Appendix D – Appointment Errors/Warnings

The table below identifies the circumstances (conditions) when errors or warnings occur, the error or warning message provided as a result, and the role of the individual who sees the message on the screen.

NOTE: When the internal user clicks the Validate button, the warnings will appear for that appointment. The errors will not be shown because the appointment cannot be submitted with errors.

Condition	Error or Warning	Message	Role Receiving Message
The Trainee Appointment Period specified exceeds 12 months.	Error	A Trainee Appointment cannot exceed 12 months without prior approval of the awarding agency. Please adjust the Start/End Date of the Appointment or contact the eRA Help Desk for further assistance.	PI
The Start and End Dates of the New Appointment cannot be within the Start and End Date of the existing Appointment for the Trainee.	Error	There is another existing Appointment for the Trainee on the Grant # [Insert Grant # and the PI Name of the existing Appointment]. The Start and End Dates of the new Appointment cannot be within the Start and End Date of an existing Appointment for the Trainee.	PI
The Appointment Start Date is not within the Budget Period year of the Associated Grant.	Error	The Trainee Appointment Start Date should occur within the Budget Period year of the associated grant.	PI
The Appointment Start Date should be less than the Appointment End Date.	Error	The Appointment Start Date should be less than the Appointment End Date.	PI
The Trainee Appointment End Date must be less than or equal to the Project Period End Date.	Warning	The Trainee Appointment End Date must be less than or equal to the Project Period End Date.	PI
If the Trainee Race, Sex, or Birth Date is not entered…	Error	The Trainee Race, Sex, and Birth Date must be entered. Where available, Do not wish to provide, can be used. The Trainee must enter this information on the Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI**
If the Ethnicity and/or Disabilities are not entered…	Error	The Trainee Ethnicity and Disabilities must be entered. Where available, Do not wish to provide, can be used. The Trainee must enter this information on the Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI**
If the Stipend/Salary amount is not entered or is entered but is zero or less. The R25 activity code can have zero stipend/salary.	Error	The Stipend/Salary amount must be entered and be greater than zero.	PI
The citizenship indicator for Trainee Profile is not entered.	Error	The Trainee’s citizenship must be entered. The Trainee must enter this information on the Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI**
The grant does not have the activity code T34, the Stipend Level is not PRE-BAC, and the Trainee does not have at least one degree.	Error	At least one Trainee degree must be entered. The Trainee must enter this information on the Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI**
The Appointment is for a Post-Doc or a Scholar and the Trainee does not have a PhD, MD or at least one equivalent degree.	Warning	The Trainee has not entered a PhD, MD, or equivalent degree required for this Post-Doc or Scholar Appointment. The Trainee must enter this information on Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI*
The Appointment is for a Pre-Doc and Trainee does not have Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree.	Warning	The Trainee has not entered a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree required for this Pre-Doc Appointment. The Trainee must enter this information on the Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI*
The Pre-Doc is receiving more than five years of NRSA support.	Warning	The Pre-Doc may not receive greater than five years of NRSA support without a waiver from the awarding agency.	PI
The Post-Doc is receiving more than three years of NRSA support.	Warning	The Post-Doc may not receive greater than three years of NRSA support without a waiver from the awarding agency.	PI
The Trainee profile indicates Federal Debt with no explanation provided.	Error	The Trainee has Federal Debt indicated in the Trainee-Specific section of their Personal Profile. An explanation for the Federal Debt must be provided.	Trainee
If the Appointment Period (difference between Start and End Dates) is less than nine months and activity code is not T35…	Warning	No Trainees may be appointed for less than nine months unless the Training grant was designated for short-term training positions or prior approval was granted by the awarding agency.	PI
If Trainee Profile is missing a SSN…	Warning	No SSN has been entered in the Trainee Personal Profile. The Trainees are asked to voluntarily provide their SSN information to aide in the processing of the Trainee Appointments by providing the agency with vital information necessary for accurate identification.	Trainee/PI**
For a new Appointment that has not previously been routed to the Trainee, if the PI tries to submit the 2271 Form to the agency.	Error	The Save & Submit function failed. The 2271 Form must be routed to the Trainee prior to submission to agency. NOTE: The Save & Route to Trainee button appears at the bottom of the screen after the PI invites or re-invites the Trainee to register in eRA Commons AND the Trainee follows the e-mailed registration instructions.	PI
If the grant is aT35 and the number of months between the Appointment Start and End Dates is less than two months…	Warning	If the grant Activity Type is T35 then the Appointment Period should not be less than two months.	Trainee/PI**
If the grant is a T35 and the number of months between Appointment Start and End Dates is more than three months…	Warning	If the grant Activity Type is T35 then the appointment period should not exceed three months.	Trainee/PI**
The activity code for the grant is T34 and the Trainee has any type of degree.	Warning	Because the Trainee has a degree, confirm the Trainee's eligibility for the T34 Appointment.	Trainee/PI** This warning exists in xTrain only so there is no need for the Edit Checker validation procedure.
If the Appointment Period (difference between Start and End Dates) is less than eight weeks and the activity code is RL5, RL9, R90 or R25…	Error	For RL5, RL9, R90 and R25 activity codes, xTrain does not accept Appointments if the Appointment Period is less than eight weeks.	Trainee/PI**
For RL5, RL9, R90 and R25 activity codes, if the Non-Resident is selected on Trainee Personal Profile…	Warning	Please make sure you are following the FOA instructions regarding citizenship requirements.	Trainee/PI**
If the Appointment is for a Participant and no degree is specified…	Warning	No degree information has been entered on Personal Profile screen in eRA Commons.	Trainee/PI**
For RL5, RL9, R90 and R25 activity codes and the Field of Research Training (FOT) is not specified…	Warning	The Field of Research Training (FOT) or Career Development is not entered.	Trainee/PI*
For all activity codes except for R25, R38, RL5, RL9, and R90, if Non-Resident is selected on the Trainee Personal Profile…	Error	The Appointed individuals must be citizens, non-citizen nationals of the United States, or lawfully admitted permanent residents.	Trainee/PI**