new jersey department of agriculture division of food and ...direct cert flow chart 39 logging out...

DIRECT CERTIFICATION

New Jersey Department of Agriculture

Division of Food and Nutrition

School Nutrition Programs

School Nutrition Programs Electronic Direct Certification

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

ACCESS TO SCHOOL NUTRITION ELECTRONINC APPLICATION

& REIMBURSEMENT SYSTEM (SNEARS) 5

STARTING POINT 6

ACCESSING THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS 7

HOME PAGE 9

HOW TO ACCESS DIRECT CERTIFICATION 10

STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY AND POLICY 11

NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER DATA REQUISITION FORM 12

SELECTING MUNICIPAL CODES 13

MATCHING PROCESSES 17

FILE UPLOAD MATCH 18

EXCEL SPREEDSHEET FORMAT 19

FILE UPLOAD MATCHED STUDENTS 21

PROBABILISTIC CERTIFICATION PROCESS 22

PROBABILISTIC CERTIFICATION MATCHES 23

HOUSEHOLD CERTIFICATION PROCESS 24

HOUSEHOLD CERTIFICATION MATCHES 25

FOSTER CARE CERTIFICATION PROCESS 26

FOSTER CARE CERTIFICATION MATCHES 27

INDIVIDUAL MATCH OPTION 28

INDIVIDUALLY MATCHED STUDENTS 29

DIRECTLY CERTIFIED STUDENTS 30

DIRECTLY CERTIFIED LETTER TO PARENTS 32

DIRECTLY CERTIFIED STUDENTS SEARCH TAB 33

DUPLICATE CERTIFIED STUDENTS 35

DUPLICATE CERTIFIED STUDENTS IN MORE THAN ONE LEA 36

DUPLICATE CERTIFIED STUDENTS WITHIN THE LEA 37

BENEFIT SOURCE CHANGES 38

DIRECT CERT FLOW CHART 39

LOGGING OUT 40


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INTRODUCTION TO DIRECT CERTIFICATION

Welcome to the Electronic Direct Certification process. The Child Nutrition and

WIC Reauthorization Act mandated Direct Certification for all districts in a

“phased in” basis beginning with the 2006-07 school year, in districts with an

enrollment of 25,000. Currently, the Direct Certification process is mandated for

all districts.

The Direct Certification process enables Local Education Agencies (LEA’s) to

match their district’s enrollment with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance

Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, (TANF) and

Department of Children and Families (FOSTER) offices’ database. There are

many benefits to this process. First, students identified through the match are

deemed “directly certified” and are eligible for free meals for the entire school

year. A lunch application is not needed for those students identified as

“directly certified”. This can considerably reduce the number of applications

that need to be reviewed by the district. Secondly, students that are deemed

“directly certified” do not have to be verified. This, along with the reduction in

paper applications, may significantly, reduce the sample of applications to be

verified. Additionally, the direct certification process “captures” students who

may not file an application. This is especially true of high school students.

Districts are mandated to perform three direct certification matches per school

year. The first match must take place between July 15th and September 1st, or

before the first day of school, whichever comes first. The second match must

take place between October 1st and October 30th. The third match must be

performed between March 1st and March 30th. The Direct Certification

database information is updated monthly. This is done to facilitate current

data for individual matches, which should be performed after October 30th if

new students enroll. The database is available via the Food and Nutrition

Electronic Services link until the end of March and will become active again on

July 15th, after the new school year’s data has been uploaded into the system.

This User Manual is designed to help you navigate through the Electronic Direct

Certification within the School Nutrition Electronic Application and

Reimbursement System (SNEARS), and complete the information required.

Each step is illustrated with a snapshot of the computer screen, along with

explanations and directions to complete each step.


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If you are having problems accessing the website, review the FAQs (Frequently

Asked Questions) and specifically identify the problem before calling the

Division of Food and Nutrition.

Contact us with any questions or assistance at:

IT Help Desk (609) 341-3817

Schedule A/Program Issues (609)984-0692

FAX Number (609)984-0878

Contact Us Click on the Contact Us link in the top bar, right

side of any SNEARS screen to email any

questions you may have during the Direct

Certification process.


