Structural Pest Control Board demos new WDO reporting system; launch delayed, staff answers user questions

The Structural Pest Control Board hosted an online town hall to demonstrate a new WDO activity reporting system and to answer user questions about backlog, account linking and payments.

"We're going to demo the new reporting system with you today," Melissa, a board staff member, said at the start of the session. She told users the launch has been delayed and that staff are "actively working to resolve the identified issues" but did not give a confirmed go-live date; the Board said it will notify users by email when a date is set.

Staff said the Board has "entered blackout dates through the month of November," and that those dates "will not count towards your 10 day filing requirement" dating back to when the old system was turned off. The exact end date for the blackout period was not specified in the demonstration.

Roni, the session's demo presenter, walked attendees through Connect login and the WDO activity workflow that will appear as a green "WDO activity" button once the system goes live. Roni showed how users can: view an unsubmitted (pending) activities queue; add activities individually or via a text-file upload from termite programs; manage inspector license numbers; edit incomplete entries; and submit selected records in batches (the interface can display and submit up to 1,000 records at a time).

The new system flags potential duplicate activities and prevents automatic submission until the user reviews the flag. Roni said users can override a duplicate flag if the multiple entries are intentional (for example, separate structures at a single address) but cautioned companies to review duplicates to avoid paying twice.

On payments, Roni demonstrated the add-funds workflow and said the system accepts Visa, Mastercard and Discover but not American Express or ACH. "There is a 2.3% service fee that is added on to the transaction," she said, and staff confirmed the Board will continue to accept mailed checks using a deposit form (users should note their PR number in the memo so funds are posted to the correct account). Staff also said deposits and activity history from the old system were migrated and will appear in users' accounts on the first day the WDO button is enabled.

The session included a question-and-answer period. User Dave Donatelli said many inspectors are "stacking up" inspections during the outage; staff replied that they understand there will be a backlog and that users will have time to submit older activities after the system is turned on. Roni also explained that sole proprietors who used a Social Security number in the old system may need help linking their accounts and advised them to email the support address displayed during the town hall.

Staff demonstrated account tools including export-to-Excel for audits, a cost-summary report, a manage-threshold feature to trigger low-balance email alerts, and the "provide access" options for owners to grant admin or staff permissions. Roni described a one-time code workflow that lets an owner provide admin access to a staff member without sharing a company's tax ID.

The Board scheduled the next town hall for the following Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. and encouraged users to enter or email contact information to receive launch updates. "As soon as [a] go live date is confirmed, we'll send out an email notification," Melissa said.

The Board did not take formal votes or adopt policy during the session; the meeting served as a technical demonstration and user help forum. Staff offered direct email support for account-linking and balance inquiries during the downtime.