maintain User Profile page and update the selected user's account. For more information, see Maintain User Profile on page 99. Login Name: Displays the system login name assigned to the user. Business Phone: Displays the business phone number of each user. Extension: Displays the business phone extension for each user. Address: Displays the user s address. Admin: Displays "Y" if a user has been assigned administrative privileges in the system, or "N" if the user does not have administrative privileges. News Flash: Displays "Y" if a user authorized to receive Sircon for Education Providers news bulletins, or "N" if users are not receiving Sircon for Education Providers news bulletins. Delete: Click the check box to checkmark select user account that is to be removed from the system. For more information, see Deleting a User Account. Page 102

103 Administration Page Controls Fields and controls in the Page Controls section include the following: New button: Click to open the Add User Profile page you will be re-directed to the Add User Profile page where you will begin the process of adding a new user account. For more information, see Adding a New User. Delete button: With the Delete checkbox corresponding with one or multiple user accounts checkmarked, click to remove the user account(s) from the system. For more information, see Deleting a User Account. Cancel button: Click to return to the Administration Services menu. Let s see how you can use this page. Getting Started An administrator may view or update user accounts by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Maintain Subscriber Profile link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) Adding a New User When you select the Maintain Subscriber Representative link you are directed to the Subscriber Representative List. You will be able to discover whether a user name is in use and create a new user. Use the following instructions to add a new user. Note: Before you add a new user, you must first check to make sure the user account Page 103

104 Administration does not already exist in the system. In the Please enter the username for a new user field enter the name the new user will use to log in to the system. This must be a single word and without spaces. Commonly the login name is the first initial of the user s first name combined with the user s last name. (For example, a user whose name is Mary Johnson would be given a login name of mjohnson. ) This helps the user to remember his or her login name. You may also use the same login name the user uses to login to your company s network. Then, click on the Check Username button. The system will verify the user name. If the user name already exists in Sircon for Education Providers an error message will display, and you must try a different user name. If the user account already exists in another Sircon online service, you will be offered the opportunity to create an account for the user in Sircon for Education Providers. But if the user name does not exist anywhere in the Sircon system, the Maintain User Profile page will open and allow you to enter additional information about the new user account. Page 104

105 Administration Note: If your company or organization has reached the maximum number of users allowed under the terms of your subscription, a message will appear at the top of the page when you click on the New button. You will not be able to continue adding users. You must either contact Sircon to add additional users to your subscription or delete an existing user account. Do NOT delete the Sircon Administration user from your account. Enter Information If you are creating a new user name make sure to follow the naming conventions below. You may also use the same login name the user has on your company s network as long as it follows these naming conventions. It is helpful to gather the user information for First Name, Last Name, Business Telephone and address before starting. Note: A user name must be a single word, and it must be unique among all other user names of accounts in the system. It must be at least two (2) characters in length and less than or equal to 24 characters and must consist of only lowercase letters, numbers, or periods. User names may not contain spaces or any special characters %, *, \, etc.). You may also use the same login name the user uses to login to your company s network. Enter the new user name and click the Check Username button. Sircon for Education Providers will again verify the user name. If the user name is unique, the Maintain User Profile page will open. Enter the user information in the appropriate fields. Note that some fields have the * Required note to the right. These fields must be completed to create a new user account. Page 105

106 Administration Key in the required user information to create a Subscriber Rep ID: Enter the new user s last name in the Last Name field on the Maintain User Profile page. Enter the new user s Fast name in the Fast Name field on the Maintain User Profile page. Choose a password for the user and enter it into the New Password field. Enter the same password again in the Confirm New Password field. Note: Be sure that the starter password complies with your company s or organization s chosen password requirements. Requirements may include a minimum length, a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters, or the inclusion of a numeral or special keyboard character. For more information, see Maintain Password Parameters. Enter the Business Telephone number into the corresponding field. Enter the address where the user may be contacted into the Address field. The following fields are optional for Sircon for Education Provider and you are not required to enter in anything. However, they are there as helpful information to further identify the individual user. Key in the optional user information as necessary as you create the Subscriber Rep ID: Enter the Middle Name or initial into the corresponding field. Enter the user s Title into the corresponding field. Note: The Login Name field displays the system-validated user name you entered on the Add User Profile page. Enter the Business Extension number into the corresponding field. Enter the Business Fax number into the corresponding field. Page 106

