Learn what the Action Required Status means and how you can resolve it. This article is for Passport users who want to understand their Action Required Status.
Understanding why your invoice is stuck in Action Required is an important step in correctly submitting your invoice to your Passport Agency for review and reimbursement. This article will outline some possible reasons an invoice can be stuck in Action Required, and what action needs to be taken on your part to resolve the error.
Please note: No further action will be taken by the Payment Processing Office regarding invoices in Action Required (nor will it be visible to your Passport Agency) until you complete the error or resubmit the expense.
How do I know if my Invoice is in Action Required?
By going to your Submitted Invoices section, located on the left-hand side menu of your MyDirectPlan application, you will be able to find a list of all the invoices you have submitted, as well as their status.
You'll know when an invoice is marked 'Action Required' in the status column, as seen here:
Why is my Invoice in Action Required?
There are many different reasons an Invoice can be stuck in Action Required. Below is a list of the common Action Required errors, and how you can fix them.
- Action Required due to Support Worker Registration
If your invoice is in Action Required due to the Support Worker Registration you will get the below error message:
"Have you registered your Worker with your Passport Agency? If not, it is also possible that the name, postal code, and/or phone number entered by this Worker does not match the record at the payment processing office. You may proceed without having your Worker update this information, but payment processing may be delayed."
To correct this error, please ensure that you have submitted your Support Worker form to your Passport Agency. If they do not have your Support Worker's information on file, and if you do not input the information exactly as your Passport Agency has it on file, you will receive this error.
Please check that all information you have on MyDirectPlan, as well as the information entered by your Support Worker on their account, reflects the information your Passport Agency has, and be sure that you have submitted your Support Worker form for the worker associated with the invoice.
To check your worker's status, head to the "Manage Workers" tab on MyDirectPlan:
If you still can't figure out why your invoice is stuck, please contact us.
- Action Required due to a Duplicate Expense
If your invoice is in Action Required due to a Duplicate Expense, you will get the below error message:
"This invoice has already been submitted."
The most common reason this error is occurring is likely due to the fact you are submitting two expenses for the same provider on the same invoice, which is triggering the system to think you are submitting duplicate invoices.
An example would be submitting two Uber expenses (a trip there and a trip back, for example) on the same date as two different expenses.
The recommended solution is combining two expenses incurred by the same provider on the same date into one expense for the combined amounts. Alternatively, you can skip this step and press the resubmit button.
To combine expenses:
- Locate the indicated expense and click "View/Edit" to change expense details.
- Add any expenses that have the same start and end dates with the same service providers so they appear on one expense line only.
- Cancel the combined expenses by clicking on the three dots. Any expenses that have already been combined can now be cancelled. To cancel an expense, select the "Cancel" option.
- Confirm your action.
- Once all expenses with the same start/end date and service provider have been added to the same expense line, you can then select the "Resubmit" button.
For further help with combining and cancelling duplicate expenses, please contact MyDirectPlan support: contact us.
- Action Required due to Payee
If your invoice is in Action Required due to the Payee you will get the below error message:
"Please contact your Passport Agency. Either your Payee has not been registered, or their name, postal code and/or phone number do not match the record at the payment processing office. You may proceed but payment may be delayed."
To correct this error, please make sure that your Payee is verified.
To verify your Payee, the information you have for them on MyDirectPlan must reflect the same information they have at your Passport Agency.
If you are unsure of who is on file, please contact your Passport Agency and inquire about who they have listed as the Payee and make changes as needed so that the information on MyDirectPlan corresponds correctly.
To view your Payee profile on MyDirectPlan:
- Head to your "Account Settings" section, on the left-hand side of MDP.
- Once inside your Account Settings, select "My Profile".
- You should now be able to locate your Payee.
- Selecting your Payee profile will show you all the information you have entered. Please ensure the information you have entered matches what your Passport agency has.
If you still can't figure out why your invoice is stuck, please contact us.
- Action Required due to Missing Receipt
If your invoice is in Action Required due to the Missing Receipt you will get the below error message:
"Receipt is missing: please correct any errors then press "RESUBMIT."
To correct this error, please make sure that you attach a receipt to your expenses. Supported file types include pdf, jpg, jpeg, gif, tif, and png.
To add your receipt(s):
- Locate the indicated expense and click "View/Edit" to add your receipt(s).
- You will now have the ability to add your receipt(s). Attach your Receipts and click on the Update button.
- Once this is done, click the "Resubmit" button to resend the claim to the Payment Processing Office. The status of the claim should change to "Under Review" immediately after doing this.
If you still can't figure out why your invoice is stuck, please contact us.
- Action Required due to an Unverified Person Managing Funds
To correct this error, please make sure that your Person Managing Funds is verified.
To verify your Person Managing Funds, the information you have for them on MyDirectPlan must reflect the same information they have at your Passport Agency.
If you are unsure of who is on file, please contact your Passport Agency and inquire about who they have listed as the PMF and make changes as needed so that the information on MyDirectPlan corresponds correctly.
To view your PMF profile on MyDirectPlan:
- Head to your "Account Settings" section, on the left-hand side of MDP:
- Once inside your Account Settings, select "My Profile".
- You should now be able to locate your Person Managing Funds profile. Selecting your Person Managing Funds profile will show you all the information you have entered. Please ensure the information you have entered matches what your Passport agency has.
If you still can't figure out why your invoice is stuck, please contact us.
Now you know a bit more about the top reasons invoices can go under the Action Required status in MyDirectPlan. We hope you found this article helpful.
Still need help?
Please email us at support@mydirectplan.com so that our support team can assist you.