Data Collection Training2008 Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) CampaignSite Coordinator TrainingJanuary 9th, 2008Jennifer LeeUrban Strategies Council

Introduction and Overview

General Overview of Data Collection ProcessConfidentiality WaiverSurvey AdministrationTaxwise Back-Ups & ReportsAsset and Operations Data

The Confidentiality WaiverClient receives confidentiality waiver during intake process.Confidentiality Waiver has two purposes:Authorizes release of Tax Return Data to Urban Strategies Council to conduct analysis and improve servicesAuthorizes release of contact information for follow up to additional services requested (e.g. Food Stamps)

The Confidentiality WaiverConfidentiality waiver separate to the IRS Intake formMake sure filer reads and understands the waiverFiler selects Yes or No to authorize the release of data, prints and signs the waiver with dateWaiver Tracking Sheet should be used to keep a record of clients who do NOT want their data backed up; include SSN and date of tax preparation. Keep the survey and waivers on site until the end of tax season; then mail/delivery hard copies to Urban Strategies.

The Confidentiality Waiver

Survey Administration Tax Filers receive hard copy of the survey during the Intake Process (Survey is a separate form)

Inform filers of survey purpose:to provide better services in futureto help understand clients needsto ensure the program continuation

Survey answers will NOT be sent to the IRS kept confidential;

Ask the survey questions one at a time; inform filers of all available response options; filer can refuse to answer a question.

Survey AdministrationScreeners/Preparers can circle the responses on the hard copy

Preparer enters the survey responses into TaxwiseLocated in the 1040 Individual Form under Preparers Use FieldsSelect survey response using drop down menus; questions already programmed by site coordinatorResponse codes are listed on the survey

Questions #1 -8 One response onlyQuestions #9, 10 - multiple responses optionalSelect only one response with drop down menu, ORManually enter multiple response codes, separated by commas Example: 2, 4, 5

Survey Administration Main Information Sheet

Survey AdministrationDrop Down Menu

Survey AdministrationEarn It! Keep It! Save It! 2008 Alameda County SURVEY QUESTIONSPlease CIRCLE the most appropriate number or letter for the answer. Please circle only one selection for each question (exception: Questions #9, #10).

1. What is your ethnicity?AA African-AmericanCA CaucasianCH ChineseLA Latino/HispanicNA Native AmericanVI VietnameseOA Other AsianOT OtherDE Decline to answer

2. Do you have a bank account?1Yes, Checking2Yes, Savings3Both, Checking and Savings4No, but would like one5No, and not interested6No, dont qualify99 Decline to answer

Survey Administration 7. Do you or anyone in your household have a disability?1 Yes2 No99 Decline to answer

8. Last time you had a financial emergency between paychecks, how did you pay for it?1Used my savings2Put it on my credit card3Borrowed from family/friend4Took out a payday loan (e.g. from a check cashing ctr)5Did not address the emergency until I had funds6Went without food or other necessities to pay for itDecline to answer

Are you interested in the following services and opportunities? (Multiple responses ok, use , to separate)1 Job training2 Homeownership education3 Financial education4 Small business ownership5 Planning for an educationDebt/credit counseling

Survey Administration10. For tax preparer use only as a prompt to provide additional resources:

Yes, I provided the following additional information to the client: (Multiple responses ok, use , to separate)1Food Stamp enrollment/referral2Health Insurance3Alameda County CAN Resource Directory4Other benefits documentation or referral5Refund as direct deposit into checking account6Refund as direct deposit in savings account

Data Back UpsKey Points:Back Up should be performed on a computer that contains all the returns.Back Up is done in the Taxwise under Tools menuOnly send data for filers who signed Confidentiality Waiver and gave permission to release their tax data.Send data by email or copy files to a disk or CD to Urban Strategies Council at end of season ***New sites will send a trial back-up at beginning of the season.

Data Back Ups

Data Back Ups

Data Back Ups

Data Back Ups

Data Back Ups

Data Back Ups

Taxwise Summary ReportsALL sites will need to send the following Taxwise reports:Preparer SummaryTax Form by Filing Type***Located under Reports List toolbar. See Data Collection Instructions for detail.

Includes aggregate data for all filers, regardless of data permission. Does not contain personal information.

Save in excel format and send to Urban Strategies at end of season.