107 Administration The radio buttons to the right of the Administrator? prompt determines the assigned services for the user. Think carefully about whether to grant the new user administrative privileges. Grant the new user only system services user privileges by clicking on the No radio button. Grant the new user the same privileges as you (an administrator) currently have by clicking on the Yes radio button. Look to the right of the page and find the Authorized Services section. This is where you can determine which sets of services in Sircon for Education Providers the new user will be allowed to access. To enable all education services, click on the checkbox next to Education to checkmark. Likewise, to enable Inquiries, click on the checkbox next to Inquiries to checkmark. Finally, to enable service requests services, click on the checkbox next to Service Requests to checkmark. Only the services with checkmarks in the corresponding checkboxes will be added to the new user access. To remove a checkmark simply click on the checkbox again. The departments or functions of your company or organization may be divided into cost centers for budgetary purposes. You can also leverage charges for Sircon fees against the budgets of various cost centers. To assign the new user to a particular cost center, enter the name in the Cost Center field. The radio buttons to the right of the Would you like to receive NewsFlashes? prompt determines whether the user can receive notifications should your subscriber license allow. Click on the No radio button to disallow notifications. Click on the Yes radio button to allow the user to receive notifications. The red Click here to view your organizations text is a link. Clicking it will open a new window to display a list of all organizations associated with the new user's account. Note: You can view the names of education providers that are available in the Provider Name dropdown menu in Education and Inquiry services by clicking on the Click here to view your organizations link. When you have finished entering and setting account information for the new user, the Maintain User Profile page may look like the one pictured. Click the Submit button to save the new user account to the system. If you entered all the required information and met system validation, the Maintain User Profile page will refresh and display a message confirming the successful account creation. The new user is now ready to log in, change his or her password, and get started working. If you want to set up another user account, click on the Add Another button and a blank Maintain User Profile page will open for the next account creation. Page 107

108 Administration To return to the Administration menu, click on the Cancel button. Maintaining a Provider User Account You can maintain a provider user account by using the subscriber representative link. You can add or update any of the following information available on this page: Last Name First Name Middle Name Title New Password Business Telephone Business Extension Business Fax Address Cost Center Getting Started You must navigate to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Maintain Subscriber Representativelink in the Account Management section to maintain a provider user account. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) Page 108

109 Administration The Maintain Subscriber Representative page will open. In the Subscriber Representative List, find the name of the user whose account you want to update. Click the user s Name. (It s a red text link.) The selected user s account information will open in the Maintain User Profile page. You can add or change any of the information available on this page to update the selected user s account. Click in the corresponding field to update any of the following information. Last Name field: update the user s last name. First Name field: update the user s first name. Middle Name field: update the user s middle name or initial. Page 109

110 Administration Title field: update the user s title. New Password field, enter a new password for the user that complies with your organization's chosen password requirements. Move to the Confirm New Password and re-enter the password you entered in the New Password field. Note: Changing the password will reset the password for the user's accounts in all Sircon products. Business Telephone field: update the user's phone number at his or her desk. Business Extension field: update the user's phone extension at his or her desk. Business Fax field: update the user's fax number. Address field: update the user's business address. Cost Center dropdown menu, select a different internal accounting cost center or budget to assign the costs of the user's Sircon for Education Providers transactions. Maintain the user's cost centers by clicking the Click here to maintain your cost centers link. When you are finished, click the Submit button to save the updated information to the user s account. If all required information is entered and meets the system validation, the Maintain User Profile page will refresh and display a message confirming the successful account update. Note: You can click on the Click here to maintain your cost centers link to add, update, or delete cost center information. Additional information on cost centers, may be found on the Sircon for Education Providers online help site. The organizations of which the user is a member may be viewed by clicking on the Click here to view your organizations link. Return to the Maintain Subscriber Representative page by clicking on the Cancel button. Return to the Administration page by either clicking the Cancel button on the Maintain Subscriber Representative page or selecting the Administration menu from the Online Services menu. Removing a User Account To delete a user account from the system, go to the Administration menu and click on the Maintain Subscriber Representative link. The Maintain Subscriber Representative page will open. Page 110

111 Administration In the Subscriber Representative List on the Maintain Subscriber Representative page, find the name of the user whose account you want to remove. On the opposite side of the list from the user s name, find the Delete checkbox, and then click on it to checkmark it. Note: You can remove multiple users at one time by clicking to checkmark the Delete checkbox associated with as many users as desired. Be sure, however, to preserve at least your own user account and the Sircon Administrative account(s). Click the Delete button. The Maintain Subscriber Representative page will refresh with a message asking you to confirm the action of deleting the selected user account(s). Click the Confirm button. The user account(s) is removed from the system, and the Maintain Subscriber Representative page will refresh with a message asking you to confirm the action of deleting the selected user account(s). Click on the Confirm button. The user(s) account will then be removed from the system. The page will refresh to confirm that the action was successful. Page 111

