ADDRESS NORMALIZATION THROUGH CODE-1

Whenever an address is initially entered in the Vendor System on the Children's Services Vendor Number Assignment (VNME) screen or changed on Children's Services Vendor Update (VUPD) screen, Code-1 will check the accuracy of the address entered by the data entry operator.  Code-1 software contains the most current addresses within the United States Postal System.  If the input address differs from the address in Code-1, it will normalize the 
address and display it on the screen.  The possible changes are the street address, city, state, ZIP code, and ZIP plus 4.  Code-1 will also format the address to conform to USPS standards.  Below are two examples where an address that contains an apartment number is input one way and Code-1 normalizes it:
 
 

Jane Doe Apt. 212 505 Ellis Blvd. Jefferson City MO 65101	Jane Doe 558 Senate Court Apartment A Jefferson City MO  65101
Normalized to: JANE DOE 505 ELLIS BLVD APT 212 JEFFERSON CITY MO 65101 2263	Normalized to: JANE DOE 558 SENATE CT APT A JEFFERSON CITY MO 65109-0874

Since the USPS reads the address from the bottom up, Code-1 will normalize the address to display the street address closest to the city name.  However, Address 1 in both the business address area and mailing address area (if mailing address is used) is a required field in the Vendor System.  In the first example, the system will compress the address so that the blank line will not print on address labels.  

The Vendor System allows entry of two types of addresses.  The Business Address is the address where the provider's business is located and the Mailing Address is where the provider wishes to receive mail from the agency such as payment, mail and other information.  Code-1 edits apply to each type of address entered in the Vendor System.  A business address must be entered for each provider in the Vendor System.  The mailing address is optional.

CODE-1 OVERRIDE

Although the Code-1 software contains the most current address for the provider it is possible in some rare situations that the data entry operator may wish to enter an address that differs from what is displayed by Code-1.  If this occurs, the data entry operator can "override" the Code-1 edits and update or add the provider with an address that has been verified as more accurate the Code-1.  To do this the data entry operator enters a "Y" in the CODE-1 Ovrd Y/N field, updates the address with the non Code-1 approved address and the person with Resource Directory update capability assigns the correct county to the vendor in the Resource Directory.

For both Child Welfare and Income Maintenance it is important to ensure that an address requiring a Code-1 override has been researched on "Code-1 Plus" (CD1P) for a correct address.  Instructions for CD1P are in Memorandum IM-#58 (1996), dated 08-07-1996. It is especially important for staff on the FAMIS system to input correct and normalized addresses in the Vendor System in order to issue correct payments and other correspondence for Child Care providers.  If Code-1 is not able to recognize and normalize the address, it cannot determine the county to which the address belongs.  In June 1999, as part of the development of FAMIS, child care invoices and payments will be produced based upon address information contained in the FAMIS Resource Directory.  The Resource Directory contains the Vendor System'S address information, including the county determined by Code-1.  If the address cannot be assigned to a valid county number, it displays in the Resource Directory as County 2000.  Child care rates for registered providers can only be determined for addresses assigned to actual counties; County 2000 addresses, therefore, will not have correct invoices and payments for child care.  The address must be corrected in the Vendor System to pass Code-1 or the county number must be updated in Resource Directory to the correct county of location on the Resource Information (FMFA) screen.  The person in the county with Resource Directory update capability makes the correction. 

SPECIFIC STEPS ON VNUM AND VUPD

To enter provider information (VNUM) or change information (VUPD) in the Vendor System, the data entry operator must do the following:

1. Enter the information for the provider.
2. Review the information and press the <Enter> key.  This will cause Code-1 to review and normalize the address.  In many cases, the address entered by the data entry operator may pass Code-1 and no changes will be made to the address entered by the data entry operator.
3. If Code-1 normalized the business or mailing address, a message is displayed:  "Business (or Mailing) Address revised by Code-1." Press <Enter> to approve.  The data entry operator should review the message and press the <Enter> key again to accept the address and other information for the provider.  IF THE ENTER KEY IS NOT PRESSED AFTER REVIEWING THIS INFORMATION, THE DATA WILL NOT BE STORED IN THE VENDOR SYSTEM.
4. If the data entry operator has verified information about an address which differs from the address displayed by Code-1, the operator may choose to override the Code-1 address by entering a "Y" in the CODE-1 Ovrd Y/N field and pressing <Enter>.  NOTE:  After the overnight batch runs, a provider whose address has a Code-1 override will show in the FAMIS Resource Directory with County 2000.  The county number should be corrected to the actual county of the address.
5. On VUPD only, if the business address has changed, the data entry operator must input an Y or N in the "Has the business physically moved Y/N" field.

Another change was made to the Vendor System as required by the FAMIS project.  The Physical Move Indicator allows staff to track providers who have moved their businesses.  An entry in the "Has the business Physically Moved Y/N" field must be made each time a provider's business address is changed.  This indicator will allow the FAMIS system to automatically close the Health and Safety information for a registered Child Care provider that has moved the business to a new address and send a closing letter without staff intervention.  Health and Safety information for providers that have address changes that are not because of a physical move, such as 911, will remain open and unchanged.  

These two changes to the Vendor System will have a significant impact on the quality of service provided to vendors and claimants without increasing staff workload.  Address normalization will make addressing all vendor correspondence and determining the correct payment rate more accurate.  Increased accuracy means fewer errors for staff, vendors and claimants to correct.  Identification of physical move will help insure that registered providers meet current Health and Safety regulations.

• Review this memorandum with appropriate staff.

 
• Normalized addresses will display in both the business and mailing address fields on the VNUM and VUPD screens in the Vendor System.

 
• Override the suggested Code-1 address or an unrecognized address only after searching for the correct address on CD1P screen.

 
• Make entries in the "Has the business Physically Moved Y/N" field each time a provider's business address is changed.