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CJA eVoucher Attorney User Manual

Release 5.0

Western District of Tennessee MAY 2017

CJA eVouchers for Attorneys i

CJA eVoucher | Version 5.0 | TNWD | MAY 2017

Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 1

Panel Management ......................................................................................................................................................... 1

Voucher & Authorization Request Submission ............................................................................................................... 1

Browser Compatibility..................................................................................................................................................... 1

Court Appointment ................................................................................................................................................................. 1

Accessing the CJA eVoucher Program ..................................................................................................................................... 2

Home Page .............................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Navigating in the CJA eVoucher Program ............................................................................................................................... 5

Customizing the Home Page ................................................................................................................................................... 6

My Profile ................................................................................................................................................................................ 8

Changing My Profile Username and Password ....................................................................................................................... 9

CM/ECF Access ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Attorney Info ......................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Billing Info - Information in this section will be entered by court staff. ............................................................................... 12

Holding Period - Not Utilized in this District. ........................................................................................................................ 13

Continuing Legal Education .................................................................................................................................................. 14

Appointment List ................................................................................................................................................................... 16

View Representation ............................................................................................................................................................. 17

CJA 20 Voucher Process Overview ........................................................................................................................................ 18

Creating the CJA 20 Voucher ................................................................................................................................................ 18

Entering Services ................................................................................................................................................................... 20

Entering Expenses ................................................................................................................................................................. 22

Claim Status .......................................................................................................................................................................... 25

Documents ............................................................................................................................................................................ 26

Signing and Submitting to Court ........................................................................................................................................... 27

Disposition Codes .......................................................................................................................................................... 31

CJA 20 Quick Review Panel ................................................................................................................................................... 32

Reports and Case Management ............................................................................................................................................ 33

Defendant Detailed Budget Report .................................................................................................................................. 34

Defendant Summary Report ............................................................................................................................................. 35


Creating a CJA 21 Voucher .................................................................................................................................................... 36

Submitting an Authorization Request for Expert Services .................................................................................................... 43

AUTH Process Overview ........................................................................................................................................................ 43

Creating an Authorization for Transcripts (AUTH 24) ........................................................................................................... 47

AUTH 24 Process Overview ................................................................................................................................................... 47

CJA eVouchers for Attorneys ii




Certifying a CJA 24 Voucher .................................................................................................................................................. 54

Expedited Transcripts and Digital Recordings ....................................................................................................................... 55

Expedited Transcripts .................................................................................................................................................... 56

Digital Recordings ......................................................................................................................................................... 56

Creating a Travel Authorization ............................................................................................................................................ 57


Interim Payments & Excess Comp ........................................................................................................................................ 64

Interim Payments .......................................................................................................................................................... 64

Excess Comp – Vouchers Exceeding The Statutory Maximum ..................................................................................... 65

Case Budgets ......................................................................................................................................................................... 67

CJA eVouchers for Attorneys 1


Introduction The CJA eVoucher System is a web-based solution for submission, monitoring and management of all Criminal Justice Act (CJA) functions. The eVoucher program will allow for:

On-line authorization requests by attorneys for service providers

On-line voucher creation by the attorney acting for the service provider

On-line voucher review and submission by the attorney

On-line submission to the court In the Western District of Tennessee attorneys are required to create and submit vouchers for their service providers. The program includes the following modules:

Panel Management

Allows attorneys to manage their own account information including address, phone, firm associations and applicable CLE credits.

Allows for submission of holding periods or a specific amount of time taken off for medical leave, vacation, etc. (this function is not used by the court).

Voucher & Authorization Request Submission

Authorization requests by attorneys for expert services.

Requests by attorneys for interim payment via supporting memorandum (PDF) attached directly to voucher.

Upload supporting documents to vouchers or authorization requests.

Reports for attorneys to take an active part in monitoring costs.

Automatic e-mail notification to attorney of approval or rejection of vouchers and authorization requests.

Browser Compatibility

Windows: Internet Explorer 8 or newer are approved.

Apple Macintosh: Safari 5.1 or newer is approved.

Apple Mobile: Safari is approved (with limitations).

Chrome, Firefox and other browsers may not be used with CJA eVoucher.

Court Appointment When an appointment is made, an email will automatically be generated by the program, and sent to the appointed attorney. The email will confirm the appointment and provide a link to the CJA eVoucher program.



Accessing the CJA eVoucher Program Access eVoucher on the Court’s Website through the CJA Portal or directly at this link:

https://evadweb.ev.uscourts.gov/CJA_tnw_prod/CJAeVoucher/ It is suggested that you bookmark it for easier access. Log in using the Username and Password you were provided, and click Log In.

The first time you log into eVoucher you will need to change your password. Users will be required to change their password within 30 days of the first time they log in. When changing passwords, users must specify a password that satisfies the following complexity rules and has not been used in the past 365 days. Users attempting to change their password to a previous password before the required time period has passed will receive a notification. Your password must be different than the previous password and must contain:

At least 8 characters,

One lower-case character,

One upper-case character,

One numerical character, and

One special character. Users are required to change their password every 180 days. Users will be prompted to reset their password five (5) days before it is set to expire.

https://evadweb.ev.uscourts.gov/CJA_tnw_prod/CJAeVoucher/



If you forget your username or password, click the Forgot your login? hyperlink. Enter your Username or Email address, and click Recover Logon to retrieve your information.

After you make three unsuccessful attempts to log in, the program will lock

you out, however, the system does not alert you that you are locked out. Contact the CJA Help Desk at [email protected] for assistance. You may also contact the Systems Administrator at 901-495-1559 or Attorney Maintenance at 901-495-1226 if you need immediate assistance.

mailto:[email protected]



Home Page Your home page provides access to all of your appointments and vouchers. System security prohibits you from viewing

information for any other attorney. Likewise, no-one else will have access to your information.