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ACCESS TO SCHOOL NUTRITION ELECTRONIC APPLICATION AND REIMBURSEMENT SYSTEM (SNEARS):

The access to the electronic Direct Certification is through the state website

www.state.nj.us and then through the myNewJersey portal. The Food and

Nutrition Electronic Services link leads to our online application system SNEARS

(School Nutrition Electronic Application and Reimbursement System).

1) Register as a User on myNewJersey -This is one of many applications that allow you to conduct official state business over the Internet.

A. Current Users – myNewJersey - If you have already registered as a

User on myNewJersey, you do not need to re-register-you may use the same LogOn ID and password. Please note: the LogOn ID and password must belong to you not someone else in your office.

B. New Users – myNewJersey – go to www.state.nj.us, enter your

authentication code and click on Log In, then click on Sign up to become a new user and follow the instructions. Copy the pertinent information (LogOn ID, password, challenge question and answer) and keep this information in a safe place.

2) Authentication Code Letter - Once your Schedule A has been approved,

our office will e-mail you an Authentication Code with instruction on how to proceed. An Authentication code is issued to you as an individual, and provides you as the Submitter, Certifier or Other User with appropriate access to SNEARS, through the Food and Nutrition Electronic Services link, located on the left side of the myNewJersey page.

These two steps are a one-time only (Once and Done) process. Subsequent access to the SNEARS application requires your myNewJersey logon ID and password only – click on the Food and Nutrition Electronic Services link and proceed. Please write down your LogOn ID and Password and keep it in a safe place.

3) SCHEDULE A – You must identify yourself as the Certifier, Alternate

Certifier or the Other User in order to have access to the direct certification process.

http://www.state.nj.us/


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STARTING POINT

Screen 1 – Address Bar

Open the Browser to access the internet on your PC (This site is best

viewed through Internet Explorer 3.x and above) and type

“www.state.nj.us” in the address bar as shown in Screen 1.

Press the Enter Key.

This will take you to the State of New Jersey home page as shown below.

Screen 2 – State of New Jersey Home Page


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The State of New Jersey home page is your starting point to conduct official

state business over the internet. Click on the Login button in the upper left

hand side of the screen to go into the SNEARS application through the Food

and Nutrition Electronic Services link.

You must be a registered user on myNewJersey in order to be able to log into

the Food and Nutrition Electronic Services link. See page 5 for Initial Steps.

ACCESSING THE CHILD NUTRITION PROGRAMS

Screen 3 – Links

Once you have successfully logged on, screen 3 will appear.

You will be able to see a personalized Welcome and Logout located in the

upper bar of the page.


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Click on the Food and Nutrition Electronic Services - to access the

Child Nutrition Programs link and then the Direct Certification link.

Any time you logout, you must logout appropriately by clicking on the

logout link, the first link on the bar across from the Welcome greeting. If

you exit by clicking in the X on the right corner of the window, you will

lose the Food and Nutrition Electronic Services link.

Screen 4 Child Nutrition Programs

After clicking on Food and Nutrition Electronic Services link this screen will

appear. Select Child Nutrition Programs to access areas related to

School Meal Programs.


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HOME PAGE

Screen 5- Messages and Memos

This page is used for important changes and enhancements in the web

based system; it contains immediate and important announcements

and other information – the latest news about program requirements,

reimbursement rates, and trainings. This is the only way that the Division

of Food and Nutrition will be providing information. There are no hard

copy mailings.

This page should be read regularly - not just when you go to make a

change or file your reimbursement voucher.

After reviewing the Messages and Memos scroll down to the bottom of

the page and click on the Proceed button.


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HOW TO ACCESS DIRECT CERTIFICATION

Screen 6 - Accessing Direct Certification

Click on the Direct Certification button to proceed with the Direct



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STATEMENT OF CONFIDENTIALITY AND POLICY

Screen 7 - Statement of Confidentiality and Policy

The Statement of Confidentiality and Policy certifies that the NJ

SNAP/TANF/FOSTER information obtained from the web site will be used for no

other purpose than to certify students eligible for free meals.

The Certifier or Alternate Certifier will read and agree to the statement of

Confidentiality and Policy by clicking on the Certify button.


