Office of Academic Affiliations

Electronic Invoicing with Academic Affiliates

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BACKGROUND:

President Obama signed the Improper Payment Elimination and Recovery Act of 2010 (IPERA) with the goal of reducing the federal government’s improper payments. 

To comply with IPERA, VA has finalized actions to mandate electronic invoice submission to the VA Financial Services Center (VAFSC). A Federal Register rule mandating electronic invoice submission was published November 27th, 2012. The mandate requiring contractors (Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agent) to submit payment requests in electronic form by Effective Date December 27th, 2012 can be located at: Federal Register

The VA Financial Services Center’s vendor conversion plan includes partnering with Tungsten (formerly known as OB10), to provide the e-Invoicing network, to ensure a timely and smooth transition from "paper" to approved electronic invoice submissions prior to the effective date of this mandate.

This initiative was implemented for all contracting services in December of 2012, and will be required for invoices submitted from VA Disbursing Agents (Academic Affiliate Disburing Agent) for payment of Trainees paid under disbursement agreements by October 1, 2014. Many VA Medical Centers and Disbursing Agents are already using this procedure, however for those who have yet to implement Electronic Invoicing this document includes information intended to facilitate the process.

PLEASE NOTE: Every entity (Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agent) who submits invoices for payment of Trainee Stipends and Benefits to VA for payment must register in the Tungsten/OB10 System NO LATER THAN September 2, 2014.

Implementation of Electronic Invoicing is a business process that involves action by the following entities:

1. VA Medical Center Education Offices - reconcile clinical trainee activity records with Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agent billing records
2. Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agents - submit E-Invoices for reimbursement of resident salary and benefits
3. Tungsten/OB10 - receives E-Invoices from Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agents and transmits them to the VA FSC
4. Financial Services Center (FSC) - notifies VA that E-Invoices are ready for certification in OLCS (Online Certification System)
5. VAMC certifying official for these invoices (Fiscal Service or Education Office) authorizes payment, changes purchase order, rejects the invoices through OCLS

GUIDELINES:

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) e-Invoicing initiative is with Tungsten/OB10 inc., a preferred service provider for e-Invoicing on behalf of the VA. We appreciate your support and hope this e-Invoicing guide helps you to efficiently use Tungsten/OB10 as VA intends it to be used. The goal of this initiative is to reduce overall processing time and ensure you, the vendor, are paid as quickly as possible in compliance with the Prompt Pay Act.

There are several Business Processes that may need to be implemented to allow E-Invoicing to work effectively:

1. Registration and set-up of VA Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agents in the Tungsten E-Invoicing System
2. Reconciliation of Trainee Activity with Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agent Invoices before payment occurs
3. Review and data check of Invoice to assure that the E-Invoice has all the necessary data fields completed in order to process for payment
4. Submission of E-Invoices by Academic Affiliate Disbursing Agents to Tungsten system
5. Certification of E-Invoices by VA Fiscal or Education Service

Contacts

VA Financial Service Center (FSC)
Phone: 1-877-353-9791
E-mail: vafsccshd@va.gov

Tungsten/OB10 Client Services
Phone: 1-877-752-0900 Option 2
E-mail: VA.Registration@tungsten-network.com

Tungsten/OB10 Support
Phone: 1-877-489-6135
Website: Tungsten/OB10

Background | Register in Tungsten | Training | FAQs | Resources | Contacts & Help

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