Folder Descriptions My Active Documents Contains documents that you are currently working on. These documents are waiting

for action by you.

Appointments’ List Quick reference to all your appointments/cases.

My Proposed Assignments

Not in use in this District.

My Submitted Documents

Contains vouchers for yourself, or for your service provider, which have been submitted to the court for payment. AUTH documents submitted to the court requesting expert services will also appear in this folder.

My Service Provider’s Documents

Contains all the vouchers for your service providers. This will include:

Expert and Court Reporter Vouchers in progress (attorney enters)

Expert and Court Reporter Vouchers submitted to the attorney for approval and submission to the court (will also appear in My Active Documents folder)

Expert and Court Reporter Vouchers signed off by the attorney and submitted to the court for payment

Closed Documents Contains documents that have been paid or have been approved by the court. Closed documents will only be displayed for open cases. Closed documents are displayed until they are archived and/or for 60-90 days after an appointment is termed. They are still accessible through the appointment page. Closed documents will be archived monthly by the Court.



Navigating in the CJA eVoucher Program

Menu Bar Items Home The eVoucher home page.

Operations Allows you to search for specific appointments.

Reports Selected reports you may run on your appointments.

Links Hyperlinks to CJA resources: forms, guides, publications, etc.

Help Provides:

Another link to your Profile

“Contact Us” e-mail

Privacy Notice

eVoucher help documentation for attorneys and experts

Logout Logs user off the eVoucher program.



Customizing the Home Page Customizing your home page allows you to alter the manner in which your information is displayed in the folders.

Expanding/Collapsing Folders: Click the plus sign to expand a folder. Click the minus sign to collapse a folder.

Moving Folders

Place your mouse pointer on the top edge of the folder you wish to relocate.

A crosshair icon will appear.

Drag the folder to the new location and release the mouse.

Sorting: Click the column heading (e.g., Case, Description, Type) to sort in either ascending or descending order.

This District does not use the eVoucher attorney assignment system so you may want to minimize the My Proposed Assignment folder and move it to the bottom right. Resizing of Column

Along the folder headings (e.g. Case, Defendant, Type, etc.), move your cursor to the line between the columns until a double arrow appears.

Drag the line in the desired direction to enlarge or reduce the column size.

Note: The folder size does not increase; therefore, some columns may move off the screen.

Step 2

Step 1

Step 2

Step 1



Customizing the Home Page (continued) Group by Column Heading: You may sort all the information within a folder by grouping documents by the column heading. All folders displaying the Group Header bar may be sorted in this manner.

Click the header for the column you wish to group.

Hold the cursor and drag the header to the “Group by Header” bar.

Release the cursor and all the information in that folder will be grouped and sorted by that selection.

Step 1

Step 3

Step 2



My Profile In the My Profile section, the attorney may:

Change password (Login Info section). View contact information, phone, e-mail, physical address (Attorney Info section). View SSN or EIN numbers and any firm affiliation (Billing Info section). SSN and EIN numbers are added by court

staff. To request a change of billing address, the attorney shall submit a written request and a new Vendor Information/TIN Certification form (available in the forms section of the Court’s web site) to the CJA eVoucher Help Desk.

Add a time period in which you will be out of office (Holding Period). This feature is not in use by this district. Document any CLE attendance (Continuing Legal Education section). This feature is for attorney’s personal use

only.

Click the My Profile link from either the Home screen or the Help menu bar to open the “My Profile” page.



Changing My Profile Username and Password

Click the Close button to exit the login Info section.

Step 6

Under the Login Info section, click Edit to change your Password.

To change your Username, type the new Username and click change. It will show “The Username has been changed.”

Type the new password and retype it in the confirm field.

Step 2

Step 1

Step 4

Step 5

Press the Reset button to save.

Step 3

To reset your password, click reset.



CM/ECF Access To obtain access to CM/ECF within eVoucher, click “Link to CM/ECF” in the voucher Quick Review Panel (as shown below). (It is noted that earlier versions of eVoucher the user was required to enter his or her CM/ECF login and password in the Login Section to enable synchronization between CJA eVoucher and CM/ECF. This is no longer necessary with Version 4.3.1.3 as the right to access CM/ECF has been added to the initial set up for attorney users. Access to CM/ECF case information by Case Number and by Person is automatic for Attorney users. Cases that are sealed or that have any sealed docket entries cannot be accessed through the eVoucher CM/ECF link.)

CM/ECF Link within

a CJA-20 voucher



Attorney Info

Note: A SSN must be entered in the User Profile or payment cannot be issued. Changes

to SSN/TIN numbers must be made by Court Staff.

The Country field will automatically populate USA, unless otherwise entered.

You may list as many as three Email addresses. Notifications from eVoucher will be sent to all Email addresses.

Under the Attorney Info section, click the Edit button to access your personal information.

Make any necessary changes.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Click Save.



Billing Info - Information in this section will be entered by court staff.

Note: Billing information must be entered before any payments can be made. Payments and 1099’s are mailed

to the billing address. BILLING INFORMATION WILL BE COMPLETED BY COURT STAFF.

The SSN/EIN is used when reporting income to the IRS.

Attorneys must notify the Court in writing when billing information has changed using AO-213 Form which is available on the Court’s Website.

Please verify your billing info and notify the court if it is incorrect.

Step 1



Holding Period - This is used in conjunction with the eVoucher attorney assignment feature, which is not utilized in this District. Holding periods can be used for medical leave, vacation, etc. During this time you will not be given a new assignment.

Step 1

Under the Holding Period section click View.

Step 2

Click Add.

Step 3

Enter the Starting and Ending Date, along with Notes.

Click Save. Step 4



Continuing Legal Education

Note: After information is saved, you will be able to upload related PDF documents. This is for your benefit only. The Court is not currently using this to track CLE credits. This section is for personal use only.

Under the Continuing Legal Education section, click the View button to access your CLE information.