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NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER DATA REQUISITION FORM

Screen 8- NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER Data Requisition Form

Fill in your contact information in the Requisition Form.

Phone/Fax numbers must be 10 consecutive digits (no spaces, hyphens,

or parentheses).

The first step of Direct Certification is to determine the municipalities

serviced by the Local Education Agency (LEA).

Click on the municipal codes list link to determine the correct codes.


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SELECTING THE MUNICIPAL CODES

Screen 9 - Selecting the Municipal Codes

A listing of the municipality codes index will appear containing the 21 counties

in NJ.

Click on the county/counties that apply to your schools to see the list of

municipalities and their respective codes within each county.


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EXAMPLE OF MUNICIPALITY LIST WITHIN A COUNTY

Screen 10 -Example of Municipality List within a County

Refer to this list to view the number of municipalities and the codes

needed for the Direct Certification match. The selection is based on the

municipalities where the students that attend your district reside.


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NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER DATA REQUISITION FORM

Screen 11 - NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER Data Requisition Form

Select the number of spaces needed for the municipality codes in

groups of 5 to100 from the dropdown box and click on Proceed. The

requested number of boxes/spaces will show up on the screen.

Fill in the 4 digit municipal codes in each box and click on Submit

Codes.


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SELECTED MUNICIPALITIES

Screen 12- Selected Municipalities

This screen indicates the municipality codes that you have chosen based on

the county and the areas where the children that attend your school district

reside.

Review the municipalities selected and revise, if necessary.

Click on Proceed to continue with the matching process.


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MATCHING PROCESSES

Screen 13 - Matching Processes

There are two ways to perform a match between the student enrollment data

and the NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER data.

They are:

File Upload Match

Individual Match

(These methods are located in the header across the top of the screen).

File Upload Match is the required method as it will match the full

enrollment against the NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER data. All LEAs must

complete the file upload match three times each school year as

specified on page 1.

Individual Match (secondary method) is useful when a child enters the

district mid-year after the File Upload Match has been performed.

Individual Match will not be available until after October 30th.


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To review the municipalities selected before performing the match, click

on the Selected Municipal Codes tab, located in the header across the

top of the screen.

FILE UPLOAD MATCH

Screen 14 -File Upload Match

To begin the File Upload Match, click on the button on the upper left

File Upload Match

Select the Format of the Excel spreadsheet to be used link under

Instructions, which is located in the middle of the page.

Download the format of the Excel spreadsheet and save it on your

desktop (See Excel Spreadsheet on the next page).

Convert your Student Enrollment Data (specified fields only) into

Microsoft Excel and save the file to your desktop.


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Now click on the Browse button and select the saved file to be

uploaded. Note: The enrollment file that you upload must have less than or equal to 5000

records. For example, if you have 15000 student enrollment records, you must upload 3 separate

files each containing 5000 records. Please be sure to close the previous file before uploading the

next file.

Click on the Match button.

EXCEL SPREADSHEET FORMAT

Local Student ID Number (Optional)

SSN Do not

Use

Student First Name (Required)

Student Last Name (Required)

Student Date of Birth (Required) (MM-DD-YYYY format)

Student Mailing Address (Required)

Student Mailing City (Required)

Student Mailing Zip (Required)

Parent/Guardian First Name (Required)

Parent/Guardian Last Name (Required) (If Parent/Guardian names are not collected separately, enter the complete Parent/Guardian name in this column)

Student Contact Phone Number (Optional - XXXXXXXXXX -No Hyphens or Parentheses)


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EXCEL SPREADSHEET FORMAT

Screen 15 Excel Spreadsheet Format

There are multiple identifiers in the spreadsheet (Local student ID number

(optional), social security number (this column must be left blank),

student’s first name, student’s last name, birth date, mailing address,

mailing city, zip code, parent/guardian name, parent/guardian last

name and student’s contact phone number (optional). The more

information you provide, the more accurate the match will be. It is not

necessary to have all identifiers; however, you must at least provide the

“required” information.

DO NOT delete columns (even if you did not complete them) or change

the order of the columns in the spreadsheet, since the File Upload

matching process requires the columns in the given sequence.

Convert the Students Enrollment Data (specified fields only) into

Microsoft Excel and save the file.