Sending Taxwise back ups & reports to Urban StrategiesSend back ups by email (preferred) or by snail mailE-mail: Please compress or zip the back up files & add password protection (if you have this capability)Snail mail: Save files to disks or CDs; you will need plenty of blank formatted disks; number multiple disks.See Data Collection Instructions for specific instructionsFinal back ups due at the end of tax season: Wed., April 23rd, 2008

Operations & Asset Building DataGeneral Operations & Asset Building Data are to be collected.An excel spreadsheet is included in your packet, including definitions. Added new site capacity variables: volunteer and staff hours, total hours/days of operationSite Coordinator is responsible for collecting the dataSend electronic format please, no hard copies, to Urban Strategies at end of season. Finallyplease send hard copies of confidentiality waivers and survey forms at end of season. Thank you!

Questions or Comments?Steve SpikerUrban Strategies Councileitc@urbanstrategies.org510-463-2951

http://www.urbanstrategies.org/programs/econopp/vita/vitadocs/vitadocs.html

**Im Steve, the senior research associate and director of I&T at USC.

Here to give you a general overview of the data collections process for the EITC campaign this year. Goal is to have you leave with an overall picture of the process we can help with more technical details at another date if you require and will visit your sites to go over the process if you wish..

May have concerns, Im here to work with you want to incorporate feedback, I have limitations. You know your sites the best.

Today I only have 20 minutes, so Im going to breakdown the data collection process into 4 main areas:

The SurveyThe Confidentiality WaverData Back-UpsAdditional Data

Would like to run through this and then take questions at the end.*The filer receives the confidentiality waiver during intake process attached to survey.

Make sure filer reads and understand the waiver.

Important confidentiality waiver has dual purpose this year: 1: asking for permission to release tax data to USC for data analysis (no contact information retained)2: Can we then retain contact information to follow up with information on services?

*Review of WaiverIf the filer refuses to allow data to be kept then we have no means of contacting them about relevant services. If they refuse they must initial the form and the prepare must also initial as witness.If filer acknowledges they understand their rights and wants their data used or to be contacted for services the preparer must initial the form to say the filer understands. We advise that a coordinator at each site signs off on each waiver to ensure that the filers rights are being respected.

Keep track of clients who do not want to release tax data track SSN and do not back up in Tax Wise according to SSN. Or if you use the new method of file naming- First 5 of last name and last four of ssn- use this to track instead.

Really make sure people understand that when I download data, contact information will not be retained unless specified.

**As many of you know, theres a survey based on 7 questions that will administered during the tax filing process.

The filer will first receives a paper copy of the survey during the intake process. The survey will be attached to the intake form and the confidentiality waiver, which will be discussed later.

Filers will have the opportunity to review questions and mark responses on paper before being asked by a filer if time permits.

Preparers will then ask filers the survey questions and enter the responses into the Tax-Wise software.

The sites are responsible for setting up the drop-down menus in Tax-Wise to enter survey responses. Technical details of actually setting up the drop-down menus are available on our website or else call us if you need assistance! *****We have added a sub question on the disability status of the filer or anyone in their household as part of the UWBA disability awareness push.Because we only have 7 questions we have combined the answer with the old question 7. You should circle yes or no or decline in the disability question and then ask the contact question. Once you have this response you can select the answer that matches both responses- eg the person answers YES to disability and then says NO to can we contact them for services, you would select answer 2. The options are grouped by the disability responses first and then by the contact responses.

Does everyone understand this system???**Tax Return information sent to USC in form of a back-up.

The back-up should be performed from the computer that contains all the returns prepared by your organization. i.e. The transmitting computer.

The back-up will be performed in Tax-Wise its an option from a drop-down menu. File, print file, backup.

Make sure not to back up data for clients not wanting to release tax data use tracking sheet with SSN will be an option in Tax-Wise select which returns will actually be backed up.

Select data drive where backup will go. *******Two options to send USC the back-up:1) email (prefer email)2) mail on a disk

If email, needs to be password protected. If mailed, mark as confidential. (make sure you have enough blank floppies to back up data and number them).

Back-up will be required after first day of operation just to make sure its working.

Then, required once a month and not every week..*Additional data to be collected: number of people filing returns, Casey dollars invested, number of sites conducting Food Stamps outreach, etc

Site coordinator responsible to collect data.

Data also sent to me after first day of operation to fix any problems early on, and then just twice during the campaign.

Data will be filed in Excel spreadsheets I will send to coordinators fill in the blank.

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