Sent on behalf of Wisconsin Department of Health Services Chief Financial Officer Barry Kasten:
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is updating the system used to reimburse costs reported by local agencies. The current Community Aids Reporting System (CARS) is being replaced by an upgraded system called GEARS (Grants Enrollment, Application & Reporting System). GEARS is based on updated technology and will be more sustainable in the future.
When will the move to GEARS happen?
DHS anticipates transitioning to GEARS before the end of this calendar year (2022). Dates and timelines are still being finalized; however, as the implementation plan evolves, you can stay updated through the CARS home page on the DHS website.
What do I need to know, and how I can I help ease the transition?
Share information about the change to GEARS within your organization about the upgrade.
DHS has tried to keep the amount of change your agency will experience during phase one of GEARS as minimal as possible. But there are differences between CARS and GEARS, and a full listing of the differences and what those differences mean to agencies is available on the CARS home page. Below are a few important changes:
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Expenditure Reporting: Some minor changes to the Expenditure Reporting form (currently CARS-600) are necessary to support GEARS. Information on those changes and how to access the revised report will be available before GEARS goes live. Please note the following about expenditure reporting:
- Agency Contact Information is requested on the current CARS Reporting form and will be especially critical as GEARS is implemented. If there are questions about your GEARS Expenditure Report, listing a contact on each report will allow us to resolve questions promptly which translates into timely and accurate payments.
- Keeping profiles in numeric order on the form means more efficiency. This isn’t a change to the reporting form or in GEARS; however, profiles that are listed in numerical order, low to high, on the expenditure reports improves data entry accuracy.
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Output Reports (currently CARS-603, -610 and -620): We’ve made improvements to the GEARS reports. Information on the changes to the reports and how to access them will be available before the GEARS reports are placed online.
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GEARS Agency Type Codes: The agency type codes will now have two digits. The digits will not change from year to year. This new Agency Type Codes page will be your guide to the codes and what they mean.
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Payments: Once the switch to GEARS is complete, we will be able to use the State of Wisconsin’s STAR system more fully. This will improve payment reliability and security.
Please remember that we are here to support you during this transition.
We expect questions will come up as we transition from CARS to GEAR. Please email questions to DHSDESBFSCARS@DHS.Wisconsin.gov. We are also developing a GEARS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on the CARS home page to help share the information across all interested parties.
Please share this information as appropriate with others in your agency.
Thank you for your time and attention as we move GEARS forward.
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