In last week's blog post, we told you that the Indiana Courts are making some major changes to the system we submit your envelopes to when you E-File. Big changes are scary, so in the next few posts, we'll share some of the ways this change will make your work easier.
Currently, filers sometimes get a frustrating error message that prevents filing. If you've ever seen this message, you know the pain:
Service contact #|CODE|# is not eligible for electronic service.
The good news is that in December, this problem will go away! ...The bad news, of course, is that it won't happen until December.
Fortunately, we've got a workaround to deal with this problem until then. First, we'll explain the workaround so you know how to deal with it. Second, we'll explain why it's likely to be with us until December, and why we think the future is brighter.
The Workaround:
This problem is caused because one of the service contacts attached to the case you are filing on has a flag set that makes the EFM think it can only be used for postal service, not e-service. Here is the workaround:
- Determine which Service Contact is the issue. You can do that by deleting the current draft that shows the error. You'll find the [Delete this Draft] button in the green "E-File & Serve on this Case" field.
- Go back to the case e-filing screen, and prior to uploading any documents, scroll down to the "Contacts to E-Serve" section and click the green slider button to unselect all.
- Select one contact and upload a document to see if the error appears. If not, add another Service Contact until you see the error. Then you'll be able to delete that draft again to clear the error.
- Go back and click the green slider button next to the contact that caused the error in the "Contacts to E-Serve". This will "turn off" that contact.
- Now, proceed with the filing normally.
Using this workaround, you'll be able to do everything except serve the errored contact, so you'll want to note the email address for them and send them service directly.
Why This Error Won't Go Away Until December:
This error currently exists due to Indiana Courts using the “ECF4” system, while the vendor they are working with focuses on their “ECF5” system. Due to this focus, the error was fixed on ECF5, and we believe it is unlikely to see the same for the ECF4 system. There is good news! Since the Indiana Courts are rolling out their own in-house E-Filing Manager in December, we believe the folks in Indianapolis will be more responsive to problems like this than their current vendor has been in the past. (We know where they live!)
Thank you for choosing us as your E-Filing Service Provider. We plan to continue providing a positive experience to everyone using our site. If you ever need support or have questions, please don't hesitate to contact us! Our great support team can be reached via any of the options listed on this page: https://www.doxpop.com/prod/in/help/HelpTopic