112 Administration Maintain Producer Access/Passwords You can change your password on your Sircon for Education Providers user account and update information using the Maintain User Profile page. If you have administrator privileges, you can do the same for other accounts. Let s take a look at how these functions are performed. Password changes occur in two scenarios: when they are required, and when they are voluntary. Depending on your company s or organization s configuration of Sircon for Education Providers, you may be required to change your starter password (the password the administrator set when he or she created your user account) the first time you log onto Sircon for Education Providers. You may also be required to change your password after certain intervals of time (for example, every 90 days), based on your organization s password-aging requirements. Or you may just decide that you want to change your password. Getting Started Begin by selecting the Administration menu page from the Online Services menu. Then click on the Maintain Producer Access/Passwords link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.). Changing Passwords When Required If you are required to change your password, the Maintain SIRCON Password page will display after you successfully log onto Sircon for Education Providers. Note: The Subscriber Rep ID field displays a system-assigned number that identifies your user account and that the Subscriber Rep Login Name displays your login name. Page 112

113 Administration Note: The Subscriber Rep ID field displays a systemassigned number that identifies your user account and that the Subscriber Rep Login Name displays your login name. In the Old Password field, enter your current, valid password. This is the password you just used to log in to the system. In the New Password field, enter a new password that complies with your organization s password requirements. For more information, see Maintain Password Parameters on page 115. In the Confirm New Password field, enter the password exactly as you entered in the New Password field a second time to verify the password. Note: Changing the password will reset the password for your user account in all Sircon products. You must use this new password the next time you log in. Click the Submit button and the Sircon for Education Providers main page will open. Changing Your Password Voluntarily When you choose to change your password, you can do this from the Maintain User Profile page. Begin by selecting the Administration menu page from the Online Services menu. Then click on the Maintain Producer Access/Passwords link in the Account Management section. The Maintain User Profile page will open. Page 113

114 Administration If you have administrative privileges, you can update the information and change the password of another user. Move your cursor to the New Password field by either clicking in the field or using the Tab key to move to the New Password field. In the New Password field, enter a new password that complies with your organization's password requirements. For more information, see Maintain User Profile on page 99 and Maintain Password Parameters on page In the Confirm New Password field, re-enter the password you entered in the New Password field. Note: Changing the password will reset the password for your user account in all Sircon products. Click the Submit button to save your new password. The Maintain User Profile page will refresh and display a message confirming the successful account update. Return to the Administration Services menu by clicking the Cancel button. Note: The next time you log in to Sircon for Education Providers, you must use your new password. Page 114

115 Administration Maintain Password Parameters Sometimes Sircon for Education Providers subscribers want control over the requirements for passwords into the system. Many subscribers want to align the requirements with the security policy of their company or organization. Use the Maintain Password Parameters page to enforce password requirements. All user passwords must then comply to the requirements. Note: Only users with administrative privileges can open the Maintain Password Parameters page. Getting Started Open this page by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens, click on the Maintain Password Parameters link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.). Note: The password policy affects all Sircon products. Changing the policy will cause all users to be required to change their password. The Maintain Password Parameters page will open. Fields and controls on the page include the following: Subscriber Name: Display only. Displays your organization's name. Subscriber ID: Display only. Displays your organization's Sircon for Education Providers identification number. This is the number assigned to you when you first opened your subscription to Sircon for Education Providers. The subscriber ID is one of the three pieces of authentication credentials that users pass to the system each time they log on. (For more information see Log in on page 8. Page 115

116 Administration Minimum password length: Enter a numeric value between 6 and 50 representing the minimum allowable length of a user password. When users change their password, their new password must meet or exceed the number of characters enforced by this value. If you do not want to enforce a minimum password length requirement, you may leave the field empty. Number of days a password is valid: Enter the number of calendar days between 1 and 99 that users will be allowed to keep a password before they must change it. Leave the field empty if you do not want to set up a password aging requirement. Number of old passwords that will be compared to ensure new password has not already been used: Enter a numeric value between 1 and 24 to indicate how many previous passwords should be compared to the new password to prevent the use of the same password over and over. Require at least one number? Click the Yes or No radio buttons to indicate whether all passwords should contain at least one numeric character. Require a lower case letter? Click the Yes or No radio buttons to indicate whether all passwords should contain at least one lower-case character. Require an upper case letter? Click the Yes or No radio buttons to indicate whether all passwords must contain at least one upper-case character. Require a special character?: Click the Yes or No radio buttons to indicate whether all passwords contain at least one of the Sircon defined special characters. Special characters may be: ~ # $ % ^ & * ( ) _ - + = { [ } ] \ : ;? <, >. / Page 116

