Long-Term LIHEAP Outcome Performance Measures
THIS CONTAINS INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FOR
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN LIHEAP ACTION TRANSMITTAL NO. LIHEAP-
AT-2008-3, DATED 4/25/08
TO: LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP)
STATE GRANTEES
SUBJECT: Long-Term LIHEAP Outcome Performance Measures
RELATED Low Income Home Energy Assistance Act, as amended
REFERENCES: (Title XXVI of Public Law 97-35, the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1981, as amended); 45 Code
of Federal Regulations, Part 96; Final Rule
amending HHS block grant regulations (64 Federal
Register, 55843, October 15, 1999); Government
Performance Results Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-
62); Office of Management and Budget's Program
Assessment Rating Tool.
PURPOSE: (1) To provide background materials on the relation
of long-term outcome performance measures and the
2003 LIHEAP Program Assessment Rating Tool score
of "results not demonstrated."
(2) To request participation and collaboration from
State grantees in forming an informal, short-term
work group on LIHEAP long-term outcome performance
measures.
BACKGROUND: Section 2605(b)(5) of the Low-Income Home Energy
Assistance Act of 1981, as amended through August
1, 1999, ("Statute") requires that State LIHEAP
grantees certify that "the highest level of
assistance will be furnished to those households
which have the lowest incomes and the highest
energy costs or needs in relation to income,
taking into account family size . ." (emphasis
added).
Section 2603(4) of the Statute defines "highest
home energy needs" to mean: "the home energy
requirements of a household determined by taking
into account both the energy burden of such
household and the unique situation of such
household that results from having members of
vulnerable populations, including very young
children, individuals with disabilities, and frail
older individuals." (emphasis added).
In 2002, the Director of the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) released the Program Assessment
Rating Tool (PART) to Federal agencies as a method
for implementing the program performance
requirements imposed by the Government Performance
Results Act of 1993 (GPRA).
CONTENT: Results Not Demonstrated
In 2003, LIHEAP received its first Federal PART
assessment and the score of "results not
demonstrated" (see Attachment A).
Every Federal program is eligible for a PART
assessment or reassessment at least every five
years. LIHEAP may receive its PART reassessment
within the next year (see Attachment B).
Below is a listing of the PART questions for which
LIHEAP received zero points regarding long-term
performance measurement (see Attachment C):
• Does the program have a limited number of
specific long-term performance measures that
focus on outcomes and meaningfully reflect the
purpose of the program?
• Does the program have ambitious targets and
timeframes for long-term measures?
• Does the program have baselines and ambitious
targets and timeframes for its annual measures?
• Are independent and quality evaluations of
sufficient scope and quality conducted on a
regular basis or as needed to support program
improvements and evaluate effectiveness and
relevance to the problem, interest, or need?
• Has the program taken meaningful steps to
correct its strategic planning deficiencies?
The PART rating information is a factor reviewed by
OMB when developing the President's annual budget.
Regardless of the long-term impact of PART, Federal
programs are required to comply with a variety of
annual budget and program effectiveness reporting
mechanisms, including the annual Congressional
Budget Justification. Given that LIHEAP is
presently pending reauthorization, a proactive
approach by LIHEAP grantees in developing long-term
outcome performance measures may avert
Congressionally-imposed performance measures
through the reauthorization legislation (as done
with the Community Services Block Grant program in
1998, see Public Law 105-285).
Performance Measures
As a result of LIHEAP's initial PART rating of
"results not demonstrated," OMB required the
establishment of a LIHEAP performance improvement
plan ("PIP") that covers three aspects of the
LIHEAP program through November 2008 (see
Attachment D). OCS updates this plan on a semi-
annual basis with milestones for reaching
improvement in each of the following areas (see
Attachment E):
• long-term measures;
• performance-based budgeting; and
• increased non-Federal leveraged energy assistance
resources.
The heating assistance recipiency targeting indexes
have been useful in our analysis of heating
assistance program effectiveness, and are one
factor considered in the PART assessment. However,
the indexes are only proxies for long-term health
and safety outcome performance measures.
Though OCS has and continues to conduct research
into potential long-term outcome performance
measures for LIHEAP, it needs the support of the
LIHEAP State grantees in establishing such measures
and identifying of data sources. OCS is seeking
meaningful stakeholder consultation.
»Action Item: OCS requests volunteers from
State grantee offices to participate on a
small, informal work group of no more than ten
States. The mission of the work group is to:
• Develop a brief proposal for at least one
potential LIHEAP long-term outcome
performance measure, noting strengths and
weaknesses, resources needed, possible data
sources, and other relevant considerations.
• The group will engage in at least one
teleconference per month beginning in May
2008, and ideally have a face-to-face
meeting at the NLIEC conference in June,
2008. On the first call, OCS will provide
the work group with background materials,
including a definition for outcome
performance measures.
• The deadline for the submission of the work
group's proposal to OCS and to all State
grantees is November 1, 2008. OCS will
provide at least one opportunity via
teleconference in early November for all
State grantees to engage in a dialogue on
the work group's proposal. It is our hope
that these efforts will potentially develop
a consensus among LIHEAP State grantees on
how to obtain the data needed for the new
measure(s).
• Determine what follow-up steps are needed
beyond November 2008.
State grantees should contact Lauren Christopher by
email for further information and/or to join the
performance measures work group. We request that
interested staff indicate their interest in joining
the work group by May 20, 2008.
As announced at the NEADA meeting in February, 2008,
OCS also plans to issue an Information Memorandum
(IM) that will provide the ranking of newly
developed State-level heating assistance recipiency
targeting scores for elderly and young child
households based on FY 2006 data from the LIHEAP
Household Reports.
The IM will be issued at a later date so that each
State has the opportunity to first review and
comment on its own heating assistance recipiency
targeting index scores. The accuracy of the data
reported by grantees in the LIHEAP Household Report
affects each State's targeting score and ranking.
The IM with the final ranking will also be posted
on the LIHEAP web site as public information.
INQUIRIES TO: Lauren Christopher, Program Analyst
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services, ACF, HHS
370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20447
Telephone: (202) 401-4870
E-mail: lauren.christopher@acf.hhs.gov
ATTACHMENTS: A. PART Program Assessment Summary
B. Federal Times Article on PART, 2/11/08
C. PART Program Assessment Report
D. LIHEAP Improvement Plan
E. LIHEAP Performance Analysis
_____________/s____________
Josephine B. Robinson
Director
Office of Community Services
