On February 29th, 2024, USAC denied 635 BEAR and SPI detail lines on forms affecting 139 applicants and totaling $9.7M. The denied forms all had a last date to invoice of February 27th and were filed on that day.
This week, USAC issued notices letting affected applicants know that the denials were issued in error and that their invoices would be reprocessed without further action needed. The notices were sent to the Form 472 contact and/or the authorized contact designated for the applicant.
New invoice numbers will be assigned, and the new BEAR or SPI will use the same nickname as the invoice that was improperly rejected. Applicants with questions concerning a BEAR or SPI that was rejected are encouraged to contact USAC’s customer service center via the EPC portal. A sample notification is as follows:
Notice of Improperly Rejected Invoice
March 4, 2024
Dear
USAC is reaching out to you because our records indicate you are the account administrator and/or invoicing contact associated with the E-Rate Invoice Number(s) listed below. Due to a system issue, USAC improperly denied your timely submitted invoice(s).
| Invoice Number | Invoice Nickname | Line Number | FRN |
USAC will reprocess your timely filed invoice(s). There is no action required from you at this time.
Once USAC initiates the re-processing of your invoice(s), you will be notified via an EPC notification with the new invoice number(s) associated with the re-processed invoice(s). To eliminate confusion, the new invoice number(s) will reference the nickname you used for the previously submitted invoice(s). (emphasis added)
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Customer Service Center through EPC or by phone at (888) 203-8100. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we are working to expedite your E-Rate payment.