117 Administration When you are finished, click on the Process button to commit the selected password parameters to the system. All new user passwords will be required to comply with the enforcements you have set. In addition, all users will be required to change their passwords upon the next login. Click the Cancel button to return to the Administration menu. After you click on the Process button, a confirmation page will display, letting you know that your password policy updates are in the system. Page 117

118 Administration Maintain Subscriber Cost Center You can manage your cost centers by setting your options. You may delete Current Cost Centers, add Cost Centers by Cost Center Name, and Configure Cost Centers to default to a pre-defined cost center or to a cost center that is required for any request. The Maintain Subscriber Cost Center page is divided into three sections: Current Cost Centers, Add Cost Centers, and Configure Cost Centers. Getting Started To maintain subscriber cost centers, select the Administration menu page and then click on the Maintain Subscriber Cost Center link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Maintain Subscriber Cost Center page will open. Page 118

119 Administration Deleting/Adding/Configuring a Cost Center Deleting or removing a current cost center is quick and easy with Sircon for Education Providers. Begin by navigating to the Administration link and selecting the Administration menu from the Online Services menu. When the Administration page opens, select the Maintain Subscriber Cost Center link. The Current Cost Centers are listed in the top portion of the Maintain Subscriber Cost Center page. Select the cost center that you are deleting by clicking on the checkbox in the Delete column that corresponds to the cost center name. A check mark will appear in the box to identify the cost center that is being deleted. If necessary, click on the checkbox a second time to choose not to delete the corresponding cost center. When the correct checkbox is marked, select the Delete button to remove the cost center. Page 119

120 Administration No message will appear if you have successfully deleted a cost center. The cost center will simply be removed from the list. If a cost center you are trying to delete is set as a default for a representative, an error message will display to let you know that the cost center you have selected cannot be deleted until it is no longer set as a default. You may also add a cost center on the Maintain Subscriber Cost Center page. Simply go to the box entitled Add Cost Centers, and click on the Cost Center Name field. Type the name of the cost center in the field. You may use as many as 20 characters for the cost center name. Then save your changes by clicking on the Save button. Page 120

121 Administration You can configure how cost centers are associated with subscriber representatives as well. The lower portion of the Maintain Subscriber Cost Center page contains two options for cost center use with representatives. There are two options: A cost center can be required for subscriber representatives and only pre-defined cost centers are allowed. A cost center is required for any request i.e., license application, appointment request and so forth. One or both options can be selected by clicking on the checkbox that corresponds to the appropriate selection. A checkmark will appear in the checkbox. Click on the Save button to configure the subscriber representative cost center options. Page 121

122 Administration Compliance Express Message Center Use the message center page to set up and maintain automated notifications regarding the processing status of license applications or appointment/termination requests. The message center consists of the following sections. Current Notifications Add/Update Notifications Note: Only users with administrative privileges can open the Compliance Express Message Center page. Let s look at how you can use notifications. Getting Started Use the message center by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Compliance Express Message Center link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Sircon Message Center page will open and display any automated Current Notifications that have been set up and saved to the system. Notice that this page is divided into two sections: Current and Add/Update Notifications. Page 122

123 Administration Current Notifications Let s look at the fields and controls in the Current Notifications section in the top half of the page: Delete Column: Click inside the checkbox to select a notification to delete. A checkmark will appear in the box. Click on the checkbox a second time to remove the checkmark should you choose not to delete a notification. Once the notification is selected, you must click the Delete button to delete it. It will no longer appear in the list. Service Type: Displays the transaction type of the automated notification, either Appointment Processing or License Application. Notification Type: Displays the event that triggers the automated notification, either State Response, Additional State Response, Form Generated - Subscriber, or Form Generated - Producer (License Application service type only). Response Type: Displays the response that is communicated in the automated notification, either Approved or Rejected. Edit: Click the link when displayed to open the corresponding automated notification in the Add/Update Notifications section for editing. Note: You cannot edit the Service Type, Notification Type, or Response Type fields. To change information in these fields, you must delete the notification and create a new one with the desired values. Delete Button: Click the Delete button to delete the selected notifications. Cancel: Click the Cancel button to return to the Administration Services menu page. Page 123

