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Summary
To make administration easier for our missionaries worldwide, Reliant accepts legally binding approval from missionaries via electronic means. Such "signatures" need to meet two conditions: 1. the identity of the missionary or party is verified and 2. the missionary or party is clearly communicating their approval. The most common example would be an email from a verified Reliant.org email account and a missionary saying something equivilent "I approve this change."
These kind of approvals are in lieu of a traditional "pen and ink" signature.
Background
On June 30, 2000, Congress enacted the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act ("ESIGN"). The result of this Act made it possible for an electronic signature to be used as a valid replacement of a traditional pen and ink signature. For Reliant, the broader application of ESIGN on the processing of day to day forms and documents in the Headquarter office will now make it possible to accept them as “signed” with the use of electronic means.
a signature, contract, or other record relating to such transaction may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form
This Reliant Policy is also intended to make thing easier for our worldwide missionary staff and staff supervisors when submitting Reliant documents and forms to the Headquarters office. It focuses on electronic signatures for forms and documents only, and is not intended to address any Reliant online website electronic signatures issues.
For Reliant forms and documents, the most typical application and use of an electronic signature (but not limited to) would be using an email to serve as an electronic signature.
Legal definitions that relate to ENSIGN ELECTRONIC
ELECTRONIC RECORD
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. The term means a record created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means.
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For Reliant,
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examples include: an email from a verified account, a CRM record, a stored Google document or record in a spreadsheet, a submitted web form via Google or Sitefinity, a PDF document
ELECTRONIC SIGNATURE-
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A technologically neutral term indicating various methods of signing an electronic message
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that
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:
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- Identifies and authenticates a particular person as the source of the electronic message; and
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- Indicates such person's approval of the information contained in the electronic message.
Important Note: A FAX of a document that is personally signed is already considered a legally valid document and will therefore is not affected by this policy. The same applies to a PDF copy of a document that is personally signed which is sent as an attachment to an email. This is also already considered legally valid.
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For Reliant, an item that is identified with a person includes an email from a verified Reliant.org account (as the user has used a name and password) or a record via a Reliant web application that records the name of the user. For approval, language such as "I approve" "Please make this change" "Yes, we agree" in an email is sufficient. In applications that make approval explicit, clicking a checkbox or submitting via a button could indicate approval.
Other general examples of electronic signature technologies include PINs, user identifications and passwords, digital signatures, digitized signatures, and hardware and biometric token
Traditional Forms of Approval Still Accepted
Reliant still accepts traditional methods of approval including:
- Original pen and ink signature on form or document and personally submitted (with date received clearly marked by Reliant office personnel)
- or sent via postal mail.
- Scanned document or form with pen and ink signature
- Sent via email
- Uploaded or digitally transmitted by other means
- Faxed document with pen and ink signature
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Policy StatementReliant will allow an electronic approval "signature" to be accepted as a valid replacement of a traditional pen and ink signature for forms and documents used and processed by the Reliant office. For the purpose of further clarity, Reliant will accept an email from the signer of the form or document to serve as a valid signature. Reliant will also accept a form or document that is electronically attached to an email. The email and/ or the attached form or document must: • Identify and authenticate the particular person as the source of the message (see below), and • Clearly indicates the person’s approval of the information, form or document they are intending to electronically “sign”. NOTE: If the form or document attached to the email includes the e-signer's authenticating and identifying information (see below) on the actual document, then email itself does not need to duplicate the identifying info. The email from the sender needs to be kept as additional supporting proof of authentication of the e-signed form or document. Authentication and IdentificationFor Reliant field employees and associate staff, authentication and identification must be supported by the sender with including all the following in their email: For any Non-Reliant employees and associate staff, authentication and identification must be supported by the sender with including all the following in their email: This required information above can also be entered directly by the provider onto the actual form or document. The form or document can then be attached to an email. This method will also serve as a valid electronic signature (as mentioned in the Policy Statement above).
Authentication and Identification - OFFICE STAFF ONLYFor Reliant office staff only: If the sender of the e-sign email is an office staff, and they are sending their e-sign approval action or e-sign approval of an attached form or document, then authentication and identification is automatically supported by the sender solely by virtue of the email being sent from the sender's reliant.org email address. Their email still needs to include the following: |
Email Sent from Non-Reliant Account
Reliant will accept an approval from a non-Reliant account when the party is not an employed or associate Reliant missionary or office staff member.
Prior Application of Policy
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