The system is meant only for allegations involving bishops.
It allows for reports of a US bishop who has forced someone to perform or to submit to sexual acts through violence, threat, or abuse of authority; performed sexual acts with a minor or a vulnerable person; produced, exhibited, possessed or distributed child pornography, or recruited or induced a minor or a vulnerable person to participate in pornographic exhibitions; or a bishop or administrator of a local Church who has "intentionally interfered with a civil or Church investigation into allegations of sexual abuse committed by another cleric or religious."
In Nocember 2019, the general counsel for the US bishops' conference said that a process would be in place promptly to filter out irrelevant claims and ensure that allegations pertain to bishops and to those acts of misconduct for which the system is meant.
When a report is received through the system, it will be forwarded to the metropolitan archbishop "and a designated lay staff member who will assess the report." If the report regards the metropolitan or the metropolitan see is vacant, it will go instead to the senior suffragan bishop, and to a member of the bishop's staff.
After review by the metropolitan and a layman, the report will be sent to the apostolic nuncio with an initial assessment; he will in turn send the report and assessment to the Holy See, which will determine if a formal investigation is warranted. If so, it will authorize a bishop to oversee it. The investigators will include lay persons, and should normally be completed within 90 days of the Holy See's determination.
The system is paid for the by dioceses and eparchies of the US.