124 Administration Add/Update Notifications Now, let s look at the fields and controls in the Add/Update Notifications section in the bottom half of the page. Use the Add/Update Notifications section at the bottom of the page. This section is used to set up or edit an automated notification and save it to the system. There are two * Required options in the Add/Update Notifications section. Click on the appropriate selection to indicate the notification transaction type associated with the automated alert; either Appointment Processing or License Application. The Notification Type dropdown menu will appear. It is a * Required option so you must select from the dropdown menu. Select an event that will trigger the automated notification by using the dropdown menu to locate and click on the event. The events are: State Response: Sends automated notification for initial state responses once the state processes the transaction request. Additional State Response: Sends automated notification if the state reprocesses the transaction request and issues a response different from the initial response. Note: The Additional State Response option is valid only for PIN appointment/termination requests or PIN non-resident license application requests. Page 124

125 Administration Form Generated - Subscriber: Sends automated notification to the Sircon for Education Providers user (subscriber representative) once a appointment/termination or license application form is generated. Sends a copy of the appointment/termination or license application form in PDF format as an attachment to the notification . Form Generated - Producer (License Application service type only): Sends automated notification to the producer once a appointment/termination or license application form is generated. Sends a copy of the appointment/termination or license application form in PDF format as an attachment to the notification . The Add/Update Notifications page will open. This page is divided into three sections i.e., the type of notification, how it is sent, and the message itself. Let s look at the top of the page first. The upper portion includes the * Required Service Type and Notification Type fields are filled in based on the selections you just made. Notice that there are dropdown menu options for both types. You can choose to change either the Service Type or the Notification Type without returning to the Compliance Express Message Center. Make a selection from the * Required Response Type dropdown menu, select the response that is to be communicated in the automated notification, either Approved or Rejected. Note: An additional response occurs when Compliance Express receives a response from the state subsequent to an initial approval or denial from the NIPR PIN gateway. Page 125

126 Administration The middle section of the Add/Update Notifications page defines how you are sending the message. There are three sending options you may choose. They include: Send appointment process notifications to the subscriber rep who submits the request. This option will send a notification to the recipient s address as entered in Sircon for Education Providers. Send appointment process notifications to the subscriber who submits the request and a copy to a specified address. Choose this option to send a notification to the subscriber representative and another recipient at the same time. Page 126

127 Administration Send appointment process notifications to a specified address. This option requires you to enter a valid address for a recipient of the automated notification. This may be a recipient other than the Sircon for Education Providers user (subscriber representative). Note: In order to receive automated notifications, users must have a valid address associated with their user accounts. To verify users' addresses and to add addresses if necessary, use the Maintain Subscriber Representative page. In the Subject field, enter or update the automated notification subject line. The lower section of the Add/Update Notifications is where you will create the message that is being sent to the subscriber representative and/or recipients. Sircon for Education Providers enters suggested information in the Subject and Message boxes for you. You may edit either field. The Message box contains text and/or tokens (<field codes>) in the automated notification body. Add tokens to your message to automatically insert customized details into the . For example, you want the subject of an regarding a license application to be: License Application Status for John Doe from Nebraska You would enter the following: License Application Status for <NAME> from <ST_CD> Compose your subject and message by following the list of all format tokens Sircon supports. Click on the Click here for more format information link to view the list of supported codes. Below is a list of all format tokens Sircon supports. If you would like to include this information in the subject or body of the , please be sure to use the format token in the right column. You must include the characters (< >). Anything within the two characters will be validated against Sircon s format token, and an error message will be displayed if validation fails. Page 127

128 Administration Note: For <TIN>, if it is the individual s SSN, only the last 4 digits will be displayed such as XXX-XX Note: Depending on the Notification Type you have selected, the Subject field and Message box may already contain text and tokens. You may edit the content of the Subject field or Message box as desired. Next enter a valid address in the From Address field. This address will be included in the From or Reply To line of the automated notification message. Note: To avoid virus and spam filters in the recipient's software from blocking automated notifications, it is important to include a valid address in the From Address field. You can then notify the administrator to configure virus and spam filters to allow from the specified address. Including a value in the From Address field will also allow you to be notified if delivery of automated notifications fails. When you are finished, click the Save button. The automated notification will be saved to the system, and you will be returned to the list of Current Notifications display on the Compliance Express Message Center page. You may use the Cancel button to exit the Add/Update Notifications page without sending an . Customize Service Configuration Use the Customize Service Configuration page to tailor Sircon for Education Providers to more closely match your organization's work processes. This section includes the following options: Appointment Type Setup The Customize Service Configuration page allows administrative users to limit the appointment type codes applicable to each company for any Sircon for Education Providers service where appointment types are used. Appointment Type setup will need to be selected under subscriber profile to access the Subscriber Specific Appointment Types. Once the profile, service type and company name have been selected, check the states for which you want to specify appointment type codes. Page 128

