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HOW TO CERTIFY ACADEMIC
CAMPUS EFFORT CERTIFICATION REPORTS: INDIVIDUAL
Grants
and Contracts Accounting
Virginia
Commonwealth University
730 E. Broad Street, VCU Box 843039
Richmond,
VA 23284-3039
(804)
828-8104
IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ THESE INSTRUCTIONS, INCLUDING THE
ATTACHED DEFINITION OF TERMS, IN THEIR ENTIRETY, BEFORE COMPLETING YOUR
EFFORT CERTIFICATION. THANK YOU.
EFFORT CERTIFICATION REPORT INSTRUCTIONS
(General)
EFFORT CERTIFICATION REPORT INSTRUCTIONS
(Individual)
(For Faculty and Professional Staff)
PROFESSIONAL EFFORT CERTIFICATION REPORTS
ACADEMIC CAMPUS
INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTIONS
General Information
What is Effort Reporting: The distribution of the effort expended by an employee for
compensation.
Why Are Effort Reports Needed: Federal Regulations require the University to provide support or
documentation to justify salary
charges to all accounts.
Who Must Certify: All Faculty and Professional Staff.
How Often Are Reports Issued: At the End of Each Academic Term but no less than six months each.
Who Must Sign Each Certification: The Employee and/or Department Chairman.
How Accurate Is The Certification Designed To Be: Within +-5% of the total
percentage of Effort Expended.
When Are The Reports Due To Be Returned: Required Date Determined by your
Department Head and/or Fiscal Administrator.
To Whom Do You Direct Questions: Your Department Head and/or
Fiscal Administrator.
General Instructions
- Review the certification immediately for reasonable estimation of
effort distribution.
- Record estimate of effort expended per cost
category for a typical week (representative example for entire term).
- Sign the report.
- Make a copy for your records.
- Forward the report to your fiscal administrator who will obtain
the Department Chairman’s signature.
- Fiscal Administrator will forward the certified reports to Effort
Reporting.
Detailed Instructions
How to Complete
(1) Review Salary Data for Accuracy:
- If salary is incorrect: Cross through incorrect data and write
"Salary Data Incorrect." Add the correct data if known.
Attach a copy of the applicable Personnel Action Form (PAF) (see your Fiscal Administrator).
- If salary has been omitted: List index name and number. Also
attach a copy of the PAF to support the change (see your
Fiscal Administrator).
(2) Certify effort in the Effort Summary Section.
Record the estimated percentage of effort expended per cost category for
the term being certified. Match percentages to direct cost categories. If changes are
needed, cross out the pre-printed percentage and write in the correct percentage. Re-compute the 100% total.
- Percentage figures are presented as guidance with
the understanding that these percentages may have a correlation to the distribution of
your estimated percentage of effort expended.
- If effort is expended for organized research (sponsored), record only the estimated percentage of effort for which the sponsored
program directly pays. Additional effort should be recorded as cost sharing. List sponsored program FRS index number in
space for any cost.
- Should estimated percentage of effort expended for
organized research (sponsored) be less than the preprinted percentage, an
adjustment must be made by the department to reduce the salary
charges. Attach a copy of the applicable PAF. (See your
Fiscal Administrator).
DEFINITIONS
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SPONSORED PROGRAM ACTIVITIES of the University
that are separately budgeted and accounted for by Project (5-Ledger
Accounts): |
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Cost Category |
Definitions |
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Organized Research (Sponsored) |
All Federal or Non-Federal Research and Training Activities (Except
ESA’s). |
Cost Sharing Cost
Accounting Policy Cost
Accounting Salary Cap Accounting
for Cost Sharing |
Effort expended on sponsored project for which no direct salary is
paid by sponsor or effort exceeds percentage of salary paid by sponsor
(Mandatory or voluntary committed). |
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Educational Service Agreements (ESA’s) |
Sponsored Training Programs and Projects Established by Grant,
Contract or Cooperative Agreement |
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Other Sponsored Activities |
Programs and projects financed by Federal and non-Federal agencies
and organizations, other organizations, other than specific research
projected (Organized Research) or specific sponsored training
sponsored training projects (Educational Service Agreements). |
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ACADEMIC DEPARTMENT ACTIVITIES of the University that are not
separately budgeted as part of Sponsored program activities. These
activities are supported by departmental funds: |
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Instruction/Departmental Research |
Teaching, Training activities (except sponsored training), and
Non-sponsored research development activities. |
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Administration-Instruction |
Deans, Department Heads and Division Heads. Effort that exclusively
benefits instruction. |
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Administration-Students |
Student Affairs and Student
Services |
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Administration-Sponsored Projects |
Deans, Department Heads and Division Heads. Effort that exclusively
benefits sponsored research. |
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Administration-Departmental |
Supporting services that benefit common or joint departmental
activities. |
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OTHER ACTIVITIES: |
|
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Public Service |
Non-instructional services to individuals external to the
University. Activities are separately budgeted and accounted for by
the University |
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Other Institutional Activities |
Effort expended on activities that are not defined above. |
Exhibits:
Effort
Certification Log - Academic Campus
Effort
Certification Report - Academic Campus
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