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FILE UPLOAD MATCHED STUDENTS

Screen 16 - File Upload Matched Students

After clicking on the Match button, the LEA will be able to view a list of

students in a grid similar to the one above. This is not the final directly

certified student’s list. The chart shows the enrollment record and to the

right the NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER record that matches.

Select the students that attend your district by clicking in the check box

on the left side of the grid next to the student’s name or select all the

students by clicking on the Check All button. By doing this, the students

are being officially determined as Direct Certified Students.


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Click the Direct Certify button at the bottom of each page. Review all

pages by clicking the Next button at the bottom of each page.

PROBABILISTIC MATCHING PROCESS

Screen 17 – Probabilistic Match Link

After completing the file upload match, this summary page will appear

if probabilistic matches are available. Probabilistic or “fuzzy” matching is

performed to give provisions for errors in the data used, such as

typo’s/misspellings, letters out of order, fused or split words, missing or

extra letters, and abbreviations.

The Probabilistic function matches data using Synonyms and Soundex.

Synonyms are abbreviated data having the same meaning as another

word. Direct Certification uses the first names of students and their

nicknames (or synonyms) as part of the probabilistic search criteria. For

example, the name “William” has a synonym stored as “Bill”, the name

“Jonathan” has a synonym stored as “John”.


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Soundex is a phonetic algorithm which helps to compare words that are

spelled differently, but sound alike. For example, there are multiple

spellings for the names Aliyah, Jayden, and Christopher.

Click on the Probabilistic Match button to see other possible matches.

PROBABILISTIC CERTIFICATION MATCHES

Screen 18 – Probabilistic Match Screen with Instructions

The probabilistic search results of the matching students are shown 50

per page. The user can validate and direct certify the eligible students.

You will not have the option to “check all” as in deterministic match, as

these matches need to be closely reviewed by the LEA and checked off

individually before hitting the Direct Certify button.

All other students in the same household as the student certified as a

result of the Probabilistic match will be eligible for direct certification.

This excludes the eligibility for foster children, as well as homeless,

runaway or migrant children who are already eligible for direct

certification based on a different category.


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HOUSEHOLD CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Screen 19 - Household Match Link

Once the Probabilistic student matches are certified, the Household link

will be displayed if Household matches are available.

Click on the Proceed to Household Match link to search for additional

household members that did not appear on the original direct

certification list.

This screen will allow you the opportunity to find other students that

could also be added to the direct cert list.


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HOUSEHOLD CERTIFICATION MATCHES

Screen 20 - Household Match

A possible list of students that may reside with the original directly

certified students (gray row) is provided. Check the box to the left of the

name for those students if they are enrolled in your district (white row).

Click the HOUSEHOLD CERTIFY link and those students will be added to

your direct certification list.


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FOSTER CARE CERTIFICATION PROCESS

Screen 21 – Foster Care Match Link

You will be able to access the Foster Care Match Link only after file

upload, probabilistic, and household matches are completed. If there

are no foster matches, the Foster Care Match Button will not show up.

If you do have the Foster Care Match Link Button available, proceed.

Click on the Foster Care Match button to see all possible matches for

students based on Foster Care Search.


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FOSTER CARE CERTIFICATION MATCHES

Screen 22 – Foster Care Match

The Foster Care Search results of the matching students are shown 50

per page. The user can validate and directly certify the eligible Foster

Care students by checking the box to the left of the name for those

Foster Care students, if they are enrolled in your district.


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INDIVIDUAL MATCH OPTION

Screen 23- Individual Match Screen

Individual Match is helpful to check an individual status, such as a

transfer. Individual match searches within the municipal codes you

provided.

Please note that Individual Match should not be used until after October

30th.

Enter at least two of the three search criteria (last name, first name, date

of birth) and click on Search.

If the student’s record exists in the NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER database, the

information will appear. If the exact information is not found, the system

will provide the closest match.


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INDIVIDUALLY MATCHED STUDENTS

Screen 24 - Individually Matched Students

After initiating an individual match using any criteria, (last name, first

name, and/or date of birth), and clicking on the Search button, the

result or closest match will appear on the screen as shown above.

Select the student by clicking on the check box on the left side of the

grid next to the identified student’s name.