129 Administration After clicking Continue, select the appointment types from the list under each state. After clicking Submit, a confirmation page will display. License Application Routing You can set up Sircon for Education Providers to assign specific license applications to a specific Sircon for Education Providers staff member in your department or organization. For more information, see Setting Up Automated License Application Routing below. Setting Up License Application Routing You can set up Sircon for Education Providers to assign a specific staff member in your department or organization to certain license applications submitted to a particular state by nonsubscribing users. This workflow configuration helps staff organize and distribute license application work queues and works with Sircon Message Center to alert staff of state actions and responses on pending license applications. Note: For more information about reviewing license applications, see Review/Update Submitted License Application - Individual and Review/Update Submitted License Application - Firm. Note: Only users with administrative privileges can open the Customize Service Configuration page. Getting Started Open this page by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Customize Service Configuration link in the Account Management section. (For information on getting started with Page 129

130 Administration Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Customize Service Configuration page will open. Select License Application Routing from the Subscriber Profile dropdown menu. The Customize Service Configuration page will refresh to show additional fields and controls. The Service Type field displays the transaction type for which you are customizing options. In this case, the transaction type is License Application. The Primary Routing Option displays the default routing destination for license applications. Click the Continue button. The Customize Service Configuration page will refresh to show dropdown menus associated with every licensing state and territory. The dropdown menus contain the names of every user in your organization's subscriber account. You may click on the state dropdown menu to select a particular staff member's name from the list of subscriber names. Select the subscriber who you want to license applications that have been submitted to a specific state by non-subscribing users and for which your organization is responsible for all fees for your department or organization. Page 130

131 Administration Note: If a state dropdown menu is set to null (no name displaying), license applications to that state are placed in an "unassigned" queue. Any existing applications pending review that are in the "unassigned" queue will be assigned to the selected staff member upon the successful completion of this process. Continue to select staff members as desired to set up workflow configurations for license applications submitted to other states. When you are finished, click the Submit button. The Customize Service Configuration page will refresh to confirm current configuration settings for the license application workflow. All license applications submitted by nonsubscribers to the states displaying on the confirmation page and for which your organization is responsible for all fees will be assigned to the person(s) in your organization associated with the selected states. Click the Back to Main Menu button to reopen the Administration Services menu page. Summary This section provided a glimpse of the account management available to producers through Sircon online services. Specifically, this section covered the following: Maintain user profiles Page 131

132 Administration Maintain subscriber representatives Maintain producer access and passwords Maintain password parameters Maintain subscriber cost center Compliance Express message center Customize service configuration The following section looks at the billing management tools available to Sircon for Education Provider subscribers. Billing Management Billing Management features allow you to view or download your Sircon for Education Providers invoice. Additionally, you can work with billing and payment information as well as pay your statement online. These tasks are very easily accomplished. Let s look at how you can complete these tasks. Download Detailed Invoice Sircon will prepare an invoice with charges for your company s or organization s subscription to Sircon for Education Providers on a monthly basis. When you log on, you may receive a popup notification that an invoice is available for download similar to the one shown below: You can easily download the invoice. Let s take a look. Page 132

133 Administration Getting Started Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Download Detailed Invoice link in the Billing Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Download Detailed Invoice page will open. At the top of the page, you will see the Last Statement Balance and Due Date. Below, there is a list of invoice information organized into the following columns: Invoice ID. This is a unique number assigned to that particular invoice for Page 133

134 Administration tracking and identification purposes. You can click on the number to view a detailed invoice in PDF format. Date. The date the invoice was issued. Period. The period of time that the invoice covers. Due Date. The date that payment is due. Amount Due. The amount you are expected to pay. To view or download a particular invoice in the list, click on its Invoice ID number. (It s a red text link.) A separate browser window will open and display the invoice in PDF format. The invoice contains complete account information up to the invoice date, including previous balances, current charges, and total amount due. When you have completed saving an invoice, close the browser window. (Select Exit from the File dropdown menu, or click on the [ ] at the top right of the browser window.) Page 134

