The State Program Director Approver Process [Video]

After a state or federal user creates an account in the portal, they will request the access, permissions, and roles they need to do their work. Let’s define these terms in more detail.

Access and permissions include states and program sections, and whether someone will be editing, changing a status, or only viewing.
Roles are the state or federal job descriptions within the portal, enabling an employee to do their job. An example of a state role is State Program Director. An example of a federal role is a Federal Panel Lead.

Who approves what?

After a new user creates an account, they will follow these steps to request access to the portal. State Staff Editor role requests will be routed to State Program Directors for role and access approval within their program sections and the Common Elements. If you are a State Program Director, follow the steps in the sidebar to approve, deny, review or remove the role requests for State Staff Editors in your program section.

Video Transcript

User Approvers of a federal office or agency will approve their requests for State Program Director, Federal Reviewer, Federal Program Specialist, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Commissioner, and Federal Panel Lead. If you are a User Approver, go to the Federal Job Aid for the User Approver Process (you must be logged in as a Federal User to access this Job Aid).

The User Requests List (SPD)

The State Program Director will open the User Requests list to approve requests, including new user access, updates to existing user roles, or to view active accounts. A State Program Director will only receive requests from State Staff Editors in their State Program or to the Common Elements.

To open the User Requests list, log in to the portal and select ‘User Requests’ in the menu. The screen will display the title User Requests.
Under ‘Viewing,’ select the down arrow to choose the type of request from the pull-down list. Select from the following options:
- User Requested Changes
- Active Users

Note that only pending requests that you can approve will appear in the User Requested Changes list.

The most recent requests display at the top of the list.

Follow the steps in Approving a State Staff Editor Role Request to approve a submitted request.

Approving a State Staff Editor Role Request (SPD)

Follow these steps to approve a State Staff Editor’s role request.

Select ‘User Requests’ in the menu to view the User Requests page.
Under ‘Viewing,’ if you do not already see ‘User Requested Changes’ displayed, choose it from the pull-down list. The list shows the most recent requests at the top.
Select the name of the user whose request you want to approve.
In their profile under Pending Requests, you will see checkboxes indicating requested roles and programs. You can only approve a request for State Staff Editor role in your state’s program section or for the Common Elements.
To approve, select the appropriate checkbox.
Select ‘Approve Selected.’

This will log the approval and assign the role of State Staff Editor to that account.

Denying a State Staff Editor Role Request (SPD)

Follow these steps to deny a State Staff Editor’s account request.

Select ‘User Requests’ in the menu to view the User Requests page.
Under ‘Viewing,’ if you do not already see ‘User Requested Changes’ displayed, choose it from the pull-down list. The most recent requests are at the top.
Select the name of the person whose request you want to deny.
In their profile under Pending Requests, you will see checkboxes indicating requested roles and programs. You can only deny a request for State Staff Editor role in your state’s program section.
Select the checkbox of the role(s) you want to deny.
Enter the required log message in the field below the selected role(s), so the requestor understands the reason this request is being denied.
Select ‘Deny Selected.’

This will log the denial and update their access. A person cannot request a role that has been denied, however the role can be assigned by the State Program Director if needed.

Reviewing Active State Staff Editor Profiles (SPD)

Follow these steps to review a State Staff Editor’s profile. A State Program Director is the only role that can view and edit a State Staff Editor’s access to their program section. This is done through ‘User Requests’ in the menu (even though the edits were not requested).

Select ‘User Requests’ in the menu to view the User Requests page.
Under ‘Viewing,’ choose ‘Active Users’ from the pull-down list.
Select the person’s name. You will only see current, active State Staff Editors in your program section.

Go to Editing a State Staff Editor’s Access to Your Program Section to make edits to active State Staff Editors' access.

Editing a State Staff Editor’s Access to Your Program Section (SPD)

You cannot edit your State Staff Editor role requests if they are pending. The State Program Director must first approve or deny a request. To edit a State Staff Editor's access, follow the steps below.

Select User Requests from the menu and under Active Users, select the name of the State Staff Editor.
Navigate to ‘Roles.’ Expand the State Staff Editor block to view the State Staff Editor’s current state and program roles.
Select the ‘Adjust/View All’ button.
You will see the Roles and Description table.
- To remove an assignment: You cannot remove the role of State Staff Editor in the Roles column. However, you can remove your program section if it's selected.
  - To do this, in the Description column, select the '+' to expand the Assigned Sections (Open to Remove) block.
  - Select the ‘Remove section’ checkbox, located below the program name.
- To assign a the State Staff Editor role if it is not already selected, in the Roles column, select the State Staff Editor checkbox.
  - To add your section after the role is assigned, in the Description column, select the pull-down list where it says 'Choose one or more sections.'
  - Select the program name. You can only select available options.
Select the ‘Confirm Selections’ button.
On the Role Confirmation page, review and choose 'Make These Selections.'

A confirmation message shows the account has been updated.

Select the ‘Go Back’ button to return to the State Staff Editor’s profile.