1. Education Service Cooperative Agreement
VA/SAA Roles and Responsibilities
VA Central Office – Education Service
Approvals, Compliance and Liaison Team
Shante’ Kinzie-Calloway
October 2018

2. Topics for Discussion The Past – Contract Processing Agreement Process
Distribution
Timeline
Agreement Requirements
Appendices
Personnel
System Access
Administrative Allowance
Supplements
Evaluations
JPRG
Reminders

3. The Past – Contract Processing
Prior to FY19, Education Service sent following items for contract reimbursement processing
Contract documents with the allocation amount will be forwarded electronically to the SAA, COR (ELR) and CELO
Business Plan Template with instructions for preparing the contract proposal
ELR Contract Review Checklist

4. Agreement Process Federal Fiscal Year Timeliness
October 1, 2018-September 30, 2019
Timeliness
Agreement Negotiation Process
Agreement Approval
Distribution of Agreement
SAA Agreement Completion
VACO Final Review and Signing
Invoicing
Joint Peer Review Group

5. Agreement Distribution
Education Service will provide (electronically) the following items to the SAA Director, ELR, and CELO:
Agreement Package
Cover Letter with the allocation amount
Actual Agreement
Appendices 1-6
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
Yearly adjustment for all SAAS
Funds in addition to allocation amount
Information forthcoming regarding process
SAA must submit one signed copy of the agreement to Education Service
Base year agreement
Exercising Option Years
Cover Letter w/ allocation and appendices
Signature required
If changes are made to the agreement, they will be outlined as an attachment to the cover letter

6. Agreement Timelines Timeframe for Agreement Processing
SAAs have approximately 30 days to review and submit completed agreement
Dependent on release date
Yearly goal is to release on 7/1 and have returned by 8/1
VACO Representative reviews and develops, if necessary
If no issues are found, agreement is submitted submits to the Director, Education Service for approval/signature
VACO Representative will provide a copy of the signed agreement to the SAA Director, ELR, and CELO

7. Agreement – Option to Extend
The base year for the agreement is from October 1, through September 30. The Government reserves the option to unilaterally extend the period of performance of this agreement under the same terms and conditions for the following periods: 
October 1, 2019 through September 30, 2020
October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021
October 1, 2021 through September 30, 2022
October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023
The Government will provide advance notice of its intent to exercise the option not less than 30 days before the end of the current period of performance.

8. Agreement – Appendices
The agreement includes six (6) appendices:
Appendix 1 – Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) & Non College Degree Accredited & Non-Accredited
Appendix 2 – Apprenticeship, On-the-Job (OJT)
Appendix 3 – Licensing & Certification Testing Establishments. Governmental & Non-Governmental
*Appendix 4 – Agreement Personnel
A – Name and Title – Professional Staff
B -Name and Title – Support Staff
*Appendix 5 – Qualifications documents for Professional Staff
*Appendix 6 – Allocation Distribution
Salary
Administrative
Travel
Subcontract
* Requires SAA to provide information
*Requires completion

9. Agreement – Personnel Standards
As stated in Article VII, The SAA must use fully qualified personnel:
Professional Staff
Qualification requirements differ based on work being performed
Personnel approving and supervising courses offered by educational institutions
Personnel approving and supervising courses offered by job training establishments
Personnel performing compliance reviews offered by educational institutions and job training establishments
VACO Representative must review and approve the qualifications of all professional staff members prior to being placed on the agreement
Review of support staff is not required; however, you must inform your VACO Rep when they are hired.
*Requires completion

10. Agreement – System Access
ALL SAA staff must have a completed low-risk (NACI) background investigation
Forms to complete
OF-306
Contractor Fingerprint Request Form
Background Initiation worksheet (must be typed)
Self-Certification (only of former federal employer/contractor or military)
VA Form 0710
In addition to the above forms, SAA staff requiring access to VA systems should also complete the following:
PIV Sponsor form (must be typed)
VBA , Annual Certification of Veteran Status and Veteran-Relatives
All completed forms must be submitted to the VACO Rep
SAA personnel can not be placed on the agreement until a favorable NCHC Clearance or State investigation has been provided
If needed, please request PIV card readers from your VACO Rep
*all forms can be submitted electronically to your VACO Rep

11. Agreement – Administrative Expense Allowance
SAA must determine the administrative expense allowance that is due to their Agency based on salary and fringe benefits
The formula in 38 C.F.R (a) (3) (i) is to be used for the calculation.
Salary and Fringe benefits are applied when determining administrative expense (travel is not authorized)
M22-4, Part IX, Chapter 1, Figure 1.03

12. Agreement – Administrative Expense Allowance
SAAs may use administrative allowance for:
Rental
Repair
Maintenance
Fees
Utilities
Insurance
Salary
Postage
Office equipment and supplies
Delivery services
Other miscellaneous expenses (Administrative allowance cannot be used to support other State agency expenses and must be held in a separate account)
M22-4, Part IX, Chapter 1, Figure 1.03

13. Agreement – Administrative Expense Allowance
SAAs may use administrative allowance for:
Rental
Repair
Maintenance
Fees
Utilities
Insurance
Salary
Postage
Office equipment and supplies
Delivery services
Other miscellaneous expenses (Administrative allowance cannot be used to support other State agency expenses and must be held in a separate account)
M22-4, Part IX, Chapter 1, Figure 1.03

14. Agreement – Supplements
Supplement requests may be considered after all agencies have closed out for the Fiscal Year
All monies are allocated across all SAAs
There is no guarantee of additional funding
Proper justification for supplements is required
Detailed information is provided in the Supplement Request Procedures notification

15. Agreement – Supplements
To determine the amount available for supplements in a timely manner, it is imperative that the following actions are taken:
Final invoices MUST be submitted to ELRs timely
Agreement states final invoice must be submitted by November 16th
If final invoices are not submitted timely, please notify the CELO and the VACO
Rep immediately
This occurrence should also be documented, as it is an agreement requirement
Once final payments are made, ELR must complete a closeout 1358 to de-obligate any unused funds
This form should be submitted to your CELO, then to the local SSD office for processing
VACO can not determine available funding until ALL SAA obligations are closed out
Creates a delay in supplement processing

16. SAA Self-Evaluation and ELR Assessment
The SAA Director will prepare a Self Evaluation
Detailed information will be released from VA Central office
ELR will prepare an Assessment to evaluate the performance for the fiscal year
New SAA Quarterly Report
In final stage and will be released for FY19 use
Will replace annual SAA FY self evaluation
Note: ELRs should be meeting in person or by telephone at least quarterly with the SAA to review issues and discuss performance. Information from the ELR assessment and rating given also must be shared with SAA

17. JPRG
Evaluations and Assessments will be reviewed at the annual Joint Peer Review Group (JPRG) meeting
JPRT general takes place in November in Washington DC
JPPRG consists of 8 members
4 NASAA - selected by the NASAA President
4 VBA - CELOs
Each SAA will receive one of the following as their overall FY rating
Satisfactory
Minimally Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory

18. Reminders COR training is no longer a requirement for ELRs
Items that must be approved by the VACO COR
Out of State Travel
Line Item Transfers
Can be done throughout the FY
Submit request to your VACO Rep
Must be completed before the final invoice is paid
SCO Conferences
One Regional Conference permitted
Unused Funding
Estimate required by Sept 1
When completing pay outs for leave for SAA employees retiring or separating from the agency, VA can ONLY pay for leave earned while the employee was on the contract
Paid from administrative funds

19. Education Service
Questions