135 Administration The To Pay your last statement balance, note contains a click here link that will take you to the Subscriber Payments: Summary page, which will display the last statement balance. On the Download Detailed Invoice page, you may click on the Cancel button to return to the Administration menu page. Note: Disable popup blockers on your browser to allow the new window to open, or press the CTRL key while clicking on the Invoice ID link. Opening and Working with a Billing File Use the Download Billing File page to obtain a Microsoft Excel formatted breakdown of all Sircon for Education Providers transactions and charges incurred during a specific billing period. This can be useful if you have questions about the charges on a Sircon for Education Providers invoice. (For more information, see Download Detailed Invoice on page 132.) Page 135

136 Administration Note: Sircon ceased charging a download fee in There is no fee to download a billing file. Getting Started Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Download Billing File link in the Billing Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) Page 136

137 Administration The first selection is Having trouble saving a file? Click on this link to open a technical support article from the Microsoft Help and Support website. Check the Last Review date in the box in the upper right corner of the article to verify that you are viewing the most recent article. The remaining selections are links to your billing files. Opening a Billing File To open a billing file from the Download Billing file menu, find the billing file you wish to review and then click on the link entitled Click to download [date] billing file. When you click on the link, the File Download popup box will display. Note: You must have Microsoft Excel installed on your system in order to open the billing file as a spreadsheet. You can select the Open button to view the file or the Save button to open the Save As window to save the file to your system as a Microsoft Excel format file without opening it first. You must also have Micorsoft Excel installed on your system in order to open the billing files as a spreadsheet. Use the Cancel button to return to the Download Billing File page. Note: It is recommended that you use the Save button and save the billing file to your local PC or Network and initiate printing and viewing from there. However, if you choose to open the billing file for viewing first you may see a Microsoft Office Excel caution popup box. Click on the Yes button to proceed. When you select the Save option, Sircon for Education Providers fills in the File name and Save as type fields for you. Use the Save in dropdown menu to locate the appropriate folder Page 137

138 Administration for saving the file to your system. You may also change the file name if desired. Click on the Save button to save the file. Working with a Billing File You may choose to work with the Microsoft Excel format billing file after opening it. It is agood idea to save the file to your system before working with it. Please refer to the Opening and Working with a Billing File: Opening a Billing File section to get started. Save the billing file to a location on your system and open the file as a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. Note: You must have Micorsoft Excel or later installed on your system in order to open the billing files as a spreadsheet. With the billing file spreadsheet open, you can sort the transactions, group them by company, user, cost center, or state, and then total the fees for a group. The data on the billing file will be grouped based on your sorting criteria. Here s how. Select the data by pressing CTRL + A to select all of the data on the spreadsheet. Make sure all rows and columns are selected. Navigate to the Data pull down menu in Microsoft Excel and, select the Sort option to open the Sort dialog box. Notice the Sort By dropdown menu. Select one of the following columns to sort your data: NAIC ID (to group by company) SSN or EIN (to group by user) Cost Center Name (to group by cost center) State Code (to group by state) Click the OK button to run the Sort feature. You will want insert two rows between the groups to total the Sircon fee column and to provide spacing between the groups to make it easier to read and allow room for a total. First we will add the rows and then we will add a formula. Let s look at how to do this. Click on the row number to select the first row in one of the groups. Page 138

139 Administration Move your cursor over the row and right click your mouse. Select Insert from the menu and click. A blank row will be inserted above the selected row. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until two blank rows are inserted between each group in the spreadsheet. In the first blank row below a group, click to highlight on the cell in the SIRCON Fee Amount column. Click the AutoSum button ( ) in the toolbar. The cell will display the formula for adding up the SIRCON Fee Amount values in the selected group. Press the Enter key to display the SIRCON Fee Amount totals for the selected group. Repeat steps 4 through 6 for all other groups in the spreadsheet. When you are finished select the Save icon or open the File dropdown menu and select Save to save the modified billing file to your system. Exit the spreadsheet. Page 139

140 Administration Pay Statements Online Using Sircon s Pay Statements Online service, you can now electronically pay some or all of your Sircon statement balance online via bank transfer. You must be a Sircon for Education Providers (Sircon) subscriber, log in to this service. Getting Started Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the Download Billing File link in the Billing Management section. (For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10.) The Subscriber Payments: Summary page will open. Check to be sure the information displaying is correct. Page 140

