Budget, Policy, and Data Analysis (Office of the Director)
GENERAL BACKGROUND
The Budget, Policy, and Data Analysis (BPDA) section of the Office of the Director is charged with overseeing the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) annual budget, including formulation and execution, as well as allocating and tracking funds for refugee cash and medical assistance and State administrative costs and all other ORR programs, tracking refugee population arrivals, responding to policy and eligibility inquiries, developing regulations and legislative proposals, allocating formula funds for Social Services and Targeted Assistance Programs, and providing general policy guidance and assistance to the Director.
ORR BUDGET
BPDA attends to both the formulation and execution of ORR’s annual budget. To formulate the budget, BPDA works with the ACF Office of Legislative Affairs and Budget (OLAB), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Resources and Technology (ASRT), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Congress. In this process, BPDA forecasts program costs and prepares data sheets, narratives, and justifications for budget requests. After the President’s budget request is presented to Congress, BPDA responds to Congressional and other inquiries related to funds appropriation.
Budget execution tasks include allocating quarterly awards for refugee cash and medical assistance and Social Services formula allocations, as well as tracking of funds for refugee cash and medical assistance and State administrative costs, certifying funds availability for ORR expenditures, and reconciling the status of the ORR budget for all programs throughout each fiscal year and at year-end closeout to ensure that all accounts are not deficient.
|
ORR Enacted Funding Levels FY 2008 - FY 2012 |
|||||
| FY 2008 | FY 2009 | FY 2010 | FY 2011 | FY 2012 | |
| Transitional and Medical Services | 296,057.000 | 282,348.000 | 353,281.000 | 352,625.000 | 372,295.000 |
| Victims of Trafficking | 9,814.000 | 9,814.000 | 9,814.000 | 9,794.000 | 9,775.000 |
| Social Services | 154,005.000 | 154,005.000 | 154,005.000 | 153,697.000 | 153,407.000 |
| Preventive Health | 4,748.000 | 4,748.000 | 4,748.000 | 4,739.000 | 4,730.000 |
| Targeted Assistance | 48,590.000 | 48,590.000 | 48,590.000 | 48,493.000 | 48,401.000 |
| Unaccompanied Alien Children | 132,600.000 | 205,120.000 | 149,291.000 | 149,052.000 | 168,681.000 |
| Victims of Torture | 9,817.000 | 10,817.000 | 11,088.000 | 11,066.000 | 11,045.000 |
| Grand Total Funding | $655,631.000 | $715,442.000 | $730,817.000 | $729,466.000 | $768,334.000 |
POLICY ACTIVITIES
BPDA works with other ORR divisions, OLAB, ASRT, the HHS Office of General Counsel, OMB, and others to prepare regulations and develop legislative proposals, as well as respond to legislative, policy, and Congressional inquiries. BPDA also assists grantees in determining the eligibility of refugee populations for ORR programs and services. BPDA provides training to ORR grantees on ORR policy, and on immigration status and eligibility for ORR funded benefits and services. Finally, BPDA performs policy analysis and makes recommendations on a broad range of issues of interest to the Director. In analyzing policies and proposed or enacted legislation, BPDA also considers the budgetary impact of these initiatives.
DATA ANALYSIS
BPDA is responsible for the operation and maintenance of ORR Refugee Arrivals Data System (RADS), the central repository for data on refugee populations served by ORR (absent Trafficking and Unaccompanied Alien Children). BPDA has taken many steps to improve the integrity and completeness of the RADS database by seeking out data from all possible sources, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Department of State. Information from the RADS database is used in determining State formula funds allocations, Targeted Assistance formula allocating, as well as in responding to media, academic, and program inquiries about populations served by ORR grantees.
OTHER ACTIVITES
BPDA is also responsible for compiling the ORR Annual Report to Congress, conducting the Annual Survey of Refugees, approving cost allocations plans, requesting OMB forms clearance, responding to audits, and preparing the annual Federal Managers Financial Integrity Act report.