VisualGA.Net :: An Innovative Solution to Administer General Assistance

An Innovative Solution to Administer General Assistance

VisualGA.Net Version 5 Updates

Application Enhancements (View Screenshot)

Added Email Address field to main form. Orange button will open your email client on the local machine to that email address which can be useful for emailing forms in pdf format.
Alternate Phone is now in a drop downlist and can be edited for more descript definitions of the phone type. Included in the list is mobile phone.
Added Gender and Race (Optional - Administrative Option Only) for Assistance Unit members.
Only 1 GA/EA In-Process Application is allowed at a time per ssn.
Added an Identity Protection Policy Form as per 5 ILCS 179.
Added duplicate address checking for different ssn's having the same Address 1, Address 2, and Address 3. An alert will be displayed with a previous case that contains the same address information.
One year of narratives pulled for each Client Application in order to more efficiently load an Application. If you wish, you can still view all narratives for a client by selecting "Any Date" in the "Find Narrative" criteria section.
Added GA Recertification option for townships that use a recertification process. This can be enabled in the Admin Console under "General Assistance", "Enable GA Recertification" and selecting your recertification period. For each client, you can set the last Recertification date under General Information.

Added DHS GA Redermination form accessible from Forms... DHS... GA Recertification Form
Added GA Income Affidavit Form

SSI Reimbursement Payments (View Screenshot)

Added ability to track SSI Reimbursement Payments for a client to determine any outstanding payments.
Enter Date Billed, Amount Billed, Date Received and Amount Received.
Added SSI Reimbursement Payment Report
Add via General Information link for a GA client.

Flag Client (View Screenshot)

Added ability to "flag" a client from any application (GA/EA/AA/Intake) by entering a short note as to why the client is being flagged. If a client is flagged, their name will display in red on the application screen with a tooltip being the note entered.

Landlord Statement (View Form)

Print initial or monthly landlord statement for landlords once, or on a monthly basis
Optionally Print 1st page of W9 form for new landlords

Quick Attachments (View Screenshot)

Main Application toolbar now contains a Quick Attachment shortcut allowing you to add one or more attachments rapidly. Attachment is automatically added as a narrative. View demo "Adding Attachments to a Narrative"
Add custom categories for Attachment types.

Disbursement Sub-Categories

Admin section allows for sub-categories to be entered under main GA/EA category. An example would be to have Water, Gas, and Electric sub-categories for the Utilities category. Note that for Needs Allowance, the maximum allowed payment level is the combined amount for the Utilities category and all sub-categories added together. Separate GL Codes may be assigned for each sub-category. (View Screenshot)
The sub-categories appear in the category drop down list below the standard category. (View Screenshot)

Work Program Expenses

Track Work Program Expenses such as Transportation or Vocational Service Expenses which are incurred within the Community Work Program
Assign custom Work Program Expense Categories (View Screenshot)
Work Program Expenses are tracked separately from the client grant. Disbursing Orders, Vendor Vouchers, and Checks can all be generated similarly to a standard Disbursement. Each Expense is assigned a PO #. (View Screenshot)

Recoupment Option (View Screenshot)

Added ability to recoup a specific dollar amount from a client grant (BCW only).

Lump Sum Calculation (View Screenshot 1 2 3)

Added ability to calculate period of ineligibility for adding a lump sum payment.
Asset will display in red under Assets while ineligibility period is in effect.

Other Medical

Township can add any additional medical category they wish to track such as Dental, Mental Health Services, etc. and apply a GL Code for each category (View Screenshot)
Other Medical Items tracked separately from Prescriptions, Hospitalizations, Medical Supplies, and Doctor Appointments (View Screenshot)

Schedule Enhancements (View Screenshot)

Added Outlook-style reminder feature for scheduled tasks. This will display a pop-up that will fade in and fade out at the designated time specified prior to the appointment, notifying the caseworker of a pending appointment.
Added an Appointment Form which can be presented to the client as a notification of an appointment.
Automatically assign a caseworker to a new scheduled task on a per-user basis

Administration Options

Auto-select 1099 for new Shelter Vendors
Auto-close disbursements when a check # is entered or a check is printed
Customize fiscal year start date (default is 4/1)
Auto-Update current year (case # prefix) on Jan 1st.
Customize Inquiry Retention (default is 45 days) and Event Log Retention.
Customize which Application columns to display on main screen (more column choices to come in the future)
Customize initials used for each user
Customize columns used for client application grids (added Next Scheduled Appointment and Approval Date)

Report Enhancements

Added Client Probation Report (Caseload/Statistical)
Added Client Decision Due Report for In-Process/Inquiry Status (Caseload/Statistical)

Added ability to group Grant Distribution Reports, Medical Reports, and Work Program Expense Reports by Client.

Miscellaneous

Added Agencies under "Categories & Defaults".
Enter alternate check address for Disbursement Vendors & Medical Providers
Added "Quick Stat" button on main toolbar. Add an Activity Statistic without having to enter client information. Allow only specific categories to be used for a "Quick Stat" and specifiy which users can add them.