141 Administration Locate the Payment Amount field mid-way down the page. Notice it has a red * next to it indicating that it is a required field. Enter the Payment Amount in the field provided. Note: You are not required to pay the whole amount due, but be aware that you will not be able to make payments in excess of $20,000 or less than $1.00 at one time. Important: The Amount Due reflected on the page is the amount of the last statement. It does NOT reflect any payments that you have submitted since the last statement date. Once you have entered the amount you wish to pay (not to exceed $20,000) click the Continue button. The On-line Subscriber Payment page will display. Page 141

142 Administration Enter Payment Information In fields provided on the On-line Subscriber Payment page, you will enter your Account Number, Routing Number, and Driver's License Number. For the Corporate Checking account type, you may enter a Federal ID number instead of a driver's license number. All other information will likely default to information on your subscriber account, but you should check to verify its accuracy. Click the Authorize checkbox to authorize the electronic debit of funds from your account. Verify that all of the information on the screen is correct. Then, click the Submit button. Payment Confirmation The Payment Confirmation page appears next, and displays the following sections: Subscriber Information displays information about your account. Payment Information displays information about the payment that was just made, and which representative of the subscriber made the payment. Page 142

143 Administration It is a good idea to print a copy of this confirmation page for your records. Simply click the Print link in the upper right corner of the page. Page 143

144 Administration View Payment Activity Use the View Payment Activity option to review one or more payments you've made online or via check. Begin by navigating to the Online Services menu. Select the Administration menu page. When the page opens click on the View Payment Activity link in the Billing Management section. For information on getting started with Sircon for Education Providers and navigating to the Online Services menu, see Accessing Producer Education Inquiry Services on page 10. The View Payment Activity page will open to display a history of payments you have made, including any payments you have made by check. It will also display any reversals due to insufficient funds or incorrect information on your account. Note: This page will NOT display credits to your account made by Sircon, such as a refund of a transaction fee. Credits of this type will show up on your next invoice. When you have finished reviewing payment activity press the Done button. You will be returned to the Administration menu page. Page 144

145 Administration Summary This section provided a glimpse of the billing management available to producers through Sircon online services. Specifically, this section covered the following: Download detailed invoices Download billing files Pay statements online Viewing payment activity Page 145

146 Sircon Producer Education Inquiry Services Sircon Producer Education Inquiry Services Sircon offers a number of useful inquiries for producers looking for education information. Even though the focus of this guide is the services Sircon offers to education providers holding subscriptions, we believe it is relevant to include information about Sircon s free education inquiry services for producers. Our thinking is that if you are aware of these services, you can direct producers to use them and potentially reduce the volume of questions and other inquiries coming into your office. In conjunction with Sircon, many states have authorized special web pages, called state landing pages, where producers visiting state websites can find Sircon s producer education inquiries and other services. Producers have come to appreciate the convenience of accessing Sircon s online services directly from the state s Internet portal. Using Sircon Producer Education Inquiries, producers can perform the following tasks: Check Pre-Licensing Education Transcript Check Continuing Education Credits Find Approved Education Providers Browse Available Courses Find Scheduled Education Courses Before we examine Sircon Producer Education Inquiries, let s first take a look at how a producer may access these services. Getting to the free producer inquiries is easy. All you have to do is open a web browser and navigate to Sircon s online services. You can do so either directly via Sircon s corporate website or through the state website. Let s examine both methods. Through a State Website You can navigate to Sircon s Producer Education Inquiries through the state website. The procedure for accessing the services varies from state to state, but you can click on through the state website portal to the landing page containing Sircon s services and other useful state information. Page 146

147 Sircon Producer Education Inquiry Services The following list displays states with Sircon landing pages and their web addresses: State Colorado Georgia Idaho Indiana Minnesota Mississippi Nevada Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Dakota Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Landing Page Address To access the services through the state insurance department website, find the link to Sircon services. (The following illustration shows an example.) The state landing page will open. Page 147

148 Sircon Producer Education Inquiry Services The landing page displays a listing of services that are available to the individual producer. In the middle of the list, find the Look up education courses/credits red text link, and click on it with your mouse. The Inquiries page will open. Page 148

149 Sircon Producer Education Inquiry Services Click the appropriate link to make inquires on education courses and credits. Producers can launch all of the free producer education inquiries from the Inquiries page. Via the Sircon Corporate Website In your web browser s address or URL field, enter the web address, and then click on Go or press the Enter key. The Sircon corporate home page will open. On the Sircon home web page, in the Quick Start for Agents section, click the More Services link. A list of all available services will display. Page 149