Click on the Direct Certify button.


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DIRECTLY CERTIFIED STUDENTS

Screen 25 - Directly Certified Students Tab

After you have performed the match, either by file upload (required

method) or by individual match (secondary method intended for use

after October 30th), and saved the list of students, you can view the list

of students who have been directly certified by clicking on the Direct

Certified Students header, on the upper menu bar.


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DIRECTLY CERTIFIED STUDENTS

Screen 26- Listing of Directly Certified Students

Convert the entire list of students into Microsoft Excel by clicking on the

Generate EXCEL file of Direct Certified Students button. Save this file to

your desktop.

Generate letters for all the students who are directly certified by clicking

on the Generate PDF Letters for Direct Cert Students button.

OR

Generate letters for individual students by clicking on the Print link, which

appears on the last column on the right of the grid.


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FREE MEAL/MILK DIRECT CERTIFICATION LETTER

Screen 27 - Free Meal/Milk Direct Certification Letter

Above is the template of the Letter to Parents notifying them that their

child is directly certified to receive free meal/milk benefits. After the

direct certification process is completed, sponsors will be able to

generate this letter with the date of approval and each child’s name

and address, as it appears in the NJ SNAP/TANF/FOSTER database. The

letters should be printed on the district’s letterhead.


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DIRECTLY CERTIFIED STUDENTS SEARCH TAB

Screen 28 – Direct Certification Search Tab

New for SY 2014-2015: After the direct certification process is completed,

sponsors are now able to search for a specific student within their entire

direct certification list. To perform a search, click on the Direct

Certification Search header, on the upper menu bar.

Enter information in the three search criteria fields (last name, first name,

date of birth) and click on Search.

If the student is on the direct cert list, the record will be shown on the

screen.

NEW


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DIRECTLY CERTIFIED STUDENTS SEARCH LIST

Screen 29- Listing of Directly Certified Students Matched Under Search Criteria

After searching for a specific student within the entire direct certification

list using the three search criteria (last name, first name, and date of

birth), and clicking on the Search button, the result will appear on the

screen, as shown above.

Generate letters for individual students by clicking on the Print link, which

appears on the last column on the right of the grid.

OR

Select the student by clicking on the check box on the left side of the

grid next to the identified student’s name.

Click on the Delete button to remove the student from your list.


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DUPLICATE CERTIFIED STUDENTS

Screen 30- Duplicate Certified Students Screen

This screen will appear by clicking on the Duplicate Certified Students

Tab on the upper right menu bar.

To search for duplicate certified students in the current school year who

are either directly certified by more than one Local Education Agency

(LEA) or within your own LEA, click on the last header at the top of the

screen.


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DUPLICATE CERTIFIED STUDENTS IN MORE THAN ONE LEA

Screen 31- Duplicate Certified Students in more than one LEA

To view those students that may have been directly certified in more

than one LEA, click on the first option (Screen 30). Review the list of

students (Screen 31), then check the box on the far left column if the

student is not enrolled in your district and click on the Delete button to

un-certify the selected student(s). If the student is enrolled in your district,

do nothing.


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DUPLICATE CERTIFIED STUDENTS WITHIN THE LEA

Screen 32- Duplicate Certified Students Within the LEA

To view the list of students that may be duplicate certified within the LEA,

click on the second option on the Duplicate Certified Students Screen

(Screen 30). Review the list of students (Screen 32), then check the box

on the far left column of the student who is incorrect and click on the

Delete button to un-certify the selected student(s).


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BENEFIT SOURCE CHANGES

Screen 33- File Upload Matched Students With Benefit Source Changes Highlighted in Orange

New for 2014-2015: Beginning with the second round of Direct

Certification (October 1st to October 30th), if the source of the benefit has

changed, the student record containing the new change will be

highlighted in orange, and the new program source will be displayed in

the far right column under Match Type/Program Source.

NEW


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RECAP OF THE DIRECT CERT PROCESS

Screen 34- Direct Cert Flow Chart


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LOGGING OUT

Screen 35- Logging Out

Be sure to log out of the application once you have completed the Direct


You can log out by clicking on the Logout link, on the top right side of

each screen.

Always save the current directly certified list of students back to your

system before logging out.

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