Exciting News About Hours and VMS

Sadly, thirty-five of you wonderful Norfolk Master Gardeners haven’t entered any hours this year! Of course, you should enter all your hours even though no Work hours are required for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Remember though that your annual eight Continuing Education/Training hours are still required. In addition to those thirty-five NMGs with no entries, several of you are short on Training hours at this moment in time. 

Kathleen Reed, the EMG State Coordinator, recently broke the news that this coming January 1, Virginia Cooperative Extension is moving to a new online reporting system, Better Impact, and away from VMS. I am anticipating that VMS will be totally shut down as the migration begins. What does that mean for you? Bottom line, this year you need to get your hours entered by December 15. It is imperative that you search NOW for your calendars, those little bitty slips of paper at the bottom of your purse, and through all those papers on your desk and get to entering!!! If you realize you are coming up short NOW, I am happy to help find those training lectures that can help you complete the training hours requirement. Between December 15 and December 31, I will be compiling your totals for Milestone Award submissions.

Once you have finished entering your hours, let me know. If I enter hours for you, I must have your hours in my hand by December 15, either via email, USPS, or drive by drop off at my house.

We don’t know if your hours will transfer to the Better Impact system, so I recommend that you use the “Create Excel” option in VMS and save your hours for your personal records. I would strongly recommend that you create this document and either save the file or print it; your choice!

I don’t have much information about the new system other than training will be provided; schedule for that has not been set. Our Reenrollment Process will be delayed until the new system is in place. The good news is that once that happens this will be an online process. As more information is provided, I will let you all know.

You can reach me at alwbpw@cox.net or 583-4796.