To add CLE information, click Add.

Click the Credit dropdown menu to select CLE categories.

Step 1

Step 4

Step 2

Step 3

Step 5

Enter the Date, the number of Hours, and a Description.

Click Save.



Continuing Legal Education (cont’d)

All entries will be appear in the grid and can be accessed, edited, or deleted by selecting the entry and choosing an action button.

Step 6

Click Browse, to upload and attach a PDF document.

Step 7

Click Save.



Appointment List Locate the Appointments section under the Appointment’s List on your home page.

Group Header Bar

Attorney CJA 20 Voucher Template

Expert CJA 21 Voucher Template

Detailed Payment Reports

Click the case number hyperlink to open the Appointment page.

Step 1

All vouchers associated with

this case are displayed.

View Representation



View Representation

The View Representation information will display:

Default excess fee limit

Presiding judge

Magistrate judge

Co-counsel

Previous counsel

Step 2

From the Appointment page open, click View Representation.

Step 3

Click Home on the Menu bar at the top of the page.



CJA 20 Voucher Process Overview

Creating the CJA 20 Voucher The Court creates the appointment. The attorney will initiate the CJA 20 voucher.

Attorney enters time/expenses and submits voucher

Voucher audited by Court CJA Unit

Voucher review and approval (or rejection) by Court

Voucher processed for payment by Court

From the Appointment page click Create from the CJA 20 Voucher template.

The voucher opens to the Basic Info page which displays the information in the paper voucher format.

Step 1

Note: All voucher types and documents function primarily the same.



Creating the CJA 20 Voucher (cont’d)

Notes: To avoid data loss, frequently save any entries made to a voucher.

To delete the voucher, click Delete Draft at any time prior to submitting the voucher.

To check for warnings or errors in the document, click Audit Assist at any time.

To navigate, use the tab headings or progress bar.



Entering Services Line item time entries should be entered on the Services tab. Both In-Court and Out-of Court time should be recorded on this screen.

Enter the date of the service. The default date is always the current date. You may type in the date or click the calendar icon to select a date from the pop-up calendar.

Step 3

Step 2

Click the Services tab or click Next on the progress bar.

Note: There is NOT AN AUTOSAVE function on this program. You must click SAVE periodically in order to save your work.



Services (cont’d)

The entry will be added to the voucher and appear at the bottom of the Service Type section.

Note: You may add time in any order.

Click an entry to edit.

Step 7

Click ADD.

From the Service Type drop-down menu, select the Service Type.

Step 4

Step 5

Note: You may add dates in any order. You can sort in chronological order at any time.

Step 9

Click Save.

Enter hours of service in tenths of an hour.

Step 6

Enter a description.

Click the Date header. This will sort services according to date. Step 8



Entering Expenses

Step 1

Step 2

Click the Expenses tab or click Next on the progress bar.

From the Expense Type drop-down menu, select the applicable expense.



Entering Expenses (cont’d)

The entry will be added to the voucher and will appear at the bottom of the Expense Type section.

Step 5

Click ADD.

If Travel Miles is chosen, enter the round trip mileage. Step 3

Step 4

Enter a description in the Description field.



Entering Expenses (cont’d)

Notes: If Photocopies or fax expenses are chosen, indicate the number of pages, and the rate charged per page.

Remember to click ADD after each entry.

Click an entry to edit.

Click the Date column header. This will sort expenses according to date.

Step 7

Click SAVE.

Step 6



Claim Status

Step 3

In the Payment Claims section, select the payment claims type.

Step 4

Click SAVE. Step 5

Answer all the questions regarding previous payments in this case.

Click the Claim Status tab or click Next on the progress bar. Step 1

Step 2

Enter the start date from the services or expenses entries, whichever date is earliest. If need be, go back to the Expense and Service sections, and click the Date header to sort showing the earliest date of services.

• Final Payment is requested after all services have been completed. • Interim Payment allows for payment throughout the appointment. If using this type

of payment, indicate the number of interim payments. Refer to the section on Interim Payments for further instructions.

• After the final payment has been submitted, Supplemental Payment may be requested due to a missed or forgotten receipt.

• This district does not use the Withholding Return Payment.



At any point while creating services or expense, click Audit Assist to view any errors or warnings regarding your document.

If you try to submit with errors, you may receive the following pink error message:

The message will be removed when you complete the Claim Status section with correct start and end dates that include all service and expenses dates for the voucher.

Documents Attorneys (as well as the Court) may attach documents. Attach any documentation which supports the voucher, i.e. interim payment memorandum, case budget order, excess compensation memorandum or CJA-26, travel or other expense receipts, orders from the Court.

Step 2

Add a description of the attachment.

To add an attachment, click the Browse button to locate your file.

Step 1

Note: All documents must be submitted in PDF format, and must be 10 MB or less.



The attachment and description is added to the voucher and appears in the bottom of the Description section.

Signing and Submitting to Court When you have added all voucher entries, you are ready to sign and submit your voucher to the Court.

Click Upload.

Click SAVE.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 1

Click Confirmation tab or Last on the progress bar.



The Confirmation screen appears, which reflects all entries from the previous screens.

You may include any information to the court in the Public/Attorney Notes field.



Signing and Submitting to Court (cont’d)

A confirmation screen will appear indicating the previous action was successful and the voucher has been submitted for payment.

Step 7

Step 2

Verify the information is correct.

Step 3

Scroll to the bottom of the screen.

Click Home Page to return to the home page. Click Appointment Page if you wish to create additional document for this appointment.

Step 4

Include the case disposition codes in the Public/Attorney Notes section when submitting a final voucher (See Disposition Codes at the end of this section.) You may include any other information in this section that will be helpful to the Court.

Step 5

Click Submit to send to the Court. Step 6

Select the check box to swear and affirm to the accuracy of the voucher. The voucher will automatically be time stamped.



