TTB Gets Back To Work – What Brewers Should Know

Note that this information is only of interest to professional brewers. I post it here because I know many of you read the blog.

The recent government shutdown affected many people in many different ways. For brewers, the TTB shut down created headaches and delays. Exactly how that is different from business as usual, I’m not sure. Now that things are back to normal, the TTB released some statements regarding the resumption of services. I consolidate those statements here and also link to them on the TTB website, with which you are all too familiar.

Message to TTB Regulated Industry Members

See it on the TTB website


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The federal government has reopened and that means the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is back to work! We understand that the shutdown imposed hardships on many of you, the industry members we regulate, and on the public we serve. We want to assure you that TTB is committed to reducing the impact of the shutdown in as many ways as possible, and as quickly as possible, to lessen the effects on your business operations.

We resumed normal operations of our programs on Thursday, October 17:


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  •     Our offices have re-opened and are providing their full services.
  •     Our TTB website, TTB.gov, is back to normal operations, including the COLA Public Registry.
  •     All of our TTB Online e-filing systems are back up: COLAs Online, Formulas Online, and Permits Online.

We are actively working to address issues that arose from the shutdown as well as the processing delays that impede your operations and hinder economic activity. We took immediate steps to resolve the applications that were automatically rejected by COLAs Online and Formulas Online during the shutdown, recovering expired applications and issuing guidance to industry. We also cleared all pending export certificate applications and sample import waiver requests that delayed trade activity during the shutdown. Lastly, we have temporarily redirected staff and authorized additional overtime to process the anticipated increase in label, formula, and permit applications in the coming weeks as we resume normal operations.

We will continue our efforts to assess workloads and adjust our resource allocations in order to meet the needs of our regulated industries. We thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work through this recovery period together.

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UPDATE: TTB Corrects ‘TTB Online’ Issues Caused by Government Shutdown

See it on the TTB website

On October 18, we reported that the government shutdown might have affected your Formulas Online submissions and COLAs Online applications. Over the weekend, we were able to address many of the issues we reported.

Formulas Online

We’ve extended Formulas Online rules for automatic date-based status changes.

Beverage Formula Submissions with “Needs Correction” Status

Beverage Formula submissions that were in a “Needs Correction” status and automatically cancelled during the shutdown have been put back into a “Needs Correction” status.   We’ve extended from 30 to 60 days the length of time your submission can remain in the “Needs Correction” status.

All Submissions with “Draft” Status

All submissions that were in a “Draft” status and automatically cancelled during the shutdown have been put back into a “Draft” status.   We’ve extended from 30 to 60 days the length of time your submission can remain in the “Draft” status.

COLAs Online

We’ve also extended COLAs Online rules for automatic date-based status changes.

Applications with “Needs Correction” Status

Applications that were in the “Needs Correction” status and automatically rejected during the shutdown have been put back into a “Needs Correction” status.   We’ve extended from 30 to 60 days the length of time your application can remain in the “Needs Correction” status.

What You Can Do

See it on the TTB website

Advice for Industry Members

Many industry members have asked how they can help us during this time.  Here are some suggestions:

  • Use our TTBOnline e-filing systems, COLAs Online, Formulas Online, and Permits Online, to expedite processing of your applications. (Read Impacts of Government Shutdown on TTB Online Systems-What You Need to Know for more information about how the government shutdown may have affected your Formulas Online submissions and COLAs Online applications.)
  • Use TTB.gov, when possible, to check the status of any pending applications to minimize calls to our application processing offices, particularly status calls. Some offices may not be able to return calls requesting the status of applications.
  • Take full advantage of TTB policies and regulations that allow you make certain changes without TTB approval or notification, including our allowable revisions/changes to approved labels.
  • Double-check your applications! Error-free applications minimize the likelihood of corrections and rejections.

 

 

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