LIHEAP Household Report for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2009
THIS CONTAINS INFORMATION ISSUED BY THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FOR
CHILDREN AND FAMILIES IN LIHEAP ACTION TRANSMITTAL NO. LIHEAP-
AT-2009-7, DATED 7/27/09
TO: LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP)
GRANTEES
SUBJECT: LIHEAP Household Report for Federal Fiscal Year
(FFY) 2009
RELATED Sections 2605(c)(1)(G) and 2610(b) of the Low
REFERENCES: Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (title
XXVI of Public Law 97-35, the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of 1981, as amended); 45 Code of
Federal Regulations, Part 96; House Report 103-483
and Senate Report 103-251; OMB Control No. 0970-0060
(Expiration Date-October 31, 2006); Section 3507 of
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; LIHEAP
Information Transmittal 09-03, dated January 26,
2009.
PURPOSE: To remind LIHEAP grantees to include statutory
data from the LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2009
as part of their LIHEAP grant application for FFY
2010.
The purpose of the LIHEAP Household Report is not
only to report on the number of households
assisted with appropriated FFY 2009 LIHEAP funds.
In addition, the purpose is to report on the
number of households assisted with all available
LIHEAP funds during FFY 2009.
BACKGROUND: Under the amendments to the LIHEAP statute enacted
in 1994 (Public Law 103-252), LIHEAP grant
applications must include a report for the previous
FFY on households applying for and assisted by
LIHEAP. We receive the reported information through
the LIHEAP Household Report.
Information collection activities, such as the
LIHEAP Household Report, must receive approval
from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in
accordance with Section 3507 of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. OMB approved the LIHEAP
Household Report through October 31, 2011. We
notified the States of this action through LIHEAP
Information Transmittal 09-03, dated January 26,
2009. As stated in that IM, States will be
required additional data for FY 2011.
CONTENT: The following items pertain to the LIHEAP Household
Report:
• The 50 States, the District of Columbia, and
Insular Areas that receive regular LIHEAP block
grant allocations of $200,000 or more (e.g., the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico) must submit the
required data elements contained in Attachment 1,
LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2009 - Recommended
Long Format for LIHEAP Assisted Households and
Applicant Households for FY 2009. The required
(mandatory) data elements include the following
for each type of LIHEAP assistance provided by
grantees: the number and income levels of
applicant and assisted households, and the number
of assisted households with one or more members
who were elderly, disabled, or a young child.
• The Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP Assisted
Households includes a section on "Requested Data"
that lists a break out of young children into two
age categories. The House and Senate Committee
reports concerning the 1994 reauthorization of
LIHEAP requested this break out. However,
submission of these data is optional.
• Indian Tribes and Tribal Organizations must submit
only the data elements contained in Attachment 2,
LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2009 - Recommended
Short Format for LIHEAP Assisted Households.
Also, those Insular Areas that receive regular
LIHEAP block grant allocations of less than
$200,000 must submit only the data elements
contained in the Recommended Short Format for
LIHEAP Assisted Households. The required data
include the number of assisted households for each
type of LIHEAP assistance provided by these
grantees.
• A grant award will not be made for FFY 2010 until
we receive the grantee's complete data, as
specified in the LIHEAP Household Report for FFY
2009, and all other application requirements have
been completed.
• Estimated (rather than actual) LIHEAP household
data will be accepted with the FFY 2010 LIHEAP
grant application so as not to delay the awarding
of first quarter LIHEAP grants for FFY 2010.
• Grantees are to submit actual household data by
December 15, 2009 (this also is the deadline for
State, Tribal, and Insular Area grantees to submit
additional information to complete their block
grant application/plans for FFY 2010). Actual,
not estimated, State-level data are required for
the Department's LIHEAP Annual Report to Congress
for FFY 2009.
Other than date changes, there is not anything
different about the LIHEAP Household Report for
FFY 2009 from that of the LIHEAP Report for FFY
2008. However, there is clarification of what
constitutes a household for statistical reporting.
In addition, the following additional instructions
are provided for those States reporting households
that received "other" crisis assistance in FY
2009:
• If the count of such households is included in
winter/year round or summer crisis assistance
data, please indicate so in the Notes section.
Include in the Notes section the number of
households that received "other" crisis
assistance.
• If the count of such households is not included in
winter/year round or summer crisis assistance
data, then complete the columns of data elements
for that type of assistance. Indicate whether
those households can be added to winter/year round
or summer crisis assistance, i.e., such households
did not receive winter/year round or summer crisis
assistance.
Report Format
Attached are the recommended formats for the LIHEAP
Household Report. Grantees can report the data
elements in a different format as long as the report
instructions in Attachment 3 are followed. It is
important that grantees review and understand the
attached detailed instructions for reporting the
data.
We request that you submit the data electronically
using the LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2009.
An Excel spreadsheet of the LIHEAP Household Report
FFY 2009 is available for downloading from the
Federal LIHEAP web site at:
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/grantee_forms/
index.html#household_report
We prefer that the States use the Excel spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet contains formulas that assist in
compiling accurate tabulations. Also, the use of
the spreadsheet expedites the processing and editing
of the data.
Your attention to the points below will minimize our
need to contact you for clarification of your
State's reported data. This also will enhance our
timeliness in compiling, editing, and reporting the
data.