Signing and Submitting to Court (cont’d) The active voucher is removed from the My Active Documents folder and now appears in the My Submitted Documents section.

Notes: If a voucher is rejected by the Court, it will reappear in the My Documents section and will be

highlighted in gold.

An email message generated by the system will be sent explaining what corrections need to be made.



Disposition Codes

CASE TYPE TYPE OF DISPOSITION CODE

District Court Criminal and Other Proceedings Dismissed 1

Acquitted by court, or government motion for judgment of acquittal granted 2

Acquitted by jury 3

Convicted/final plea guilty 4

Convicted/final plea nolo 5

Convicted/court trial 8

Convicted/jury trial 9

Mistrial C

Not Guilty/insane/court trial E

Guilty/insane/court trial F

Not guilty/insane/jury trial G

Guilty/insane/jury trial H

Other (PTD matters, other reps., Transfers) X

Appeals Affirmed A

Reversed R

Remanded 0

Reversed in Part/Affirmed in Part RA

Affirmed in Part/Reversed in Part AR

Dismissed 1

Probation/Parole/ Supervised Release Revoked RV

Restored RS

Habeas/Petitions/Writs Granted GR

Denied DE



CJA 20 Quick Review Panel When entering time and expenses in a CJA 20 voucher, the attorney may monitor the voucher totals using the quick review panel on the left side of the screen.

The Services and Expenses will tally as entries are entered into the voucher.

Expand the item by clicking on the down arrow ( ) to reveal specifics.



Reports and Case Management At the start of a case, it may be difficult for counsel or the court to know whether a case has the potential to exceed the statutory maximum allowed for representation. Therefore, attorneys are encouraged to monitor the status of funds, attorney hours as well as expert services, by reviewing the reports provided in the CJA eVoucher program. Items to remember:

Viewable reports appear on the left review panel.

Each panel, depending upon which document you are viewing, can have different reports available.

Each report can have a short description of the information received when viewing that report.

The two main reports are the Defendant Detail Budget Report and the Defendant Summary Budget Report.

Other accessible reports can be found on the Menu bar.



Defendant Detailed Budget Report This report will reflect the total amount authorized for this representation, any excess payment allowed, the vouchers submitted against those authorizations, and the remaining balances. The report will provide the information in two sections: Attorney appointment and authorized expert service.



Defendant Summary Report This report contains the same information as the Detailed Report without the individual voucher data.




Creating a CJA 21 Voucher

The voucher opens to the Basic Info page.

From the Appointment page click Create from the CJA 21 Voucher template.

Step 1

Note: There is NOT AN AUTOSAVE function on this program. You must click SAVE periodically to save your work.

Attorney enters time/expenses for expert

Voucher audited by

Court CJA Unit



Attorney certifies voucher and submits to Court



When submitting a CJA 21 voucher, you will have two options to choose from under the Authorization Selection.

If you click Use Previous Authorization a list of Existing Requests for Authorization will appear.

Select the authorization you wish to use. The selected authorization will highlight in yellow. You will not be able to continue until it is highlighted.

Step 3

From the expert drop down list, select the expert. If the expert you select is not authorized to use eVoucher, the Voucher Assignment field will remain locked indicating the Attorney will be responsible for filling the voucher claim part. If the expert you selected is authorized to enter their own voucher information, the Voucher Assignment field will unlock for you indicating the expert will be responsible for filling in the voucher claim part. This District does not allow experts to use the eVoucher system, except for official court reporters (See section on creating a CJA-24 Voucher).

Step 6

The service type will rollover from the authorization selected. If no authorization is being used, use the Service Type drop-down list to select the service type.

Enter a description of the service to be provided in the Description field.

Step 4

Step 5

If the request does not require advance authorization, click on the No Authorization Required option.

If you have a previous authorization received through an order from the Court, click on the Use Previous Authorization option.

Step 2



Creating a CJA 21 Voucher (cont’d)

Note: If all the information is not entered, you cannot advance to the next screen.

Note: Only experts registered with the service type selected will appear in the drop-down box. If you wish to submit a person for approval, steps on how to add an expert are on page38.

Step 7

Click Create Voucher.

Step 8

Experts are not authorized to use eVoucher so you must now go to your My Active Documents folder to approve the CJA-21 Voucher that you just created. Locate the voucher, click on it and go directly to the Confirmation page and approve it. The voucher will then be submitted to the Court and will move to your My Submitted Documents folder.



Creating a CJA 21 Voucher (cont’d) If you wish to submit a person as an Expert, follow steps 3 through 5 on page 37.

From the Expert drop-down list, select the empty (null) value. Voucher Assignment should be on the Attorney option.

Step 6

Fill in all required information on the person you wish to submit for approval.

Click Create Voucher.

Step 7

Step 8

Step 9

The court will issue an AO-213 Vendor Information/TIN Certification form for completion. (Completion of this form is mandatory for entry in the payment system.)

Once the person is approved, an email is sent to the attorney.

Step 10

Step 11

Attorney will now be able to select the person from the Expert drop-down list and all their information will automatically populate. (Return to the CJA-21 voucher that was started and click Edit.)



Creating a CJA 21 Voucher (cont’d) After Create Voucher has been selected, you’ll proceed with similar steps mentioned on the CJA 20 Voucher adding Services, Expenses, Claim Status, and Documents.

The item will appear in the bottom of the Services section.

Creating a CJA-21 Voucher (cont’d)

The item will appear in the bottom of the Expense Type section.

Note: If you have submitted the voucher for the expert, you’ll need to approve the voucher twice, once while sending it for the expert (after entering claims), and a second time after it appears in the My Active Documents section. Please note that services and expenses may be rolled up and entered as one line item as long as a detailed invoice is attached.


Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Enter the Date, Hours, Rate, and Description.

Click Save.

Click Add.


Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Enter the Date, Expense Type, Description and Miles.

Click Save.

