PQA, or Payment Quality Assurance, is a post-commitment review USAC conducts on paid E-Rate invoices and disbursements to confirm the payments it already made were accurate and compliant. Unlike a PIA review, which happens before a funding decision, PQA looks backward at money that has already gone out the door.
How It Works
USAC selects funded FRNs or paid invoices for PQA review as part of its own quality-assurance process. During a PQA review, USAC can request supporting documentation from the applicant, the service provider, or both, to confirm the disbursed amount was correct and that the products or services paid for were actually eligible and delivered as billed.
If a PQA review turns up a problem, what happens next depends on where the error lived. If the underlying funding decision itself was wrong, USAC pursues a Commitment Adjustment (COMAD). If the commitment was correct but a specific disbursement wasn't, USAC pursues a Recovery of Improperly Disbursed Funds (RIDF) action instead. PQA is the review that can trigger either one, depending on what it finds.
Our full audits and adjustments guide covers PQA alongside the related SRIR, BCAP, and COMAD processes in more depth.
What This Means for You
Applicants
Keep documentation for funded FRNs well past the payment date, not just through the invoicing window. A PQA request can arrive on an FRN you already consider closed.
Service Providers
The same applies to your invoicing records. PQA reviews look at whether what was billed matches what was actually eligible and delivered, so line-item accuracy on every invoice matters even after USAC has already paid it.
We regularly see service providers treat a paid invoice as a closed file. PQA means that isn't true: a disbursed payment can still be revisited, which makes ongoing documentation discipline, not just accuracy at the moment of billing, the thing that actually protects you.
Common Questions About PQA
What does a PQA review check?
Whether a disbursed payment on a funded FRN was accurate, eligible, and properly documented, essentially confirming that money already paid out was paid out correctly.
How is PQA different from PIA?
PIA review happens before commitment, while USAC is still deciding whether to fund a request. PQA happens after money has already been disbursed, reviewing the payment itself rather than the original decision.
What happens if you fail a PQA review?
It depends on the finding. If the underlying commitment decision was wrong, USAC pursues a COMAD. If the commitment was right but a specific disbursement wasn't, USAC pursues a RIDF action instead.
Who gets selected for PQA?
USAC selects funded FRNs and paid invoices for PQA review based on its own risk and quality-assurance criteria; there's no public formula applicants or providers can rely on to predict selection.
Informational only, not legal advice. E-Rate procedures and forms can change by funding year. Confirm current requirements in the applicable USAC and FCC guidance.