ATF Updates - eForms and Backlog

[leftyk82]

some of the highlights from the email I received today from the eForms Users Notice:

 

 

What is our progress to date?

 

From a peak of over 81,000 pending NFA applications at the end of February 2014, as of 

 

January 14, 2015, ATF has reduced the number to less than 38,000 applications pending (54% 

 

reduction in pending applications). In the last four weeks, although the NFA Branch received 

 

over 19,500 applications, the Branch processed more than 22,300 applications.

 

 

 

 

The statistics in the table below represent the processing of NFA Forms over the past four weeks. 

 

NFA FORMS PROCESSED BY WEEK

 

Date (Week of)       12/24/2014                 12/31/2014             1/7/2015             1/14/2015

 

All Forms                   4,759                           3,322                    5,693                    6,405

 

eForms                        631                              267                      435                        513

 

Paper Forms              4,168                         3,055                     5,258                     5,892

 

 

At the same time, ATF has directed additional resources to NFA application processing:

 

 The authorized staffing level of 25 Legal Instrument Examiner (LIE) positions for the 

 

NFA Branch has been reached.

 

 ATF continues to expend overtime for those employees processing NFA applications.

 

 ATF has cross-trained and utilized LIEs from various other ATF branches to support

 

NFA application processing. This is an ongoing process and has already beneficially 

 

impacted application processing. 

 

 ATF has trained and utilized 23 Industry Operations Investigators (IOIs) in the 

 

processing of NFA forms and utilized these IOIs for a 3-week period to help reduce the 

 

backlog.

 

 ATF has dedicated additional data entry contract resources to continue to reduce the 

 

time it takes for an application to be entered into the National Firearms Registration and 

 

Transfer Record (NFRTR) and to keep it reduced in light of the volume of submissions. 

 

 For paper submissions, the processing times for NFA forms have been reduced to:

 

o Forms 1 and 4 – 6 months

 

o Forms 3 and 5 – 2 months

 

o Forms 2 and 9 – 1 month

 

 ATF Forms 1, 2, 5, 9, 10 and 5300.11 have been returned to service in the eForms 

 

system. 

 

 While eForms 3 and 4 have not yet been restored to service, there has been progress. 

 

ATF has engaged a new vendor to create a more robust platform for the processing of 

 

the eForms 3 and 4. 

 

The new platform will be designed to eliminate the issues that caused the removal of the 

 

eForms 3 and 4 from service. The new eForms will also provide enhanced functionality 

 

such as batch processing and possibly some automated approval functionality for certain

 

forms. The vendor has recently been cleared and has already started to work with ATF 

 

in engaging the industry for system requirements on certain processes. Once the 

 

requirements have been finalized, we will begin the design and review of the new 

 

eForms platform. We hope to have eForms 3 and 4 returned to service by late 2015. 

 

 ATF met in July in a roundtable discussion with some of the larger users of the eForms 

 

system to exchange information about the development of the new system. There have 

 

been additional information sharing meetings since July with the goal of additional 

 

industry input to the design and review of the process.