Click Add.

Note: At any point, click Audit Assist and the system will search for any warnings or errors.




The document will appear in the bottom of the Description section.

Note: Final Payment is requested after all services have been completed.

Interim Payment allows for payment throughout the case. If using this type of payment indicate the number of this payment request. Refer to the section on Interim Payments for further instructions.

After Final Payment number has been submitted, Supplemental Payment may be requested due to a missed or forgotten receipt.

Click the Claim Status tab or click Next on the progress bar.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Enter the Start and End Date, making sure to select the earliest date of services and expenses as the Start Date.

Click Save.

Select an option under the Payment Claims section. Payment Claims section.

Click the Documents tab or click Next on the progress bar.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Click Browse to select a PDF file to attach.

Click Save.

Click Upload.

Note: All documents must be submitted in PDF format and must be 10 MB or less.



Creating a CJA 21 Voucher (cont’d) A confirmation page will appear.

A confirmation screen will appear indicating the previous action was successful and the voucher has been submitted. The case file will appear in the My Active Documents section.

Navigate to the Confirmation tab.

Verify all information is correct.


Select the file.

Step 1

Step 4

Step 5

Step 2

Step 3

Select the affirmation check box. This will automatically time stamp the voucher. Click Submit.


Step 6

Step 7

Step 8

Certify the information by selecting the certification check box. This will automatically time stamp the voucher.

Click Approve.



Submitting an Authorization Request for Expert Services

AUTH Process Overview

The Basic Info screen will open.

Step 1

Step 2

Click Create next to AUTH.

Open the Appointment record.

Attorney creates and submits to Court

AUTH audited by Court CJA Unit

AUTH review and approval (or rejection) by Court

Approved AUTH returned to Attorney (closed)



Submitting an Authorization Request for Expert Services (cont’d)

Step 3

Complete the information in the blue section at the bottom of the screen. This includes the following fields:

Estimated Amount

Basis for Estimate

Service Type from drop-down

Requested Provider

Step 4

Click Save.

Step 5

Click the Supporting Documents tab or click Next on the progress bar.




Submitting an Authorization Request for Expert Services (cont’d)

The attachment and description will be uploaded and appear in the bottom of the Description section.

Note: Documents are limited to PDF files, and must be 10 MB or less.

Step 3

Click Upload.

Click SAVE. Step 4

Step 2

In the Description field, add a description of the attachment.

To add the attachment, click the Browse button to locate your file. Step 1

Step 5

Click Next.



Submitting an Authorization Request for Expert Services (cont’d) The Confirmation screen will open.

A confirmation screen will appear indicating the previous action was successful and the Authorization Request has been submitted.

The Authorization Request will now appear in the My Submitted Documents section on the Attorney home page. When the Authorization Request is approved, it will appear in the Vouchers on File section of the Appointment Page and the Closed Document section on the Attorney home page.

Step 2

Click Submit to send to the Court.

Step 3


Step 1

Select the check the box to swear and affirm to the accuracy of the authorization. The authorization will automatically be time stamped.

Note: You may include any notes to the Court in the Public/Attorney Notes section.



Creating an Authorization for Transcripts (AUTH 24)

AUTH 24 Process Overview

The Authorization opens to the Basic Info page.

From the Appointment page click Create AUTH-24. Step 1

Enter the details for the transcript required on the Basic Info screen. Step 2

Step 3

Click Save.


Attorney creates and submits to Court

AUTH 24 audited by Court CJA

Unit

AUTH 24 review and approval (or rejection) by Court

Approved AUTH returned to Attorney

Attorney creates CJA-24 Voucher



Creating an Authorization for Auth 24 Transcripts (cont’d)

The Document will appear in the bottom of the Description section. A confirmation page will appear.

A confirmation screen will appear indicating the previous action was successful and the Authorization Request has been submitted.

Step 5

Step 4



Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4


Click Save.

Click Upload.

Add the name of the court reporter in the Public/Attorney Notes section. Verify all information is correct. Select the affirmation check box.

Click Submit.

Step 2

Step 3

Note: All documents must be submitted in PDF format and must be 10 MB or less.

Click Next.

Step 1

Court Reporter: Tina Typist



Creating an Authorization for Auth 24 Transcripts (cont’d) The AUTH-24 will now appear in the My Submitted Documents section on the Attorney home page. When the AUTH-24 is approved, it will appear in the My Active Documents section of the Attorney home page and the Vouchers on File section on the Appointment Page. Once a CJA-24 Voucher is created the AUTH-24 the document will move to the Close Document section of the Attorney home page. Proceed to the following section on creating a CJA-24 Voucher.



Creating a CJA 24 Voucher

After submission and approval of AUTH-24, you can create the CJA-24 voucher for payment.


The Basic Info page will open, showing approved authorizations.

From the Appointment page, click Create next to CJA-24. Step 1

Step 2

Click Use Existing Authorization and then click to select the applicable AUTH 24. You must click it. This will highlight it in yellow. You will not be able to move forward until it is highlighted.

Attorney creates voucher form

Attorney or Court Reporter

enters expenses and

submits voucher



Voucher audited by Court CJA Unit

Attorney approves voucher




Note: If entering a new transcriptionist into the system, select a blank drop-down and enter all required

information.

Selecting a transcriptionist already in the system will automatically populate that expert’s information.

Note: At this point you have created a voucher. You will not receive a confirmation screen indicating a successful

submission. The voucher has been successfully created if the screen changes to a voucher document with header tabs for services and expenses, etc. If the Voucher Assignment Expert, the voucher claim portion will be greyed and you will not be able to enter data. If the Voucher Assignment was attorney the system will allow you to enter data in the voucher.

If Expert has been selected under the Voucher Assignment, the expert will fill out the required expense information and submit the form. The completed voucher will be sent to the attorney who will then approve it and submit to the Court.

