LIHEAP Application Requirements for FY 2013
| Transmittal No. |
LIHEAP-AT-2012-5
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Date: July 12, 2012
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| TO: |
LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (LIHEAP) GRANTEES |
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GUIDANCE INTENDED FOR: |
_X__ STATES |
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| SUBJECT: | LIHEAP Application Requirements for FY 2013 and Deadline of September 4, 2012 for All Applications | |
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RELATED |
The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act, Title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, (Public Law 97-35), as amended; LIHEAP-IM-2012-05 dated March 22, 2012 (Model Plan Application for LIHEAP Funding for Fiscal Year 2013); OMB Approval Number 0970-0075, approved for LIHEAP use through April 30, 2014. |
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PURPOSE: |
The purpose of this memorandum is to remind grantees of the application requirements for the funding period beginning October 1, 2012 for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 LIHEAP program and to remind all grantees that their LIHEAP applications for the FY 2013 funding period are due September 4, 2012. |
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| CONTENT: |
The LIHEAP application requirements for the FY 2013 funding period were described in LIHEAP‑IM‑2012-05, dated March 22, 2012. That Information Memorandum also included copies of both the Detailed and Abbreviated Model Plans, along with a chart showing which grantees must submit detailed applications this year. Grantees are reminded that a complete plan must include a Program Integrity Assessment, as outlined in LIHEAP-IM-2012-05. FY 2012 LIHEAP plans will not be considered “complete”—and funding will be delayed—until a complete Program Integrity Assessment is submitted. Grantees must submit a “Detailed application” every three years or sooner if they are making major changes to their LIHEAP programs. Since most grantees do not substantially change their programs in a typical two- to three-year period, this frequency will assure that we have a full description of basic Plan elements. As part of the Detailed application, a full description of how grantees will carry out all of the assurances specified in the statute and the other program-specific information required in Section 2605(c) of the statute must be submitted. One-third of current grantees must submit Detailed applications for FY 2013 while the remaining two-thirds will have the option of filing an Abbreviated application for FY 2013. Grantees that submit an Abbreviated application for FY 2013 will be required to submit a Detailed application for FY 2014 or FY 2015. Attached is a schedule specifying which grantees are required to file Detailed applications in FY 2013 and FY 2014 (See Attachment 2). Tribes and Territories that were not grantees in the fiscal year immediately prior to the fiscal year for which application is being made must file a Detailed application. Otherwise, filing an Abbreviated application is optional; a grantee that wishes to do so may file a Detailed application in any year. In some cases, Tribes and States are not on the same 3-year cycle if a Tribe applied with a Detailed Plan during a year in which the State submitted an Abbreviated Plan. We wish to remind grantees that they must submit an application each fiscal year in order to receive LIHEAP funds. Indian Tribes and tribal organizations must submit their applications by September 4, 2012, unless the State(s) in which the Tribe or organization is located agrees to a later submission date. A Final Rule published on October 15, 1999 in the Federal Register (64 FR 55843) states in 45 C.F.R. § 96.10(c)(2) that applications from States and Territories must also be submitted by September 1 unless the Department agrees to a later date. For Fiscal Year 2013, the deadline is extended because September 1 falls on a holiday weekend. Therefore, the deadline has been extended to September 4, 2012. States and Territories that will not be able to meet the deadline for submitting FY 2013 applications should write to this office as soon as possible at the address at the end of this transmittal. The letter should state the reason(s) that the deadline cannot be met and a projected date for submission. The final rule also establishes a deadline for the submission of all information required to complete the LIHEAP application by Tribes, States and Territories. All information requested by this office in order to make a grantee's application complete must be submitted by December 15 of the fiscal year for which funds are being requested, unless the State(s) in which a Tribe is located (in the case of tribal grantees) or the Department (in the case of States and Territories) agrees to a later date. Early receipt and processing of your application also will facilitate your ability to meet the statutory requirement to obligate at least 90 percent of your funds in the fiscal year in which they are appropriated. Therefore, we strongly encourage early submission of completed applications. Applications will be reviewed in the order in which they are received, and thus early receipt will greatly increase our ability to approve applications by the time funding is released. We encourage grantees to submit their plan and program integrity assessment with the carryover and reallotment report which is due August 1. The Cash Management Improvement Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-453, as amended by Public Law 102-589), is in effect. This statute, which covers