TO:	  Commissioners, TA, FS & MA Directors, HEAP Coordinators, Staff Development Coordinators, TOP Coordinators

FROM:	Russell Sykes, Deputy Commissioner, Division of Employment & Transitional Supports

SUBJECT:	WMS Availability on Fourth of July, 2006

EFFECTIVE DATE:	Immediately

CONTACT PERSON:	Tom Hedderman, @ 1-800-433-8859, ext. 6-6939

In order to accommodate any districts having special office hours to assist victims of the recent flooding, WMS and BICS both will be available during normal WMS business hours, from 7 A.M. until 9 P.M. on Tuesday, the Fourth of July, 2006.

In addition, WMS data entry hours for today, Monday, July 3, 2006 have been extended until 8 P.M.  This means that any single-issuance benefits authorized by 8 P.M. tonight will be available tomorrow morning.

Districts should be aware that any single-issuance benefits registered through WMS on Tuesday, July 4th, 2006 will not be available until Thursday, July 6th.  If a household is in need of immediate assistance on the Fourth of July, single-issuance benefits should be pre-registered via BICS in order to make the benefit available the same day.  We remind the local districts that all benefits pre-registered on BICS also should be registered on WMS.  Vault cards may be issued to recipients in need of immediate assistance using normal CBIC processes.

For any systems questions related to this release, please call the WMS Helpline at 1-800-342-3010.