GN 02403.020 Field Office Remittance Transmittal (FORT) and The Credit Card Field Office Remittance Transmittal (CCFORT)

A. Introduction to the FORT and CCFORT

The Field Office Remittance Transmittal (FORT) report controls the mailing of remittances from the Field Office (FO) to the Mid-Atlantic Program Service Center (MATPSC), Remittance Accounting Unit (RAU). The FORT establishes a control and audit trail between the receipt of a remittance in the FO and receipt of the remittance at MATPSC. Remittances that cannot be processed through the Social Security Electronic Remittance System (SERS), see GN 02403.161 are sent to MATPSC, along with the FORT and the payment coupon automatically generated by the Debt Management System (DMS). DMS generates a separate credit card payment FORT (CCFORT) for all credit card remittance payments received during the day, and the CCFORT accompanies credit card payments sent to MATPSC.

B. Generating a FORT or CCFORT

Field Office employees (remittance clerks) request the FORT and CCFORT in DMS. The report lists FO remittance receipts issued that day, or when the processing date was changed.

The remittance supervisor has specific duties related to the FORT (see GN 02403.002E). The remittance supervisor:

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Reviews the FORT and CCFORT against all non-SERS programmatic remittances received and resolves discrepancies;
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Ensures that all remittances have an associated coupon;
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Ensures that the correct and usable coupon(s) have been included. The scanner in MATPSC relies on the data contained in the scan line (The scanner can only read a scan line placed 1/2 inch from the bottom of the coupon). If any corrections were made to the daily receipts, ensure that the most recent coupon is included with the remittance;
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Verifies that no unendorsed returned benefit checks are mailed to MATPSC. These items should be returned to Treasury and are listed on the Field Office Daily Receipt Listing (FODRL), see GN 02403.021 . Follow the instructions in GN 02405.010 for Title II and GN 02405.100 for Title XVI;
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Verifies that no fee remittances are included in the mailing to the MATPSC;
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Verifies that no monthly or quarterly Supplemental Medicare Insurance (SMI) premium remittances are included in the mailing to the MATPSC, see GN 02403.030B on how to properly code the premium within DMS, as well as mailing monthly or quarterly premium remittances directly to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare Premium Collection Center (MPCC) for processing and deposit. MATPSC only handles retroactive premiums to SMI being paid on an installment basis; and,
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Mails FORT and CCFORT each day to MATPSC. If the day’s FORT and remittances cannot be mailed the same day that the FORT is produced, they should be secured and mailed the next business day. If remittances are received after the daily FORT is produced, they must be held in a secure location overnight and mailed the next business day.

1. When to Use the FORT

Use the FORT(s) to transmit the following to the MATPSC RAU, see GN 02403.001:

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Title II and Title XVI non-SERS remittances from the FO;
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Money gifts from the FO to MATPSC; and
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Medicare overpayment refunds in response to a request for repayment from a Program Service Center (PSC).

The remittance clerk normally requests the FORT at the end of the day for reconciliation of receipts and forwarding to the MATPSC.

2. When to Use the CCFORT

The Credit Card FORT (CCFORT) lists transactions made by debit or credit card payments, seeGN 02403.006. Be sure to include the DMS generated coupon indicating the name of the credit card, the credit card account number, and the card holder's signature. If the remitter presents a Recovery and Collection of Overpayment Process (RECOOP) or Recovery of Overpayments, Accounting and Reporting (ROAR) generated coupon, discard it and use the coupon generated by DMS.

Remember to enter the RECOOP bill number in the bill number field of the Field Office Remittance Input (RFOR) screen, see MS 01103.006.

3. When NOT To Use FORT/CCFORT

Do not use the FORT or CCFORT to transmit:

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Fees to be mailed to the Office of Finance (OF) or to the Office of Earnings Operations (OEO). Use the SSA-414-U3 as discussed in GN 02403.013 to transmit fees.
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Forward Medicare contractor's checks, unendorsed benefit checks, or premium payments to CMS's lock box, see GN 02403.030.
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Medicare premium installment payments (premiums owed for a prior period of SMI coverage such as equitable relief, see HI 00830.060).
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NOTE: Do not use the FORT or CCFORT when sending Medicare premium installment payments to MATPSC for processing. Annotate "INSTALLMENT UNIT" on the check and envelope, and mail separately to the MATPSC RAU PO Box 3430. These arrearages are not reflected on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Direct Billing System (CMS DBS), and the MATPSC RAU processes these remittances separately from other current Medicare premium payments.
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Unendorsed Treasury benefit checks, see GN 02405.010 and GN 02405.100.
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Saving bonds received as conserved funds, see GN 02403.015.
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Remittances processed in the Field Office using the Social Security Electronic Remittance System (SERS) ,see GN 02403.161.

C. Reference

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How to request the FORT and CCFORT and an explanation of the contents, seeMS 01104.008
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Processing remittances after the FORT has been requested, seeGN 02403.025

D. Field Office Remittance Transmittal and Credit Card Field Office Remittance Transmittal

See MS 01104.008 section B. to see an example of the Field Office Remittance Transmittal and section C. for an example of the Credit Card Field Office Remittance Transmittal and section E. for an explanation of each field on these reports.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0202403020

GN 02403.020 - Field Office Remittance Transmittal (FORT) and The Credit Card Field Office Remittance Transmittal (CCFORT) - 12/28/2007
Batch run: 01/19/2024
Rev:12/28/2007

Program Operations Manual System (POMS)