To assure that your Common Manual remains current, please record this document on your LPM/LPB index, and retain it in Appendix E of your manual.

During the past several years, the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) and USA Group have invested significant resources to ensure our data systems are ready to process dates in the year 2000 and beyond. As we make final preparations, we would like to share with you our current plans for the 1999-2000 transition.

Both LOSFA and USAGroup will observe Friday, December 31, 1999, as our New Year’s holiday; however, a team of LOSFA and USAGroup specialists will be working around-the-clock from Friday, December 31, 1999, to Sunday, January 2, 2000, to monitor and coordinate the transition to the new year. During this time, our teams will complete their work to verify that all systems are ready for the first business day of 2000.

During the transition period, LOSFA and USAGroup will conduct a comprehensive backup of data, carry out extensive verification of systems and applications, check out the operation of our systems and cross-check our data transfer systems. We are making this additional effort and taking extra care to ensure smooth processing on Monday, January 3, 2000, the first day of normal business operations in the new year. To permit these additional activities, customer access to both LOSFA and USAGroup data systems will be suspended, beginning at 4:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) on Thursday, December 30, 1999. Customer access to USA Group systems will resume at 5 a.m. on Sunday, January 2, 2000. LOSFA systems will be back up as usual at 7:30 a.m. CST on Monday, January 3, 2000. In addition, online access to guarantee and disbursement information and to borrower account information through USAGroup’s Web site will not be available to customers from 4 p.m. CST on Thursday, December 30, 1999, to approximately 12:01 a.m. CST on Sunday, January 2, 2000.

On Sunday, January 2, 2000, LOSFA will check out the processing of our data with USA group in advance of the first day of regular business.

USA Group will provide regular reports on the progress of its efforts through the following two sources:

• Recorded Telephone Messages. Beginning at midnight on Friday, December 31, 1999, you can obtain the latest USA Group system status information by calling 800-428-9250. The recorded messages will be updated as progress warrants. These telephone status reports will be available at least through midnight, Saturday, January 8, 2000.
  
• USAGroup Web Site. System status information will also be posted on USA Group’s Web site at http://www.usagroup.com/year2000/yearendupdate.htm  These status reports will be available beginning at midnight Friday, December 31, 1999, at least through midnight, Saturday, January 8, 2000.