If Attorney has been selected under the Voucher Assignment, the attorney will fill out the required expense information and submit the form (See steps below for completing the voucher claim). The completed voucher will be sent to the attorney who will then go back in to the voucher the attorney just created and approve it and submit to the Court.

Step 5

Step 4

First, click the Expert drop-down and select the transcriptionist.

Click the Create Voucher.

Step 3

Click the Voucher Assignment radio button indicating whether you or the transcriptionist will be entering information.



Creating a CJA 24 Voucher (cont’d) The item will appear in the bottom of the Service Type section.

The item will appear below in the Expense section.


Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Enter the Date, Service Type, No. Pages, Rate, and Description.

Click Save.

Click Add.


Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Enter the Date, Expense Type, and Description.

Click Save.

Click Add.

Note: You’ll have two options to choose from under Service Type: Original or Copy. The rate should vary between the two choices.



Creating a CJA-24 Voucher (cont’d) The document will appear in the bottom of the Description section.

A confirmation page will appear.

A confirmation screen will appear indicating the previous action was successful, and the voucher has been submitted.


Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4


Click Save.

Click Upload.



Step 1

Step 4

Step 2

Step 3

Select the affirmation check box. This will automatically time stamp the voucher. Click Submit.

Note: All documents must be submitted in pdf format, and must be 10 MB or less.



Certifying a CJA 24 Voucher After the claim portion of the CJA 24 is completed (by either the attorney or court reporter), the CJA 24 voucher is submitted to the Attorney for approval (certification that the services were rendered and the transcript was received).

Vouchers awaiting attorney approval will be displayed in the My Documents section of the Attorney home page.

Note: The Confirmation tab will have a summary of the information in the voucher and from the

authorization.

Notes for the attorney or court staff will appear in the Public/Attorney Notes area.

Step 1

Review and verify information is correct.

Click the Confirmation tab.

Step 2

Step 3

Click Approve or Reject.

Select the affirmation check box. This will automatically time stamp the voucher.

Step 4



Expedited Transcripts and Digital Recordings Obtaining an Expedited Transcript When the production of a transcript is needed within 14 days or less, an accelerated procedure outside the CJA eVoucher system has been adopted so that these transcript requests and payment vouchers may be processed quickly. This special procedure is only to be used when a transcript request needs immediate attention due to the time sensitivity (this is usually referred to as an “expedited transcript”). Specifically, the special procedure set forth below may only be used when a transcript must be obtained within 14 days of the request or less; this includes, but is not limited to, requests for daily, hourly and realtime transcripts. All other transcript requests and CJA 24 voucher forms must be created and submitted electronically by the CJA Attorney using the eVoucher system.

Step 1

Attorney completes and signs paper CJA-24 Authorization and Voucher for Payment of Transcript Form (Sections 1-15 are to be completed). Paper CJA-24 forms are available on the Court’s Web Site in the “Forms and Applications” section.

Step 2

Attorney submits the signed and completed paper CJA-24 form directly to the Court Reporter (via email or hand delivery).

Step 3

Court Reporter reviews the CJA-24 form for completeness and presents to appropriate Judge for approval.

Step 4

Court Reporter forwards CJA-24 form signed by the Judge to the Clerk’s Office CJA Administrator. (If the Judge does not approve the transcript request, the Court Reporter will notify the Attorney and return the CJA-24 form. Stop here. Do not proceed further in these instructions.)

Step 5

CJA Administrator creates AUTH-24 in the eVoucher system in accordance with the signed CJA-24 form. The paper CJA-24 is uploaded and attached to the AUTH-24. The AUTH-24 will be processed in eVoucher.

Step 6

CJA Administrator creates CJA-24 voucher upon processing of AUTH-24. CJA-24 voucher submitted to the Court Reporter for completion of voucher claim portion.

Step 7

Court Reporter enters services and expenses in connection with the expedited transcript. (The method by which a completed transcript is delivered to the CJA Attorney is at the discretion of each Court Reporter.) Step

8 Attorney certifies CJA-24 voucher.



Obtaining Transcript of a Digital Recording To obtain the transcript of a digitally recorded court proceeding, attorneys must first complete and submit an AO-436TN Digital Recording Order form (available on the Court’s Web Site). A CD of the recording will be produced and provided to the attorney. It is then the attorney’s responsibility to makes arrangements to have the CD transcribed by contacting an official court reporter from this district court or a freelance reporter or court reporting firm. For payment of the actual transcript and transcription services, the attorney must create and submit the appropriate documents in the eVoucher system. The documents that are created and submitted through eVoucher will depend on who performs the work, an official court reporter or a contract reporter. Procedures for each are set forth below.

OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER - If an official court reporter has agreed to transcribe the digital recording, counsel

will create and submit an AUTH-24 (authorization for payment of the transcript) and a CJA-24 payment voucher in eVoucher.

FREELANCE REPORTER OR COURT REPORTING FIRM - If a freelance reporter or court reporting firm will

be used to transcribe the digital recording, counsel shall create and submit a CJA-21 voucher on behalf of the expert.

Step 1

Attorney creates and submits AUTH-24 (See section on Creating an Authorization for AUTH-24 Transcripts). In the Public/Attorney Notes section include a statement that arrangements have been made with [name the official reporter] to transcribe the recording.

Step 2

Attorney creates CJA-24 voucher (See section on Creating a CJA-24 Voucher) after approval of AUTH-24.

Step 1

Attorney creates and submits CJA-21 voucher (See section on Creating a CJA 21 Voucher) attaching the invoice from the transcriptionist.

Step 2

Attorney certifies the CJA-21 voucher after submission in Step 1 (See section on Approving a CJA-21 Voucher).



Creating a Travel Authorization

The Basic Info screen will open. The Travel Agency to be Used section will automatically populate.

From the Appointment page, click Create next to TRAVEL.

Step 1

Click the Authorization Request tab or click Next on the progress bar.