Reporting Pointers for the Long and Short Formats
• Please include on your Report the name, title, and
telephone number of the person to be contacted if
we need to clarify information in your LIHEAP
Household Report.
• The household data are for the reporting period
for FFY 2009 (October 1, 2008 - September 30,
2009). Grantees may choose to operate their
programs on a different program year (e.g.,
starting January 1 or July 1). However, complete
household data still need to be reported for FFY
2009.
• Count all households assisted only with Federal
LIHEAP funds regardless of whether the source of
funds was:
O FFY 2009 regular block grant funds, emergency
contingency funds, and/or leveraging incentive
funds;
O funds carried over from FFY 2008;
O unobligated FFY 2008 emergency contingency funds;
O unobligated FFY 2008 leveraging incentive funds;
O LIHEAP funds obligated in FFY 2008 that were
expended in FFY 2009; and
O oil overcharge (Petroleum Violation Escrow)
funds, if any, used for LIHEAP.
• Exclude from your counts other households that
were served through your LIHEAP program with non-
LIHEAP funds.
• Report unduplicated household counts by type of
LHEAP assistance.
Reporting Pointers for the Long Format Only
• Include complete data for households receiving
LIHEAP weatherization assistance even if those
funds were used under the Department of Energy's
Low Income Weatherization Assistance Program.
• The grantee defines what constitutes an
"application." However, the count of applicant
households includes the number of households that
apply for LIHEAP assistance, whether or not they
actually receive LIHEAP assistance. Therefore,
the count includes the number of approved, denied,
and pending applications for LIHEAP assistance.
This count should be greater than the count of
recipient households by type of LIHEAP assistance.
• The Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP Assisted
Households and Applicant Households includes the
general question, "Do the data below include
estimated figures?" Mark "x" for "No" or "Yes"
to the question. If "Yes," mark "x" in the second
column of the Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP
Assisted Households and Applicant Households for
any data that are estimates, as opposed to actual
counts for the type(s) of assistance provided.
When actual data are reported later, please remove
the "x" from the column(s) and mark "x" for "no"
to the above question.
• Data needs to be completed for each type of LIHEAP
assistance provided in FFY 2009. The data will be
checked for consistency against the type of LIHEAP
benefits that States will report on the LIHEAP
Grantee Survey for FFY 2009. We plan to send this
Survey to the States in November 2009 with a due
date of December 15, 2009. (This is also the same
date for States to provide actual household counts
for FY 2009 and final revisions to grantees'
LIHEAP application for FY 2010 funds).
Poverty Pointers for Long and Short Formats
• Gross annual household incomes are to be used in
computing household poverty percentages, using the
2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines that were in effect at
the beginning of FFY 2009 (October 1, 2008)
regardless if a grantee switched to the 2009 HHS
Poverty Guidelines that were published in January
2009. The 2008 HHS Poverty Guidelines are
available at:
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/guidance/in
formation_memoranda/im08-06.html
Poverty Pointers for Long Format Only
• Household poverty levels must be reported
according to the intervals specified in the
Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP Assisted
Households and Recommended Format for LIHEAP
Applicant Households.
• The sum of the number of assisted households
across the poverty intervals must equal the total
number of assisted households for each type of
assistance provided by the State. If this is not
the case, please note the reason why. We will
follow up with the State to have this problem
corrected for the following Fiscal Year's LIHEAP
Household Report.
• The sum of the number of applicant households
across the poverty intervals and the column
"Income data unavailable" must equal the total
number of applicant households for each type of
assistance provided by the State.
Target Group Pointers for Long Format Only
• The data on target groups (elderly, disabled, or
young children) are household counts, not person
counts or head of household counts.
• A household is to be counted for each target group
in which the household has at least one member for
that group (see the specific instructions for
counting target group households in Attachment 3).
• The count of assisted households with at least one
child 5 years or younger is required. Counts of
assisted households with at least one child (a)
who is 2 years old or younger and (b) who is
between 3 years through 5 years are requested
(i.e., optional) data items if the grantee elects
to report the data. If reporting the requested/
optional data:
O Start the count with the number of assisted
households with at least one child 5 years or
younger for each type of LIHEAP assistance
provided. Using that count of assisted
households, count the number of those assisted
households with at least one child who is 2
years old or younger. Again, using the number
of assisted households with at least one child
5 years or younger, repeat the same procedure
for those assisted households with at least one
child between 3 years through 5 years old.
O Do not add the number of households with at
least one child 2 years or younger and the
number of households with at least one child
between 3 years through 5 years to arrive at the
number of households with at least one child 5
years or younger. This will result in a
duplicate count and it is why it is necessary to
first count the number of households with at
least one child 5 years or younger.
INQUIRIES TO: Sharon Williams, Program Analyst
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services
Administration for Children and Families, HHS
370 L'Enfant Promenade, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20447
202-401-4558 (Voice)
202-401-5661 (Fax)
sharon.williams@acf.hhs.gov
www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/liheap/
ATTACHMENTS: (1) LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2009 -
Recommended Long Format for LIHEAP Assisted
Households and Applicant Households
(2) LIHEAP Household Report for FFY 2009 -
Recommended Short Format for LIHEAP Assisted
Households
(3) Instructions for Completing the LIHEAP
Household Report for FFY 2009
______________/s_____________
Nick St. Angelo
Director
Division of Energy Assistance
Office of Community Services