States and Territories but not Tribes, imposes a requirement for timely transfers of funds between Federal agencies and States. The Department of the Treasury has issued a Final Rule (57 FR 60676-60684, published December 21, 1992) implementing the statute, which affects the LIHEAP program. The receipt of a grantee’s application several weeks before the grantee intends to draw funds from the Payment Management System will allow us to comply with the intent of this Act and its implementing regulations. All necessary information must be included in the application before it can be accepted as complete and we can issue a grant. When we have to ask for additional information, grantees may not receive the grant award on the schedule they had planned. Use of the Model Plan format continues to be optional. To assist grantees that choose not to use the Model Plan format, we have attached reminders of the elements necessary for a complete application (Attachment 1). This Model Plan may be downloaded from the “Forms” section of the Federal LIHEAP website at: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ocs/resource/funding-applications Required Household Report As part of their annual LIHEAP grant applications, grantees are required to report data on households that applied for and those that received LIHEAP assistance during the previous fiscal year by submitting a Household Report with the LIHEAP Plan by September 4, 2012. A separate Action Transmittal will be released to all grantees shortly with instructions on how to complete the Household Report for households assisted in FY 2012. Section 2605 (c)(1)(G) of the LIHEAP statute requires grantees to report the number and income levels of those households applying for and those households receiving assistance, and the number of assisted households with at least one or more individuals who are in either of three categories: (1) 60 years or older, (2) disabled, and (3) under 6 years old. (Territories with block grant allocations of $200,000 or less and tribal grantees are required to submit a report only on the number of households served under each LIHEAP component). We remind LIHEAP grantees applying for leveraging incentive funds that the regulations at 45 C.F.R. § 96.87, which govern the leveraging incentive program, require inclusion in a grantee’s FY 2012 LIHEAP Plan a description of any leveraging activities that took place during FY 2012 that are integrated and coordinated with a grantee’s LIHEAP program, but that are not administered as a part of LIHEAP. Grantees must submit any necessary amendments to their FY 2012 Plan to provide those descriptions to the Division of Energy Assistance by the end of FY 2012, September 30, 2012. Please note: Because Leveraging Incentive Awards were not made during FY 2011, FY 2012 Leveraging Incentive Awards will be issued based on FY 2010 activities. No Leveraging Reports were due in FY 2012. However, grantees will have the choice of using FY 2011 or FY 2012 activities as the basis for Leveraging Incentive funding to be issued in FY 2013, as available. Leveraging activities expected to be carried out during FY 2013 should be described in the FY 2013 Plan and application. Please refer to LIHEAP-AT-2010-12 (dated August 5, 2010), that describes the requirements to qualify for leveraging incentive funds for these resources. Additional Certifications Please remember that all States, whether or not they use the Model Plan, must file the lobbying certification and, if applicable, Form LLL, which discloses lobbying payments. Tribes and Tribal Organizations are not required to file the lobbying certification. The Debarment and Suspension I certify that the (Name of Grantee) will comply with the 16 assurances contained in Title XXVI, section 2605(b) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 as amended, in the administration and operation of its Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Tribe-State Agreements Under the LIHEAP statute and implementing regulations, we determine grant amounts to be awarded to Tribes and Tribal Organizations based on the number of eligible households in the Tribe compared to the number of eligible households for the State, unless the Tribe and the State agree to a larger amount which may either be a flat amount or a percentage share of the State allocation. We encourage Tribes and States to develop an agreement on funding levels and to review those funding levels annually. Inter-Tribal or Consortium Agreements If a Tribal Organization or Consortium is applying on behalf of several Tribes, the application must list all Tribes to be served. Any Tribes added to the list after the September 1 application due date must receive the State's approval before HHS can issue funds to the organization or consortium on behalf of the additional Tribes. A consortium must also have a resolution for each Tribe for which it is applying, authorizing the consortium to apply for and administer LIHEAP funds on the Tribe's behalf. The authorization must be in the form of a resolution duly passed by the Tribal council. A letter signed by a program administrator or by a Tribal Chairperson will not suffice. Application Submission As set forth in LIHEAP‑IM‑2012-05, HHS is requiring that all FY 2013 application materials, including any Plan supplements, be submitted in an electronic format. Please see LIHEAP-IM-2012-05 for submission guidelines. All materials should be sent to:
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ATTACHMENTS: |
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| INQUIRIES: |
Trudy Hairston |
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__________/s/_______________ |
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