Step 2




Creating a Travel Authorization (cont’d)

The information will appear in the bottom section.

Fill out all required fields marked with a red asterisk.

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Click Add.

Click Save.



Creating a Travel Authorization (cont’d)

The document will appear in the bottom of the Description section. The Confirmation tab will appear.

A confirmation screen will appear indicating the previous action was successful and the voucher has been submitted. The Travel Voucher will now appear in the My Submitted Documents section.

Click Documents tab or click Next on the progress bar.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4


Click Save.

Click Upload.



Step 2

Step 3

Select the affirmation check box. This will automatically time stamp the Authorization. Click Submit.

Step 1


Step 4



Creating a CJA 26 Voucher This is a request and justification for expenses outside the statutory limits. A completed CJA 26 form or equivalent memorandum shall be submitted as an attachment to CJA 20 vouchers that exceed the statutory maximum compensation amount.

The voucher opens to the Basic Info page.

From the Appointment page, click Create next to CJA-26. Step 1

Enter the details for information required on the Basic Info screen. Step 2

Step 3

Click Save.





STOP. NO FURTHER ENTRIES NECESSARY IN THE “DOCUMENTS” TAB OR THE “CONFIRMATION” TAB. 1. Do not upload any supporting documentation to the CJA 26 form. Any additional documentation shall be uploaded directly to the CJA 20 voucher being submitted. 2. Do not submit the CJA 26 form on the “Confirmation” page (do not click “approve”). Instead, follow the instructions on the following page to save and upload the document directly to the CJA 20 voucher.

Click the Justification tab or click Next on the progress bar.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Fill out Justification text fields.

Click Save. Do not add documents and do not confirm and approve for submission to the Court.

Step 4

Follow steps in next section to Save the CJA 26 for uploading to your CJA-20 Voucher.



Saving the CJA 26 for Uploading to Voucher

Step 1

Step 5

Click Link to Appointment in the Tasks section to go to the Vouchers on File in the case.

Click Form CJA26 in the Reports section.

Save the Form CJA26 as a pdf file.

Step 6 Step 2

Step 3

Locate the voucher in the Vouchers on File section of the Appointment Page and click Edit.

Close the Form CJA26 tab after saving. This will take you back to the CJA-26 Justification page.

Step 4



Saving the CJA 26 for Uploading to Voucher (cont’d)

The CJA-26 will be submitted to the Court as an attachment to the actual voucher. The CJA-26 form created will remain in the My Active Documents folder. It may be opened and deleted from the folder once it has been submitted as a pdf.

Step 6


Click Upload.

Step 8

Add a description of the attachment in the Description field.

Step 8

To add an attachment, click Browse to locate the CJA-26 pdf file.

Step 7




INTERIM PAYMENTS & EXCESS COMP INTERIM PAYMENTS Non-Capital Cases. In non-capital cases, where it is considered necessary and appropriate, the court may grant

interim payments to relieve court-appointed attorneys of financial hardship in extended and/or complex cases. Relevant factors for granting requests for interim payments are:

The number of defendants in the case

Unusual characteristics of the defendant (unable to speak English, mentally deficient, particularly uncooperative)

Location of defendant

Type and number of crimes charged

Complexity or novelty of legal issues

Volume of record review 1. If counsel wishes to receive interim payments, a memorandum of justification must be attached to the CJA-20 Voucher at the time of submission. The court will consider the memorandum and approve or reject the interim payment accordingly. (Ex parte motions for interim payments are no longer filed in CM/ECF.) 2. Interim payments for service providers also require that a memorandum of justification be attached to the CJA-21 Voucher at the time of submission. The court will consider the memorandum and approve or reject the interim payment accordingly. 3. In multi-defendant cases, each attorney requesting interim payments will need to submit their own memorandum and attach it to the voucher. 4. Interim payment vouchers that exceed the statutory maximum compensation threshold require second level approval by the chief judge of the circuit and require the submission of a CJA26 form or equivalent with the voucher. 5. If a case budget order includes provisions for interim payments, a separate memorandum of justification is not required; however, the appropriate case budget order must be attached to each interim voucher submitted.

Capital Cases. Interim payments are encouraged in capital cases. Provisions for receiving interim payments

should be included in the proposed case budget (see Guide to Judiciary Policy, Vol. 7A, Appx. 2D). If an approved case budget does not specify interim payments, a separate memorandum of justification will be required with each interim voucher submitted.



INTERIM PAYMENTS & EXCESS COMP (cont’d)

EXCESS COMP – VOUCHERS EXCEEDING THE STATUTORY MAXIMUM CJA-20 VOUCHERS. For CJA-20 Vouchers exceeding the statutory maximum, counsel must submit a CJA26 form

or equivalent memorandum and attach it to the voucher. (See earlier section on Creating, Saving and Uploading a CJA 26 Voucher.) All excess compensation vouchers must be sent to the Circuit for final approval.

WORKFLOW FOR CJA 20 VOUCHERS Attorney Creates and Submits Voucher CJA Administrator Reviews Voucher

Approved: Voucher Moves to Judge Rejected: Voucher Returned to Attorney

Judge Review Approved: Voucher Returned to CJA Administrator for Transfer to Circuit Rejected: Voucher Returned to CJA Administrator who Returns to Attorney

CJA Administrator Transfers Voucher to Circuit Circuit Review Returned to CJA Administrator

Approved: Voucher Moves to Payment Certification Rejected: Voucher Returned to Attorney

Voucher Certified for Payment Check Issued by U.S. Treasury

MAXING OUT CJA-20 VOUCHERS. Attorneys may opt to accept the maximum compensation amount

allowed to eliminate the Circuit approval step on a CJA-20 voucher that exceeds the statutory maximum (locally referred to as “maxing out” your voucher. If an attorney is willing to accept the statutory maximum on a claim that exceeds the statutory maximum amount, he or she must include a statement on the Confirmation Page in the NOTES section authorizing the CJA Administrator to reduce the compensation amount of the voucher prior to submitting to the presiding judge. For example: “I have reported all hours actually worked, however, I am hereby waiving my compensation over the cap of $10,300. I request payment in the amount of $10,300 plus my expenses. Alfred Anderson, Esq.”



INTERIM PAYMENTS & EXCESS COMP (cont’d) AUTHs & CJA-21 VOUCHERS. For expert services that will exceed the statutory maximum, counsel must

complete and attach an Appendix 3A (formerly Appendix C) to the AUTH document. All excess compensation AUTH documents and CJA-21 Vouchers must be sent to the Circuit for final approval.

WORKFLOW FOR AUTHs Attorney Creates and Submits AUTH (with attached Appendix 3A) CJA Administrator Reviews AUTH

Approved: AUTH Moves to Judge Rejected: AUTH Returned to Attorney

Judge Review Approved: AUTH Returned to CJA Administrator for Transfer to Circuit Rejected: AUTH Returned to CJA Administrator who Returns to Attorney

CJA Administrator Transfers AUTH to Circuit Circuit Review Returned to CJA Administrator

Approved: AUTH Document Closed Rejected: AUTH Returned to Attorney

WORKFLOW FOR CJA-21 VOUCHERS Attorney Creates and Submits Voucher (for expert) Attorney Approves Voucher (certifies receipt of services) CJA Administrator Reviews Voucher

Approved: Voucher Moves to Judge Rejected: Voucher Returned to Attorney

Judge Review Approved: Voucher Returned to CJA Administrator for Transfer to Circuit Rejected: Voucher Returned to CJA Administrator wo Returns to Attorney

CJA Administrator Transfers to Circuit Circuit Review Returned to CJA Administrator

Approved: Voucher Moves to Payment Certification Rejected: Voucher Returned to Attorney

Voucher Certified for Payment Check Issued by U.S. Treasury



CASE BUDGETS CASE BUDGETING INSTRUCTIONS Prepare Proposed Case Budget

CJA counsel shall initiate and prepare a case budget in: (1) non-capital cases that will likely require more than 300 attorney hours or $39,000 in combined attorney and service provider fees; (2) federal death penalty cases; and (3) capital habeas cases. Preparation of an initial pre-trial budget should occur as early in the case as is practicable. The court may also direct the initiation of a budget. Either way, counsel should contact the Sixth Circuit CJA Case Budgeting Attorney (CCBA) to discuss the general nature of the case and for assistance in setting up a budget. Contact information for the CJA Case Budgeting Attorney is: 513-564-7358; [email protected].

NOTE: While there is no statutory case compensation maximum in federal death penalty cases and capital

habeas corpus cases, a proposed budget is required and must be reviewed by the CCBA.

Non-Capital Budget Phases. There are generally three budget phases that require separate budgets, each with their own approval – Pre-Trial; Trial and Post-Sentencing. The same process is followed for all budget phases.

Capital Case Budget Phases. There are generally four budget phases in capital cases: Preliminary (seed money) Order, Pre-Authorization Budget, Pretrial Budget and Trial Budget. Each budget requires separate approval.

NOTE: The Pre-Authorization Budget ends when DOJ determines whether or not to authorize as a capital case.

If the case does not proceed as a capital case, it is the Judge’s discretion whether or not counsel’s hourly rate will be reduced to the normal CJA rate.

Interim Payments. Interim payments in budgeted cases are encouraged, therefore, provisions for receiving interim payments should be included in the proposed budget. If an approved case budget does not specify interim payments, a separate memorandum of justification will be required with each interim payment submitted.

Additional Funding. If additional funding is necessary after the approval of a case budget, an amendment is necessary (Note: approved funding from prior budgets does not carry over). Counsel is also responsible for contacting the CCBA to prepare amended budgets. The same process is followed for amendments.

Final Review. Proposed case budgets should be submitted to the CCBA for final review prior to filing with the court.

Step 1

mailto:[email protected]



CASE BUDGETS (cont’d)

Submit Proposed Case Budget for Court Approval

To submit the proposed case budget to the court, counsel shall file an ex parte motion and proposed order, in accordance with CM/ECF filing procedures. (Since a case budget must be approved by both the presiding district judge and chief judge of the circuit, proposed orders should have dual signature lines.)

The presiding district judge will grant or deny the proposed budget. If granted, the motion and case budget order will be forwarded to the chief circuit judge for final approval.

The chief circuit judge will grant or deny the budget order and return it to the district court.

Upon receipt of the fully approved case budget order, the district court will enter the budget order under seal. CJA counsel will receive an electronic notice of filing (NEF) from CM/ECF.

Approved Case Budget Loaded into CJA eVoucher

The CJA Administrator will carry out the budget in the CJA eVoucher program by entering the approved attorney compensation amounts set forth in the approved budget.

The CJA Administrator will create the appropriate AUTH documents in eVoucher for expert services as set forth in the approved budget. Each AUTH will have the approved budget order attached and will reference the budget order in the Notes section.

The CJA Administrator will indicate in the Notes section of each AUTH whether interim payments are permitted.

Submission of Vouchers

Counsel will create and submit the CJA-21/31 Voucher for each service provider using the corresponding AUTH created by the CJA Administrator. Each voucher submitted must have the applicable case budget order and other appropriate supporting documentation (invoices, receipts, etc.) attached. If the case budget order does not include a provision for interim payments, counsel must attach a memorandum of justification to each interim voucher submitted. Final vouchers are submitted to the circuit for approval.

Counsel will create and submit the CJA-20/30 Voucher and attach the applicable case budget order and other supporting documentation to the voucher. If the case budget order does not include a provision for interim payments, counsel must attach a memorandum of justification to each interim voucher submitted. Final vouchers are submitted to the circuit for approval.

Step 2

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